Morgan Aero 8

Modern Morgan Aero 8 rear

Modern Morgan Aero 8 badge

The Morgan Aero 8 is a Sports car designed and currently built by the Morgan Motor Company in their factory in Malvern Link, Great Britain (an area of Malvern in Worcestershire).

The Aero 8 is notable for several reasons. Primarily because it is the first new Morgan design since the Morgan Plus 8, which was released in 1968. It is also the first Morgan vehicle with an alloy chassis (the Aero 8 features a CAD-designed Aluminum alloy adhered to a wood frame as opposed to previous Morgan vehicles that were built on a steel chassis).

The engine powering the Aero 8 is a 4400 cc V8 built by BMW and is mated to a 6-Speed Getrag transmission. All Aero 8's are built by hand in Morgan's Malvern Link factory., where they are able to produce up to 9 cars a week.

Specifications

Engine
Engine: BMW V8
Bore & Stroke: 3.25 in x 3.6 in
Engine size: 4398 cc (4.4 L)
Power Output: 325 hp (242 kW) @ 6100 rpm
Torque Output: 330 lbf·ft (447 Nm) @ 3600 rpm
Valvetrain setup: 4 cam 32 valve Double 'Vanos' Valvetron
Compression ratio: 10.0:1

Transmission
Transmission Ratios:

* 1st gear: 4.05:1

* 2nd gear: 2.4:1

* 3rd gear: 1.58:1

* 4th gear: 1.19:1

* 5th gear: 1:1

* 6th gear: 0.87:1

* Final drive: BTR Limited slip 3.08:1

Suspension
Front: Independent, inboard Eibach coil springs over Koni shock absorbers
Rear: Independent, fully floating inboard Eibach coil springs over Koni shock absorbers

Brakes
Front: AP Racing 350 mm cast iron discs/6-pot calipers
Rear: AP Racing 332 mm cast iron discs/2-pot calipers

Wheels and tires
Wheels: 18 in by 9 in forged alloy wheels
Tires: 245/45/18

Chassis/Body
Chassis: Kiln-dried Belgian ash bonded to CAD-designed Aluminum alloy
Body Panels: aluminum
Weight: 2500 lb (1132 kg)
Ground clearance: 6 in (152 mm)
Length: 13 ft 6 in (4120 mm)
Width: 5 ft 9 in (1770 mm)
Height: 3 ft 11 in (1200 mm)
Weight distribution with one occupant: 50/50
Drag coefficient: 0.39
Fuel tank: 18.5 US gallons (70 L)

Performance
Top speed: 160 mph (estimated)
0 to 100 km/h (62 mph): Under 5.0 seconds

External links

* Morgan Motor Company's Aero 8 webpage
* BMW World's brief history of the Aero 8