Car of the Day - Morgan Aero 8

Car of the Day - Morgan Aero 8

Morgan started re-inventing itself around the turn of the millennium - without changing much. In a time were the leading auto execs are about to have their pay rightly and significantly cut the US pay Czar should look to Charles Morgan as inspiration.

The introduction of the Aero 8 in 2001 was both a radical and evolutionary milestone for Morgan. The design at first was considered a big departure with the new “bug-eyes” and “streamlined’ tail but the DNA remained very much the same. Of course the big change was the performance and refinement.

The Aero 8 was given 5 years of development time, a huge amount for such a small company. The design team was led by 1962 Le Mans winner Chris Lawrence and the teams objective was to create a race-worthy car made of the highest-quality materials and suppliers.

Powered at launch by a 4.4-litre BMW V8 generating 286bhp, and with a weight of just 100 kg 0-100kph came in under 5 seconds. Suddenly non-Morgan people started to take notice. A new proprietary suspension, low centre of gravity, a race-grade braking system and BMW V8 transformed Morgan into a serious performance car builder.

The American model was developed over a two-year period to meet U.S. requirements including a wider cockpit, driver and passenger airbags and ABS. The design had to comply with US safety standards and Morgan has installed the latest generation electronic airbags, ABS which incorporates electronic distribution through the use of all round wheel speed sensors. The Aero 8 was introduced to the American market at the LA Auto Show in December 2003.

Since the introduction of the Aero 8 and under the leadership of Charles Morgan the company has gone from strength to strength. They have opened a new client base without alienating the old. The Aero 8 continues to be refined and since its launch in 2001 the current model offers significant improvements to performance.

Rod Halligan