AERO 8

The Aero 8's styling has been the subject of much comment on PistonHeads and elsewhere. It stands accused of being cross-eyed thanks to the switched over VW Beetle headlights used in the quest for improved aerodynamics - so let's tackle that issue before going any further.

Small companies like Morgan simply can't afford the six figure sums it can take to have special headlights designed, approved and manufactured, so they have to use what's available 'off the shelf' and make their cars to suit. Morgan did just that and gave the car its unique look. Point taken?

Whether you like its looks or not there's no denying the Aero 8 has tremendous road presence, while that 'Plus 8 meets Boyd Coddington' (top professional hi-tech hot rodder) styling has resulted in a 21st Century car that's still unmistakably Morgan.

Under the skin

The Aero 8's body might still hark back to the 1930s but what's underneath doesn't. The bonded and riveted aluminium monocoque chassis and fully independent wishbone suspension is developed from Morgan's 1997 GT racer. In true racing fashion this utilises Rose joints rather than rubber bushes and also features a unique (as far as I know) cantilever set up on the rear whereby the coilover units are mounted purely between the upper and lower wishbones and aren't attached to the chassis at all.

Another feature taken from racing is the undertray to reduce drag from air flowing under the car, complete with venturi style central flip-up at the rear to reduce lift.

Under the hood
(Apologies in advance for any confusion caused to our American readers.)

Getting in or out of the Aero 8 with the hood up requires a certain amount of agility, especially when you haven't got room to open the door fully, partly because it's so low and partly because you've got the width of the running board to contend with.

Once you are in you'll discover that the narrow cockpit isn't over-endowed with space, and not just width-wise, and I think anyone much over six foot will struggle to drive an Aero 8 with the hood up, while the hip-hugging seats make it a sure bet that Pavarroti won't be ordering one.

For those of more average stature though it's an interesting environment in which to play. You can't help thinking that Morgan's interior designers have been taking a close look at what their counterparts at Lotus and TVR have been doing, with the specially made aluminium control knobs and bits of bare chassis visible just below the doors.

The specially made high-back bucket seats offer plenty of lateral support but sadly don't adjust for rake. The steering column on the other hand does adjust, but I can't see anyone having it set at anything other than fully up and fully forward as even then you have to adopt the classic bent arm driving position.

Your feet will find the well-spaced pedals straight ahead, though being Morgan they are floor mounted, angled back towards the driver and take some getting used to. Cockpit width restrictions mean no room to stretch your left leg when not in use, so you're forced to keep it bent against the transmission tunnel where at least the heat soak from the six-speed Getrag gearbox keeps it warm. And if you don't want a warm leg then the standard air conditioning will soon solve that.

Behind the Wheel

Look through the Aero 8's windscreen (electrically heated as are all the windows) and you're presented with an imposing view down that long tapering bonnet, with that front end seeming a hell of a long way ahead - which it is.

As with the Plus 8, the rear-view mirror stuck in the middle of the windscreen causes an awkward blind spot, which combined with the wiper makes it difficult to see the nearside wing. No big problem at parking speeds when you can bend forward for a clear view, but that's hardly practical when blasting down country lanes. Having said that, like most cars, I got used to it and after a couple of days I was blasting down country lanes quite happily.

Simply mounting the mirror higher would alleviate this problem, but then you'd be able to see even less through the hood's slit like rear window than you can now. As it is, rearward visibility with the hood up is minimal with no rear three-quarters vision whatsoever, so you have to rely on the door mirrors, which makes pulling out from slip roads on to busy motorways an interesting experience…

The hood doesn't fit very well around the doors, leaving gaps resulting in draughts and whistles at high speed. Not good, especially on a £50,000 car, so Morgan are working on improvements to the fit.

But hey - this is a Morgan - you don't drive Morgans with the hood up anyway.

There's no question about it - unless it's raining the only way to drive a car like this is with the hood down, even if it does mean getting well wrapped up. Driving hood down not only eliminates the whistles (but results in even bigger draughts!) it also enables you to better hear the exhaust note emanating from that BMW V8, which at 'cruising' revs is glorious.

Under the Bonnet
(Again, apologies for any confusion caused to our American readers.)

The specially chipped 4.4 litre lump found beneath the bonnet of the Aero 8 might 'only' produce 285bhp compared to the 400bhp available from the 5 litre version as fitted to the Z8, but with just a ton to shift it's plenty, and I can well believe Morgan's claim of 0-60 in under five seconds.

Actually, like the Plus 8, the Aero 8 is more about mid-range torque than absolute power - 325lb/ft at 3600rpm to be precise - and the result is a car in which you can accelerate past normal 'A' road traffic without having to change down from sixth. Even when you're going uphill. So long as you're not pushed for room of course. If you are then third gear is a very useful overtaking tool that will get you from 40mph to the far side of legal very quickly.

As for top speed, Morgan claim 160mph, but frankly, once you get the Aero 8 into three figures (which isn't difficult) it's so windy due to the flat screen you don't feel inclined to keep pushing it. Given the obvious limitations of the styling, Morgan's work on the aerodynamics seems to have been successful, for while a drag co-efficient of 0.39 is poor by modern standards it's a huge improvement on the Plus 8 and the Aero 8 still feels well stuck to the road at 100mph+.

Round the Bend
(Well several bends actually.)

OK, so it's good in a straight line but how well does that race derived suspension work on the road? In short, very well indeed. It thumps a bit over patchwork road repairs, but generally it provides a nice balance between comfort and handling.

Regarding the latter, pushing it into a tight 30mph right hander I'm prone to using as a test aid did reveal a trace of understeer, but nothing dramatic. If dramatic is what you want though then the Aero 8 will happily oblige with power oversteer - just combine a tight turn, second gear and a heavy right foot and you'll get all the sideways action you could want.

Even during fairly violent manoeuvring you can quickly bring it back into line when those 225/40 ZR18 tyres do let go, and I felt far more confident pushing the Aero 8 into bends along a twisty B road than I did driving the Ginetta G4 along the same road last December, though I had driven a lot more miles in the Morgan and conditions were better.

Tighten your line midway through a bend and you can really feel the Aero 8 dig in. There's no noticeable roll despite the lack of anti-roll bars and mid-corner bumps don't unsettle its composure. Have to say I preferred it to the Tuscan Speed Six and found it reminiscent of the Marcos Mantis - but then as the Aero 8's suspension was designed by Chris Lawrence who also worked with Marcos so maybe that's no coincidence.

The power assisted steering still requires some muscle power at parking speeds but is nicely weighted and really comes alive once you've got some speed up. And should you have too much speed up then the all-round AP Racing vented discs (330mm front/306mm rear) will soon slow you down, with hard braking from 80mph on a dry road producing no lock-up despite the absence of ABS.

Morgan Put the Boot In
(American readers consult your dictionaries once again...)

If you have any preconceptions about Morgans being museum pieces then shed them now. The Aero 8 is a serious performance car that would make a highly entertaining track day toy, while wind-up windows and a lockable boot (what, in a Morgan?) also make it a practical proposition for daily transport.

Maybe that's why it's attracting buyers who would never previously have even considered a Morgan as well as tempting around a third of people who had an order in for a Plus 8 to opt for an Aero 8 instead - and with around 250 orders already placed it looks like continuing Morgan's tradition of producing cars with waiting lists even longer than their bonnets.