Morgan 3-wheeler, Anzani V-2 engine

This is a restoration by Peter Thompson with the Anzani engine.
Mine, alas, was a humble utilitarian model, not the spiffy sports version of the picture.
I owned mine around 1931 or so, but it was quite elderly by then.

This was a transitional move between motorcycles and autos. The cost of the license reflected this, being half way between what you paid for a motorcycle and a full blown car. Morgan never built their own engines and used a variety of proprietary ones: JAP (for J.A.Prestwich), the most frequently used; Blackburn, a very potent one; Anzani, who made aircraft engines during WW 1; these were all V twins. Later, they used Austin 4s. Now, in the era of the Morgan 4-wheeler, they appear to be using Ford and Rover 4 cylinder engines.

The 3-wheelers had only rear wheel brakes, both external shoes, on either side of the rear wheel. One side was operated by the pedal, the other by the hand lever. The thin wire connecting these used to rust through, snapping, and leaving one with no brakes periodically. There was no foot throttle. Both throttle and air mixture lever (a form of choke) and lever controlling retard or advance of the spark were mounted on the steering wheel. They used "direct steering" which, when worn, was subject at times to violent and alarming shimmy. The cure for this was reputed to be rapid acceleration, but it needed nerves of steel to do this, and one usually braked to a stop with an ever-increasing shimmy tearing at one's arms and bidding to shake the bolts out of the car. (Model T Fords were subject to the same malady.)

The Morgan had only two gears, with no reverse, so one avoided downhill cul-de-sacs. it had a large folding hood (ragtop to you) something like the contemporary baby carriage. The top was a good bit taller than the windshield so it tended to scoop down the rain on the occupants. Starting was by a large crank handle applied to the side of the car. It always looked like someone winding up a toy. Often, when it fired unexpectedly after a lusty crank, one's momentum caused one to smite the road. You could tell a Morgan driver by looking for his skinned right knuckles.

Further Morgan information here: Morgan 3-Wheeler.
That's where the Editor got the image of the 1924 Aero for the forward button, below.