Morgan’s Aero 8 Is a Neoclassic Roadster With Ample Refinement

When most people think of a Morgan—assuming they ever do—it’s to conjure the image of an old-fashioned roadster with swoopy fenders in front, running boards in the middle, and a spare tire riding atop the rear end. Morgan’s latest Plus Four could, from ten feet away, be easily confused with a model from the early 1960s. Not so the Aero 8, introduced in 2000 and built in various iterations until 2018. Unlike any Morgan before or since, the Aero 8 represented Morgan’s vision of a 21st-century “supercar.”

Until 2019, Morgan Motor Company—founded in 1910—was the oldest family owned automaker in the world. Such longevity represents a colossal achievement, given the esoteric nature of this British marque and the stifling requirements that today’s car builders must meet. Yet Morgan designed an all-new automobile that combined quirky but rational methodologies—like an ash body tub surrounded by a Superform aluminum body—along with the latest drivetrain and safety developments.

The audacious shape of the Aero 8 is best appreciated in person. Combining old and new, the model represents a defensible and logical progression of the then-current, and indefatigable, Plus 8. Design cues such as the flowing fenders, long hood, and signature Morgan grille are combined with modern lighting and wheels to create a car that looks like nothing but a Morgan—if one imagines a Morgan from the film Blade Runner.

Chiefly responsible for the Aero 8 design were the hugely talented Morgan race-car driver and designer Chris Lawrence, Charles Morgan, and other members of the Morgan engineering team. A chance encounter at the track between Charles Morgan and Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, a Morgan Plus 8 owner and former president of BMW M, Rolls-Royce, and Maserati, led to Morgan adopting the BMW V-8 engine for the Aero 8.

The version of the Aero 8 most likely to be encountered is the Series 1, about 210 examples of which were built through 2004. Under the aluminum skin, the tiny roadster’s underpinnings are modern and beautifully engineered. The aluminum chassis is by Radshape, and the engine is a BMW 4.4-liter V-8, which is mated to a Getrag five-speed gearbox. Examples coming stateside were equipped with a more powerful 330 hp version of the engine and a ZF six-speed gearbox in an endeavor to provide smoother power delivery and quieter operation. The U.S. cars also received a wider cockpit (the rest of the car’s dimensions remained the same).

To say the Morgan is cozy is to understate the obvious, and tall drivers may simply walk away from the proposition of driving it. Which would be a shame. Once shoehorned inside, you’ll find that the interior is exquisitely trimmed in the finest leather, wood, and aluminum—a captivating experience, in every sense.

Driving the Aero 8 requires a certain suspension of disbelief. This delicate and graceful car delivers blistering performance akin to a small-block Cobra, with infinitely greater refinement. Responsive and immediate, the car’s power and handling are everything one expects from a purpose-built, rear-drive, V-8-engined sports car. Certainly, anyone in the market for a roadster with modern performance and nostalgic attributes would do well to consider the Aero 8 in lieu of the best Cobra, Jaguar, or other historical replica cars. And the Morgan Aero 8 is no replica.

Still, practicality is not the point, but fun in large doses is. And no Aero 8 owner will have to see his or her car coming down the other side of the street. Exclusivity alone may be worth the price of admission. That price, at present, ranges from $75,000 to $120,000 for a Series 1 model. Subsequent series, especially the AeroMax and Supersports variants, are considerably rarer and more valuable, though perhaps not as elemental to the Morgan purist.

Click here for more photos of this 2005 Morgan Aero 8.