Morgan Motor Company has announced its most extreme roadgoing model to date; the race-inspired Aero GT.
Using lessons learned from Morgan’s GT3 race victories, the Aero GT is based upon the lightweight aluminium Aero 8 but with an all-new hand-worked, aerodynamically honed body which reduces drag but significantly increases downforce.
Conceived initially during the development of the 2015 Morgan Aero 8, the aggressive Aero GT variant never saw the light of day. But, in 2018, the final eight Aero 8 cars to roll out of Morgan’s Pickersleigh Road factory will be Aero GT variants.
With close consultation between the head of design, Jon Wells, and Morgan’s uniquely talented metal workers who have perfected their skill over a lifetime, every panel of the bespoke Aero GT is reworked by hand with new wing top louvres, deep side impressions and a drastic rear diffuser. Contradicting the styling department’s usual approach to maintaining fluid forms, the designers embraced these new body enhancements.
All eight Aero GT models – already accounted for by existing Morgan customers – will be individually tailored to each owner. Individually numbered cars will each leave the factory with bespoke customer-requested additions, in line with Morgan’s hand-crafted approach.
Fitted with a 367bhp 4.8-litre BMW V8 and six-speed manual gearbox, also found in the Aero 8, the Aero GT sprints from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds, hitting a top speed of 170mph. With the engine no longer in production, the Aero GT is not only a last hurrah for the current Aero 8 but for the naturally aspirated BMW engine, too.
The Aero models marked a new era for Morgan when the Aero 8 was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2000. A bold new design and lightweight aluminium construction ushered in a new level of performance for the Morgan brand, which has reached its latest and most extreme evolution in the Aero GT.
Jon Wells, Head of Design at Morgan Motor company said: “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 are able to make truly special limited edition 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 reality.”
Steve Morris, Managing Director of Morgan Motor Company, 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. I am a proud owner of an Aero 8 myself; it has been a stalwart of the brand and offers an exceptional driving experience, that only gets better in Aero GT guise.
“Every Morgan is built to an exacting specification and is bespoke to each customer, as their personality is displayed in every detail. A great deal of emotion is invested in every decision and this experience is only enhanced by the joy of then driving such powerful and unique vehicles. The Aero GT is the ultimate ensemble of this formula.”