The Morgan Motor Company has revealed its most extreme road-going model to date, the Aero GT. The family-owned British manufacturer officially unveiled the car at the 88th International Geneva Motor Show.
The longest established independent automotive manufacturer, Morgan Motor Company will produce just eight of the special Aero GT variants. All vehicles will be individually built bespoke to each customer. The Aero GT represents the end of Aero 8 production, guaranteeing that every Aero 8 owner will be the custodian of a very significant piece of Morgan history.
All eight of the Aero GTs will come with a manual transmission. Powered by the same 367bhp BMW N62 V8 engine used in the Aero 8, the Aero GT will travel from 0 to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds, reaching a top speed of 273km/h. Each Aero GT will be built with Morgan’s latest adjustable suspension.
The Aero GT will be built by the Morgan Special Projects department. Morgan’s approach will see each Aero GT built as an individual bespoke special edition, rather than eight identical examples.
Each customer will have an individual design consultancy with Jon Wells, Morgan’s Head of Design, before the car enters production, remaining in build for eight to ten weeks. As with every Morgan, each customer will have the opportunity to follow the build of their vehicle closely and witness their car come to life.
The dramatic evolution of the Aero GT is most striking in its restyled wing impressions and louvres. Their addition serves both functional and aesthetic advantages, and were developed alongside the design of the latest Aero 8 in 2015.
Taking inspiration from the aggressive aerodynamic profiles seen on Morgan’s striking 2009 GT3 race car, similar body-form functions were explored during the development of the Aero 8. However, these were not immediately put into production but paved the way for future exploration of what a “gloves off’ Aero 8 could look like.
For the final eight Aero 8 vehicles, Morgan’s design department applied knowledge developed throughout the research process of the latest Aero 8 in order to introduce the aerodynamic enhancements as seen on the Aero GT, striking a balance of exhilarating performance along with head-turning aesthetics.
The striking body panels of the Aero GT have been sculpted in such a way to ensure that tension and elegance are expressed in each line. All surfacing of the new panels was proven digitally via Computation Fluid Dynamics simulation prior to full-scale validation. Each panel is created using the technologically advanced Superforming process synonymous with modern Morgans, before being hand-finished and transformed into Aero GT panels.
The front canard details and wing-top louvre vents are proven to reduce low pressure on the sides of the Aero body, making a notable difference in frontal downforce. At the rear, the dramatic diffuser reduces air pressure from beneath the vehicle, increasing rear downforce and reducing the visual weight of the rear end.
All Aero GTs have the option of a carbon fibre hard-top. Taking inspiration from 1960s racecars, the hard-top on the Aero GT features a rearward-facing roof vent that reflects the rear graphic of the tail-light, while improving the drag coefficient of the vehicle.
Finite enamelled “GT” badges signify the model variant. Each is individually hand-made by a British jeweller. The interior is hand-finished with a series of painted stitching and pinstripe accents, and an extended choice of wood options.
