What happens when you combine ’30s styling with modern technology? You get this: the Morgan Aero 8. It’s a beautifully rambunctious vehicle with plenty of character and a German V8 engine for some proper grunt. The swooping wheelarches, the cross-eyed headlights, the split bonnet and the comically small windshield make this car ooze with charm, pushing the classic design to the very extreme in a world full of regulations and warning labels. However, when you remember that Morgan is a small-time boutique car builder, you quickly understand why only they could create this abomination. It’s very much a half-blooded prince with a little bit of insanity and steroids sprinkled in for good measure. It’s the best kind of corruption.
Some people may mock this car for the “cross-eyed” headlights but I like the goofiness of them. You could never mistake them for anything else, and that’s something of a theme here – much like the Mercedes G-Wagon at the other end of the automobile spectrum. You don’t have to be a car nerd to know what this car is because it has soo many identifying features. When these headlights are combined with the grill, the front of the car has an unmissable “face” which speaks to you in the most effervescent way possible. I’m not sure if that makes any real sense but that’s the description I’m running with.
As I said earlier, this car has a German V8 – not a British one – which seems strange given the brand’s identity and commitment to local industry. The V8 that Morgan sourced for this car (at least in S1 guise) was a 4.4L BMW unit that saw use in the 5 and 7 Series producing 290 HP. For a car coming in at a measly 1100KG, it was more than enough power to send it from 0-100KM/h in 4.5 seconds. Back in 2000, that was properly rapid. The S2 and subsequent variations were even more powerful, with the most potent unit pushing 362 HP from a 4.8L BMW unit. I don’t know if this is an S1 or S2 but hearing a grumbly V8 noise from the sidepipes is about as subtle as a sawn-off shotgun. Forget the pomp. You won’t get it here.
From the side, you’re immediately taken back to a simpler time where cars were handcrafted with a bunch of hammers. Well, that’s because the bodywork WAS handcrafted using many of the old techniques – wood chopping included! Granted, only the seating compartment is made out of wood because a full wooden chassis would crumple up like a piece of paper on acceleration. As a result, the car utilises a full aluminium chassis. What’s more is that the bonnet is hinged in the middle, meaning you have two ways of seeing into the engine bay. It doesn’t get more old fashioned than that! One drawback though is the tiny windshield, which must be covered by 3 wiper blades.
There’s honestly soo much more I can say about this car, but I won’t keep you here all day because I know you have other business to attend to. In short the Morgan Aero 8 is the sort of car that can create all matter of discussion, crooked stares and facial expressions everywhere it goes. Nothing about this car is normal, and the unholy concoction that was cooked up all those years ago shows that sometimes, the British can get down and dirty.
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