Three wheelers are either in one’s blood or one hates them!

Without doubt, my inspiration has come from Gregory Houston Bowden’s books on the Morgan marque, but why three wheels? It was the excitement of the naked V-twin engine pouting with exposed push rod tubes and those pulsating oily rockers! It was the eccentricity of one wheel missing, the ruggedness, the nostalgic era of motoring, the sheer caddishness of it! The closeness of early 20s and 30s cars with aviation, those scantily clad engines, the simplicity of design, the stick and string approach of biplanes that transcended into the absurdity of the three wheeler, though bear in mind, the three wheeler came first, even before Mr Morgan!

By the late 1970s a modern three wheeler had evolved-the Triking. The Triking was the one and only three wheeler to aspire to owning if one could justify the expense. Hand-built from scratch in a simple garage by its designer in Norfolk, powered by the Italian air cooled V-twin Moto Guzzi engine, but expensive! Enter in the early nineties the affordable Morgan lookalike, the BRA CX3. Suddenly, affordability, relative ease of construction and an engine which had had an illustrious career in Honda motorcycles, and had been proven by the motor cycle courier riders, was the order of the day.

The Honda CX 500 engine is an absolute jewel. It is a thoroughly compact design with a gearbox within the overall crankcase, four valves per cylinder, ease of maintenance, and a good looking purposeful V-twin shape to boot. It is also water cooled and revs to over 11,000, and sure likes to rev! The BRA can also use the Moto Guzzi engine which is air cooled. The CX 500-engined version is by far the most prolific as the engines are relatively plentiful and they are still cheap to rebuild and maintain even if the design is 25 years old.

My intention is to take the machine up market and closer to the Triking model in terms of finish and luxury. The Triking has always been the ultimate, with the BRA a close second and I aim to take it into a new market place. Whilst the BRA has been aimed traditionally at the kit car market, it has not in my view been offered as a good "turn-key" sporting option for the man who thought he had everything…but lacked a three wheeler! I now offer the kind of person who would not normally look at the kit car industry, a fun alternative, a "posing car", something different in which to trundle down to the pub on a Sunday lunch-time! One only has to look at the evolution of the Lotus, later Caterham 7 to see how a once kit car has become the leader of a genre, now much refined, and whose design is 45 years old.

The MG3, naturally Moto Guzzi power! These classic V-twin motors from 850cc to the latest 1100cc fuel injected electronic ignition units, pack power from 70-90 BHP and bags of torque being a lazy long stroking motor red lining at 6500-7500 as opposed to the frenetic Honda motors that scream to 10000 plus! The Moto Guzzi is the effortless long distance touring machine and the good thing is that all new components are available directly from Mandello de Lario in Italy. Your Moto Guzzi machine can be brand new from stem to stern!

Coming, as I do from an aviation interest and business background, the opportunity is ripe to offer this design to the aviation fraternity. Stand a BRA CX3/MG3 alongside a Tiger Moth biplane and heaven does exist on earth, for eternity! My aviation art business is called Spitfire Art, but does this answer the question why have I owned Messerschmidt three wheelers, three of them? Aha, that combination of absurdity and eccentricity once again, not to mention the hinged canopy reminiscent of a World War Two Me 109 fighter plane!

Not a smelly noisy two stroke engined vehicle initially designed as a post war invalid carriage for two in tandem, nor does it look like a Reliant… no,… the BRA CX3/MG3 is a modern recreation of a bygone era …side by side seating, wind in the hair, noise, revs, smell, a grin on one’s face as one blats nonchalantly down the leafy lanes of nostalgia…ah… seat of the pants motoring… Biggles at last!

Fully fitted and traditionally hand-built cars are available, the purchaser needing nothing but goggles and leather flying helmet! However, the BRA CX3/MG3 is also available in component form for easy build-up with all parts available from the company in one comprehensive kit. The builder is left in no doubt as to where to source parts or where to attach them. A comprehensive build manual is supplied. The DIY enthusiast needs just ordinary tools and a modicum of time.

The 496CC Honda engines are ultra reliable. The all aluminium water cooled 8 valve V twin unit with an integral 5 speed sequential gearbox, drives a shaft to the rear wheel. All fully-built CX3 cars have completely reconditioned and guaranteed engines and systems. Moto Guzzi machines can use reconditioned systems plus of course, the ultimate, all brand new components. Front suspension is by unequal length wishbones and adjustable coil sprung shock absorbers. Wheels, well, wires naturally, what would one expect!

The space frame chassis is clad in aluminium sheet, whilst a louvred aluminium opening bonnet in traditional British sports car style hides the stainless steel fuel tank and electrical systems. The nose-cone, scuttle and opening tail section are formed from GRP. Owners may opt for a full V screen windscreen, or for real men…twin "Brooklands" aero-screens necessitate the obligatory Mk V flying goggles, leather helmet, and in winter, the genuine Irvin jacket!

Power output is from 50-95 BHP (the latter from Moto Guzzi engines) and gives up to 50MPG. Overall weight is less than 400KG and shares the same road-tax as a motorcycle over 250CC. The driver needs only hold a motorcycle licence!