In a remote district of the Netherlands, hidden in the woods, is the workshop of Henk Afink. Icicles hang from the gutters, but inside it's cosy and warm with the stove burning, a cat and dog curled up asleep beside it. Afink is working on a mundane Peugeot, but next to it sits a Lotus Elan in full race trim, while above it a rare Healey Sportsmobile awaits attention on a raised platform. The walls are covered with pictures of vintage planes. As Afink washes his hands, he spins tales about planes, bikes and cars. He built his own Great Lakes biplane in this workshop and gets a buzz out of flying it. But equally thrilling is driving his 1927 Morgan Aero. 'These three-wheelers are considered as prized toys now that are hardly driven these days,' Afink says. 'But that's not my style; I drive it on a daily basis, 15,000 miles [24,000 kilometres] a year is just fine. It has to be really bad weather for me to take my other vehicle out: a 1960s BMW bike with sidecar.' The Morgan three-wheeler, born from economic considerations in 1909, is powered by an exposed JAP V-twin engine. Power is transmitted by a prop shaft to a bevel box via chains to the rear wheel. It can be set at two speeds but has no reverse gear. After the first world war, Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan's three-wheelers were a big sporting success, often dominating races, hill climbs and cyclecar events. The Aero was introduced in 1920, and is easily identified by the V-split windscreen and swept-up tail. It was a serious sports vehicle, with one notching up 103.37 mph [166.35 km/h] in 1926. Up until the early 1950s, Morgan built an estimated 40,000 of the tricycles. Now, 58 years after the Aero was given the chop, the Morgan Motor Co is bringing it back. The 2011 Morgan Three-wheeler, due to be launched at the Geneva car show in March, weighs 500kg and is powered by an 1800cc V-Twin Harley Davidson engine and a Mazda five-speed gearbox. It puts out 100bhp and can dart from zero to 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds, Morgan says. The aluminium body will be available in eight colours. The company has not yet released a timetable for its availability in Asia or elsewhere. Afink says his vintage Aero was in terrible shape when he bought it. 'The engine; the gearbox; the chassis and the body ... Two magazines had ads for it, and in one of these the asking price was GBP1,000 less than in the other. I rang and said I'd like to buy it for another GBP1,000 less than the lowest price, and the seller agreed on that.' That was 1995, and it took Afink about two years to get it roadworthy again. As soon as the restoration was finished, Afink took his Aero on a trip to Ireland. After overcoming teething problems on that maiden trip, he went on to take the car across most of Wales and southern England, then through Germany, Denmark, Belgium and Poland. Afink made a few conversions and finds the Aero a reliable ride. It now has a modern dynamo and a driveshaft with universal joint. 'In that sense I am not a purist. Things have to be usable,' he says. 'In fact, the Aero is very trustworthy; you just do not have to restore it the way most English enthusiasts do. They usually say it is impossible to drive more than 300 to 400 kilometres a day with a Morgan three-wheeler, but I have done 500 to 600 without any trouble ... The only problems the Aero occasionally suffers are chains that break. When it is wet, they tend to do so sooner.' The Morgan Aero takes centre stage in the barn where Afink stores his personal treasures, mostly motorbikes and a Renault 8 Gordini he bought second-hand in the late 1960s that is overdue for a major restoration. With its swept-up tail, split screen, oak tool boxes on black mudguards and nickel-plated radiator shell with period bronze mascot on top, the Aero also comes with a lovely patina, thanks to frequent use. Afink takes out the handle to start the JAP engine and, despite the sub-zero temperature, the V-twin is brought to life with a single kick. A snorty roar breaks the silence. Like the throttle, the ignition can be regulated on the steering wheel spokes, and Afink fiddles with them until the seemingly uncontrolled thumping of the two-cylinder changes into a staccato rhythm. The air fills with a smell that is clearly more motorbike then car. Driving the Aero is like no other motoring experience. The front view is unparalleled as you can see the tappets working from the deep seat that you're sitting in. Instruments are basic on the simple dashboard with speedometer and ammeter together in one cluster. But it's the acceleration and sense of speed that gives the biggest surprise. Even 30 mph is exhilarating, with the engine backfiring once you decelerate. The handling feels much more secure than you'd expect from a machine on three wheels. In fact, you tend to forget there is just one wheel behind you. Afink says the throttle is set fairly constant once up and running. To stop, there is a handbrake to the front and a pedal for the rear wheel. To speed up, you switch from one chain to the other without the need of a clutch, but Afink says you can easily drive off in second 'gear'; first is used mainly for hills. Last summer, Afink picked up a pilot hitch-hiking cross-country to an airfield. 'He loved the ride, saying it was better than flying.' Afink is not sure about that, but wouldn't part with the Aero, nevertheless. 'Over the years I have grown so accustomed to it. It is an addictive thing to drive.' Afink believes Morgan's new three-wheelers will be bought solely as investments. 'I have been through so much with my Aero; that gives a tremendously strong emotional bond with it.' Of the new Morgan-Mazda-Harley mishmash, he adds: 'These guys will never come even close to that.'
