Unless you're a Morgan anorak, if asked to reel off everything you knew about the quirky Malvern based marque, the chances are you'd mention the long waiting list, antiquated cars made of wood and the undoing of know it-all industrialist Sir John Harvey Jones. While no-one at Morgan would think any the worse of you for doing so, it must wind them up something rotten. And rightly so, for there's been a revolution at the Morgan Motor Company, now in its ninety first year of trading. It was, after all, the first car manufacturer to take cutting-edge aluminium panel moulding technology from the aerospace industry and apply it to car production. The family-owned concern is also one of the few manufacturers to retain its independence and benefit from the full and enthusiastic support of BMW in the testing and development of its latest car, the revolutionary Morgan Aero 8.


Words: Richard Meaden

Although the product of five years' hard work, the Aero 8 first burst into the public domain at last February's Geneva Motor Show. It caused a sensation, upstaging show stars such as Ferrari's 360 Spider, which was also making its debut. 1 can still remember the scrum of journalists and onlookers fighting for a glimpse of the car, and the look of dazed satisfaction on the faces of Charles Morgan (grandson of company founder HFS Morgan) and sales and marketing manager Matthew Parkin. As they sat on the wheels of the bare display chassis, quietly sipping champagne as press day came to a close, Malvern must have seemed a million miles away. High technology and impressive motor industry collaborations aside, one reason for the throng of people was undoubtedly the challenging looks of the Aero 8. It's hard to say what everyone was expecting a 21st century Morgan to look like, but it's safe to say that this wasn't quite it. No car in recent memory divides opinion so completely. You love it or you hate it.

Pictures: Dominic Fraser