Ford has a long history of supplying engines to other automakers, including Qvale, Lands, Laforza, De Tomaso, and even Oshkosh Defense’s future postal delivery vehicle. Now, The Blue Oval will also provide the powertrain of choice for the all-new, next-generation Morgan 3 Wheeler, the automaker has announced.
That engine will be a naturally-aspirated inline-three cylinder Ford engine, but Morgan stopped short of providing any further details. That means it’s likely Ford’s 1.0L Fox I-3, which is currently the standard powerplant in the Ford EcoSport, albeit in turbocharged EcoBoost form. Ford also makes the 1.5L EcoBoost I-3, which rounds out its current inline-three cylinder offerings.
The new Morgan 3 Wheeler is pictured here in heavily camouflaged prototype form, but it maintains its distinctive profile and of course, unique three-wheel layout with two in the front and one in the rear. Morgan says the next-gen 3 Wheeler will sport an all-new design and “significant engineering advancements,” which is a given considering the current model has been around since 2011.
The current-generation 3 Wheeler wraps up a decade of production this summer with a total of 33 P101 special edition models, which are, like its regular counterparts, already sold out. The current version of the 3 Wheeler utilizes an S&S 1998cc V-Twin engine that produces either 68 or 82 horsepower, though, with a curb weight of just over 1,100 pounds, 0-60 still comes in as low as 6 seconds.
Whilst many details on the new model are yet to be announced, the use of an internal combustion engine can be confirmed. Specifically, a naturally aspirated inline three-cylinder Ford engine, which continues the company’s long-standing use of Ford engines. More news soon! pic.twitter.com/yo0DxYonnq
— Morgan Motor Company (@morganmotor) September 1, 2021
The Morgan 3 Wheeler has long been known as a no-frills, super simple, open-air machine, one that quite a few owners surprisingly favor for long road trips, despite its lack of creature comforts. The next-generation model promises to retain that heritage, but this time around will do so with perhaps even more power than the outgoing version.
We’ll have more on this Ford-powered Morgan soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.
Comment
Does Morgan have a lot of competition chomping at the bit to steal their design secrets? Enough competition that warrants the necessity to “heavily camouflage” their prototype? LOL