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Road Test: 2004 Morgan Aero 8
Overall Review
By: Drew Phillips
Photos by the author
March 04, 2004

Article Images

The Morgan Aero 8 was first introduced in February of 2000 at the Geneva Motor Show and was Morgan's first new model in more than sixty years. While the original Aero 8 was strictly a European car, the Brits couldn't have their fun without us for too long. The appeal of the U.S. market was too much, and a U.S. version of Morgan's supercar made its official debut at this year's L.A. Auto Show. The Aero 8 received a wonderful reception with nearly three-quarters of the cars destined for the States selling before the end of the show. "The reaction has been really fantastic – everyone loves the car’s new look and original features, and above all the way it stands out from the crowd. We’ve taken around 70 orders for 2004 build already – and there are only a total of 100 available for the USA next year," said Matthew Parking, sales and marketing director for Morgan.

Back in November at the Chrysler Classic Speed Festival I was fortunate to meet Dennis Glavis, the owner of Morgan West, one of only a handful of Morgan dealers in the United States. After chatting with him about Morgan and the Aero 8, I was lucky enough to be granted a test drive. Fast forward three months and I'm finally sitting behind the wheel of the Aero 8. An older European-spec Aero 8 was on hand that allowed a comparison to be made between the older and newer model. The most important change is the interior space. The older European version is very tight - anyone who is plus-sized might not even be able to get into the car. The newer version is much roomier, and instead of being snug, there is a little more open space for your body to move around. Elbows have some room to move instead of being squished against the door. The foot well is still pretty crammed - there's no dead pedal and the throttle and brake are close enough together that I would occasionally brush the accelerator while braking. With proper driving shoes, however, the pedals are optimal for heel and toe shifting. Visual differences include a modified trunk so that the convertible top can be stowed away instead of sitting on top of the car. On the performance side, the 2004 Aero 8 gets a more powerful version of the 4.4 liter BMW V8. Horsepower has been increased from 286 to 325, and torque is bumped slightly from 324 lb-ft to 330 lb-ft. The brakes have been upgraded with 4-piston to 6-piston calipers up front, and ABS has been added as well. Lastly, the 6-speed transmission gets slightly taller gearing.

Enough with the small talk: let's get down to what really matters. I put the key into the ignition and press the starter button to the left of the steering wheel. I haven't driven the car yet and I already love it. How can you not like a car with a starter button? When I pull away I'm amazed at how easy the car is to drive. The clutch is somewhat heavy but not tiresome; it has a great catch and is amazingly easy to use. The shifter is notchy but precise - I never missed a shift and I could always easily tell where I was. Smoothly pulling away from a stoplight doesn't require any amount of concentration. The view out the short windshield is quite good - I almost forgot how radical the car looks from the outside. I was only reminded when I saw the reflection of the car in a building or when people reacted to the car.

The BMW V8 engine is simply amazing because it is very nearly silent at idle, and it hardly makes any noise at idle or low revs. It doesn't make its presence known until you really get into the throttle. Once past 3000 rpm the deep bass of the V8 is LOUD, and the sound just keeps on getting better as the revs go higher. Driving the car slowly gave me the impression that it's not all that fast of a car. The car really has two sides - the docile side and the crazy-fast side. The first time I floored the accelerator at 25 mph I was surprised to hear the tires instantly screeching for traction. This car will pull (and pull hard) as long as you want it to. Hitting 100 mph takes just mere seconds.

With the California sunshine coming down unhindered from the sky, I soon find myself driving down Wilshire Boulevard in the middle of Beverly Hills. I begin to realize that this car attracts a lot of attention. I get waves, curious and wondering stares, honks, thumbs up, and tons of comments. "It looks like the Batmobile!" I have to tell people what the car is because no one has seen anything like it. In a place where Ferraris and Lamborghinis are commonplace, the Aero 8 seems to get people's attention. People will look and then quickly look again as if they weren't sure of what they saw. Once people see it, though, they can't take their eyes off of it. No matter what, though, everyone seemed to be positive about the car after seeing it in person. From looking at just pictures, some people seem to be critical of the car (mostly about the headlights). Everyone who saw the car on the street might not know what to make of the Aero 8, but they absolutely loved it.

Then I hang a right on the PCH and things get utterly and completely surreal. It's like this road was meant for the car. The cool, salty breeze swirls throughout the cockpit, palm trees line the road, the sunshine is overhead, and the infinite ocean is always in sight. I was having the time of my life just cruising and occasionally (okay, more than occasionally) dipping into the throttle when slower cars came up in front of me. I had to force myself to turn around the car when the time came to head back to Morgan West in Santa Monica.

Is the $90,000 price tag of the Aero 8 justified? Some might steer clear simply because of the quirky looks. It's definitely a fast car, but a Corvette Z06 could probably take it in a straight line. Practicality is a word completely foreign to this car: interior space is cozy at best, and luggage space is minimal. But who's going to buy a car like this for its usefulness? The Aero 8 is meant for weekend drives with the top down, something that this car does very well. It's ease of use is another plus when compared to some supercars that require quite a lot of grunt to operate. Whether you think the price is justified or not, the lucky few to get their hands on an Aero 8 can expect one thing: lots of attention.