MORGAN AERO’S LAST HURRAH
FAMILY-OWNED car maker Morgan Motor Company has revealed its most extreme road-going model in its 108year histor y, the Aero GT.
Launched at the 2018 International Geneva Motor Show the Morgan Aero GT will be produced at the company’s Malvern Vale base in Worcestershire.
The GT is the last model Aero to be made by Morgan’s Special Projects division and celebrates the milestone with this exclusive model, of which just eight will be produced.
These last eight handmade Aero’s will be individually tailored to each customer, ensuring they have a significant piece of Morgan history. Each buyer will have an individual design consultation with Jon Wells, Morgan’s Head of Design, before the car enters production – the required build-period is 8-10 weeks. As with every Morgan, each customer can follow the build of their vehicle closely and witness their car come to life.
Powering the Aero GT is a 270 kW BMW V8 that shoves it to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds and a 275km/h top speed.
In a fitting finale, the Aero GT will have its most striking Computation Fluid Dynamics-aided styling, with large wings and louvres – similar to those seen on the Morgan GT3 race car in 2009. A carbon fibre hardtop is optional. Underneath a manual gearbox is coupled to the V8 Bimmer engine and the suspension is adjustable front and back.
The interior is handfinished with a series of painted stitching and pinstripe accents, and an extended choice of wood options. Finite enamelled ‘GT’ badges signif y the model variant. Each is individually hand-made by a British Jeweller.
Steve Morris, Managing Director said: “One of our greatest strengths as a brand is our ability to be responsive and create a hand-built car which is truly bespoke to each customer. The Aero 8 has been a stalwart of Morgan production for almost 20 years, it offers an exceptional driving experience and unrivalled looks, further enhanced in Aero GT guise.
“Every Morgan is built to an exacting specification and the owner's individual personality is displayed in every detail. Owners invest a great deal of emotion in choosing and tailoring their own perfect specification, this investment is rewarded at the first drive of their unique and exhilarating vehicle. The Aero GT is the ultimate ensemble of this formula.”
Jon Wells, Head of Design said: “The Aero GT, unlike its predecessors, adopts an unconventionally aggressive aesthetic. However, a purist approach to achieving a design in which ‘form follows function’ has been rigidly adhered to. This is most apparent in the new additions to the body work.
"Each new panel has been sculpted by hand, by Morgan master craftsmen. The beauty of working so closely with talented sheet metal workers and coachbuilders is that designers are relatively unrestrained in their ability to challenge the forms and their functions. Unlike many, we can make special limitededition vehicles that really exercise the imagination of the designer and the ability of the craftsman.
"The Aero range has always offered Morgan the platform to explore the boundaries of mechanical and styling design and I am delighted the family has allowed one of our wildest ideas to become a realit y.”
The Morgan Aero GT is priced from £120,000. More information: ChrisVanWyk morgancars.com.au