Morgan EV3: a pre-war design with an electric twist

The motoring industry is arguably undergoing a revolution, as it prepares for a world where combustion-engined cars will be considered as prehistoric as the fuel that powers them.

While moving to cars powered by cleaner electrical energy will have major benefits for air quality, the tightening of vehicle regulations means the sight of vintage sports cars on public roads may be extremely rare in the not-so-distant future.

British carmaker Morgan, however, is championing vintage vehicle styling with its all-electric EV3 sports car, due to reach production next year.

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The EV3 is based on the company’s 3 Wheeler sports car, which, in turn, was inspired by the three-wheeled Morgan Super Sports from the mid-1930s. The new model includes the original’s open cockpit design, side exhaust and leather-lined interior.

But instead of the old car’s front-mounted V-twin engine, the Morgan EV3 is powered by a battery-electric motor supplied by Frazer-Nash Energy Systems - the company behind the new electric London cabs.

The battery system is liquid-cooled, says Autocar, boasting a power output of 53bhp and a claimed range of 120 miles. Considering the small sports car weighs “less than 500kg”, the EV3 has all the ingredients to be as quick - if not quicker - than its combustion-engined sibling.

Morgan’s chief executive, Steve Morris, said: “We have been working closely on optimising the EV3’s architecture in every way to develop a car which will offer proven reliability range and cooling performance, combined with the pure driving experience that is expected of every hand-crafted Morgan.”

The retro-electric sports car is on course to arrive in autumn of 2018, although Morgan has yet to announce prices.

The world may have outgrown the combustion-engine, but the EV3 could prove that vintage-inspired sports cars can coexist with the next generation of autonomous production models.