Morgan 3-Wheeler Superdry Edition | Spotted
A diehard Superdry fan back in the day? This curious collab will be right up your alley, then
The year is 2012. Trendy clothing firm Superdry has taken over British high streets and people of all ages are walking about with brightly coloured long-sleeved shirts. Though not to everyone’s taste, especially as the use of Japanese symbols plastered on its clothes were purely for show and didn’t always make sense, Superdry went about things differently and, by doing so, earned itself a spot among the high street juggernauts of the era.
Meanwhile, in Worcestershire, Morgan is in process of resurrecting a legend. Noticing a distinct lack of vehicles that could deliver single rear-wheel power slide thrills, the British car company decided to revive its 3-Wheeler sports car after a near-60-year hiatus. Despite being a whole new level of quirky and seemingly appealing to an extremely niche market, the 3-Wheeler was an instant hit. Morgan apparently garnered 850 deposits before customer deliveries got underway in early 2012 – not bad for a low volume sports car maker - and since then the 3-Wheeler has gone on to form a crucial pillar in the company’s line-up.
This is the part where these two completely unrelated companies somehow collide, resulting in a limited edition 3-Wheeler covered in all the pseudo-Japanese references Superdry is known for. The standout features are the orange sidewalls, along with ‘Superdry JPN’ branding in aircraft-style font at the rear and Japanese symbols at the base of the car – because everyone knows they make something look instantly cool, even if it’s gibberish. Hammering home that non-existent connection to the land of the rising sun are flags for both Japan and the UK pinned to the engine cowling. Dodgy links to Japan aside, it fits in with the aircraft-style designs specced by many Mog owners – and looks rather smart when framed by the exclusive shade of matt silver paint.
Inside, Superdry kitted out the interior with quilted leather seats that, admittedly, look rather swish, and there’s a vintage-style Superdry logo in the centre of the steering wheel. Those who purchased one from new were also given a leather jacket with a 1930s twist, and it was made from the same hide used in the cockpit. As far as we can tell, it was sold exclusively with the limited-run 3-Wheeler, though it doesn’t appear to be included in the sale of the car we have here. A quick eBay search suggests you can pick up one of the originals for a few hundred quid, mind.
To little surprise, the Superdry edition focuses solely on cosmetic upgrades. But there’s nothing wrong with that, because the regular 3-Wheeler is an absolute hoot. It’s powered by a 2.0-litre V-twin built by S&S, sending all 115hp to the rear wheel. It may not sound like much on paper, but remember that’s only going to one wheel with an wafer-thin contact patch. Expect plenty of sideways action. A 0-62mph dash can be dispatched in just 4.5 seconds, comfortably outpacing most modern-day hot hatches, and at 500kg it’s so light you may as well tie it down to stop it from drifting away.
It's another fascinating case of the fashion and car worlds colliding, albeit the most unlikely of pairings - a Murcielago Versace sounds almost sensible compared to this. Morgan only produced 200 examples, so they’re a rare sight in the classifieds. This one’s covered 12,000 miles – nice to see them getting used - with all the Superdry graphics and plush leather interior in tip top condition. It’s listed at £38,995, which is a slight increase over its original base price, but it’ll be a price worth paying for collectors who love going sideways on the way to the shops to kit themselves out with more Superdry gear.
SPECIFICATION | MORGAN 3-WHEELER SUPERDRY EDITION
Engine: 1,983cc V-twin
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 115@5,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 103@3,250rpm
MPG: 30.4
CO2: 215g/km
Year registered: 2014
Recorded mileage: 12,000
Price new: £35,360
Yours for: £38,995
)These embarrassing tie-ups rarely seem to work very well. The ever more tragic Aston / 007 ‘brand fusion’ is still the one that the rest can only aspire to but tbf Morgan had a good go here. Really crap but not quite crap enough.
This particular example has been for sale for over a year, having only had one price reduction of £1,000.
None of them are selling at the moment and there are better examples at that price point.
I recently picked up a 2019 example for not much more from a well known car auction site.
Absolutely love my 3W, which I run as a 'mostly' daily driver.
Ask what it means and they have no idea...
Or go a step in the other direction and pick another country that was active around the time. Could have called this one the kamikaze edition.
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