The wonderful Morgan 3 Wheeler is being killed off by its American engine

A ‘special edition’ Morgan 3 Wheeler is a bit like buying a work of art at auction and asking for it to be gift-wrapped. The point is, they’re all very special bits of kit, whether you get a limited edition or not.

This is a poignant one though. The Morgan 3 Wheeler ‘P101 Edition’ is how this generation of bike-engined trike says goodbye. It’s ceasing production in 2021, because its glorious S&S V-twin engine will no longer meet emissions requirements in Europe.

That seems a rotten shame, since all the Morgan 3 Wheelers ever made have probably emitted less CO2 than ten BMW X6s. They weigh less than a loaf of bread, and chiefly venture out for high days and holidays. 3 Wheelers bring as much joy to passers-by as the lucky folk who get to drive them.

This version of Morgan’s venerable classic has been on the scene since 2011, with 2,500 manufactured at the Malvern factory since then. The P101 Edition closes that chapter with a few choice upgrades: military-spec paint, aero wheels, lowered spot-lamps to ‘reduce turbulence’ and black/white coloured exhausts on either side of the car. Only 33 examples will be made, costing £45,000 each plus taxes.

All are spoken for already, despite certain… impracticalities. Morgan’s designed the P101 to be a single-seater – the passenger side is now covered by a translucent, smoothed-over tonneau section.

It’ll be a fine place to listen to the lumpy 115bhp two-cylinder powerhouse hung off the front. Morgan is already looking for new powertrains to continue the 3 Wheeler’s legacy, saying: “Details of a potential successor to the 3 Wheeler are yet to be announced, and while Morgan can confirm that 'the Morgan 3 Wheeler will return', there will be a break in production.”

The world will be a better place when it’s back.