Morgan 3-wheeler Club's Annual Sportsmeet

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This took place at the “Coach & Horses”, a Motel near Great Haywood in Staffs, on January 13th. The weather was unkind, with freezing fog added to the icy conditions, so perhaps not surprisingly there was only one Morgan, an F-type, in the car-park when we arrived, in a Rover 3500 the eight-cylinder engine of which was the nearest we could get on this occasion to Morgan-power. This was a meeting mainly of those who raced Morgans and do not use them much on the road. Over 70 people attended. Among them was Cyril (“Charlie”) Hale, who raced a Matchless-engined Morgan at Donington before the War and is now rebuilding one.The Club’s President, Peter Morgan, was absent, as he was attending his son’s wedding, but Mrs. Winifred Boddy presented the trophies for the best racing performances during last year. This was after the Club’s new colour film, “First and Last”, made by the Rochdale Cine Club, had been shown in the bar, after its late arrival due to fog on the Motorway. It depicts the Morgan 3-Wheeler Championship being raced for at Mallory Park, with an exciting duel for second place.

I knew the Morgan 3-wheeler crowd to be friendly people before I met them at this dinner. Did I not go to an MCC Silverstone race meeting some years ago and hear one say to another: “Your trouble is you’re retarded”, and another remark to his companion: “I think your head is cracked”….? If the film was any indication, Morgan tricars are very safe; only once did we see a front wheel lift and the only competitor hanging out its tail seemed to be the ex-Ware replica. It was unjust that because E. B. Ware had a spot of bother during the 1924 200 Mile Race at Brooklands Morgans were banned from car races at Brooklands and elsewhere thereafter. But it was poetic justice that, when the New Cyclecar Club got this ruling rescinded in 1928, it was an Austin 7 which overturned in one of their races…. I can well remember how thrilling it was to watch the Morgan teams in the pre-war LCC Relay Races at Brooklands and how, from the pits, I used to pray that they would defeat their handicap and beat the Austin teams…. It is nice to learn that the Morgan Club has a full fixture-list for 1979, with races at Cadwell Park, Snetterton, Oulton Park and Donington, etc. if arrangements are confirmed, including races against T-type MGs., and that the Mallory “Mograce” is to happen again on August 26th

W. B.