A lot of interesting side notes/thoughts come out of this thread.
S1-S4 driving characteristics have been discussed before, but Aeroman's comments are interesting to me when he compares platforms and transmissions...I am old school as I prefer manual transmissions vs auto/automated gearboxes, but as Aeroman points out his feeling is the overall drive has not changed much on newer Aero series yet improvements/updates have come with newer models.
Many folks who I talk with put the auto/paddle type gearboxes as an improvement/update. The mainstream automobile publications whom most hated auto type gearboxes a few years ago now embrace and even pick the auto box over the manual if they have a choice.
As automobiles/supercars continue to evolve my guess is manual transmissions will become harder to find. Simon's observations are spot on, lightweight,V8,no traction control...to me this is the allure of my particular Aero... when I throw in top down,transmission choice all the sudden my Aero becomes unique to me and my personal driving preferences...
Others have their own driving preferences for their Aero's,some have fixed roofs now, some the targa experience in the ss, S1 guys like the hard core aesthetics of their machines, with S2-S4
platform guys all recognizing the virtues of their chosen machines.
Regardless of series of Aero I believe the Aero will be a high point for Morgan as a company for years to come because it is the car/platform that moved a small company into the next century and enables that company to contemplate cars like the Eva GT...I just hope that an Aero experience in a new Morgan form exists ten years from now because for me its still about the drive,the feel of the road, how the car hits the apex,what that feels like...Top down, old school manual, still my choice,but not always others...initially Morgan had one type of customer, now we seem like a somewhat diversified lot by our Morgan choices...progress!
