Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms talk to me about aeros

In my search for a replacement toy, I had a test drive in an Aero series 3 today. Immaculate manual car with the 4.5? V8. I have always liked the looks of the Aero particularly the slanty eyed series 1. And the internal finish was quite attractive. No obvious scuttle shake, rode quite well, wasnt as fast as I expected for that engine size ( what does it weigh?) and there was a fair bit of transmissionlash or maybe rear suspension wind up on taking up drive. Heavy clutch.

Whats the story about Aeros? The pros and cons? Why didnt they succeed? Is it a bit like Harley and the V rod or BMW and the K series or Porker and the 911 ie the maker finds it very difficult to update and move away from the iconic traditional product?

I suspect like most Morgans it's an acquired taste. A taste you just haven't acquired YET

Quite agree, oh dear Howard you just don't get Morgans, better stick with what you have.

Perhaps Howard has been unfortunate and test driven a particularly poor example??

Try an automatic version, I didn't like the clutch action either.

Also try a new Plus 8 with an auto box. For me, and a growing band of people, the perfect combination of Aero performance and Trad charm. Also the hood doesn't leak.

The Series 3 is the single VANOS 4.4L V8 of about 330bhp the same as our S2. They only came with manual boxes and they are enjoyably quick through the gears and on the road. You can get some transmission line shunt from 1st to 2nd but you learn to pull away in 2nd or drive around it.

Try a couple of them to make certain you get a real view. As they are hand made the variability can be interesting. They are also a few years old now so maintaining them is important.

The S4 onwards 4.8 Auto is more GT like than the manuals. If you are looking to replace your Elise R then a Series 1-2 will be more akin to it. Or as Peter says a Aero+8 with a manual box.

http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/dealer/ledgerwood-morgan/car_locator_details/5286/
http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/dealer/williams-morgan/car_locator_details/5522/

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201503031395137?sort=default&search-target=usedcars&page=1&model=aero&radius=1500&channel=cars&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&postcode=rg287sn&make=morgan&logcode=p

It is best not to compare it with other cars. It just gets under your skin and no stick is going to remove that itch once you have it.

How true, how true.

Hi - what is this "transmission line shunt" of which you speak?

thanks,

Jon.

There is some wind up in the transmission particularly so when starting off from stationary. You canb control it by being extra delicate on the clutch but it reminded me of the wind up you used to get with the metallastic doughnuts in the drive train of the early Elan.

But coming back to the Aero, it seemed to me to have a lot of charm without the oddities of the Trad so I couldnt help but wonder why it hadnt been more successful. A bit like Morgans earlier effort with the GRP supersport, it seemed to have flopped.

That said the asking prices make a good economic case. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that I can either have a dynamically good modern car ( F type, Porker) and high depreciation or a car like the Aero that is less good dynamically but holds its value. The only way of putting together good dynamics and low depreciation seems to be a Ferrari. And I suspect the ownership experience would be fraught in other ways particularly since I would be buying an older one, say a 430.

By the way I do "get" the Morgan thing. I can understand why you guys like them so much. I am just not convinced that a trad is the car for me.

Howard, I agree with your analysis.

I went for a Plus 8 because I prefer the shape and look of the car to an Aero 8, but underneath there is very little difference (just a slightly shorter chassis and no boot) between a Plus 8 and a Aero 8 S4.

I'd have loved an F Type but the depreciation is frigntning, the running costs are a bit less than a Plus 8. We bought our Plus 8 for the ful list price, less the VAT, as MMC sold it as a used car, 8 months old and 15,500 mies. It now has 21100 miles on the clock.

I doubt the market value will change much over the next 5 to 10 years. Even if it does depreciate a bit in 10 years it will be worth a lot more than a 10 year old F Type.

I bought a lottery ticket today after seeing a new Mercedes AMG GT in Switzerland and reading the road test in Autocar this week. The boss has aproved the purchase, should we win £150K or more.