Morgan 1935 Sports 2 -seater 990 cc 2 cyl OHV 3510

Morgan 1935 “Sports 2 -seater” 990 cc Matchless OHV V-twin chassis # D-1514 engine # MX2/522
gearbox # 2159 body # 2829

H.F.S. Morgan quit the Great Western Railway in 1904 and co-founded a motor sales and servicing garage in Malvern Link. In 1909 he designed and built a car for his own use. Previously he developed the first independent front suspension in the engineering shop of Malvern College. Commercial production began a year later and the company prospered. By WW1 almost a thousand three wheelers had left the factory premises. Morgan’s first four wheeler came in 1935 with three wheelers phased out in 1952.
In the early thirties a line of Ford- engined “F” models was brought out. For obvious reasons the new Ford engine could not be mounted forward of the front cross tubes in the same way as a V- twin so the whole chassis was re-designed, abandoning tubular steel in favour of Z-section pressings riveted together. The front sliding pillar suspension, gearbox and rear suspension could, however, be re-used.
The “Sports” models were introduced in 1932 and replaced the Aero types. From 1933 the rear bodywork was redesigned to house a spare wheel on the flat sloping panel, that was removable for access to the rear wheel. “The Sports was a comfortable, attractive and well-appointed tourer with lively performance and commendable economy. The last example was sold to Amal Ltd on 2 December 1938. In total, 428 were built and 134 survive.”( source: Stephen Clark, Morgan Three-Wheeler)
Next to two “F” models, the 1935 range held several four person models and two person models, all driven by V-twin Matchless engines. These engines were available in OHV and SV configurations and could be had with air or water cooling.

It’s interesting to note that the Sports model we present here still has her original chassis, engine, gearbox and body. This is confirmed by the factory dispatch records, that state that on October 15, 1935 a Sports 2- seater model with the above numbers was sent to Dutch Morgan Agents Croes & Co. in Hilversum. The “Remarks and Extras” column of the dispatch information states “Body red and cream, chassis and wings red, wheels cream, Vee screen, G.B 2159, body 2829”.When acquired a number of years ago, the Morgan was finished in a green colour. The former owner had the machine restored (photos on file) and she was subsequently finished in the original colour combination. The original woodwork, which still contains the body number, has been preserved. At the Amsterdam RAI Show in January-February 1936 Croes presented several Morgans, one of them being a Sports 2-seater. The factory records show that prior to February 1936 only one such model had been exported to The Netherlands, so we can safely say that our Morgan was displayed there. A photo of the machine was published in the February 7 issue of the magazine “Het Motorrijwiel en de Populaire Auto”, photostat copy on file.

The machine has three forward gears and one reverse and an electric starter and interchangeable wheels are part of the specifications. All three wheels come with internal expanding brakes, the front ones are controlled by hand, the rear brake is foot-operated. At some time in the past the front part of the chassis has been strengthened and made slightly narrower. Our Sports 2-seater comes in a pleasing colour combination and runs O.K.

Video: https://youtu.be/ND7Vx-m42hA

(additional photos on request)