Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax Am I going mad? One for those with good eyes..

The problem is trying to compare very slight dimensional differences on different colours, dark will (or should) in the same light conditions make the same shape profile look slightly smaller than a bright reflective colour like silver

You have better eyes than me James - I cannot tell from those pictures at all!


Good point Jon, I am thinking this has a custom body and not a full S2 one hence the matching profile with the S1 rear end - and perhaps the differences are harder to spot as as result.

They were hand made and things varied as much as the names used to describe them from my experience when buying our S2.

The S2 is in the garage so if you want some measurements just ask.

One person was adamant he was selling me an S2 because it had "beetle lamps, a pram roof and 5 stud wheels" yet it also had the 286hp non-VANOS V8 and a 5 speed box?

Some S1 had two wipers and some three, some S1 had conventional stud wheels not knock-off's etc I have also been told different stories about the dashboard on S1-2 etc so it varies. The S1 started with the gangster roof but migrated to the higher conventional pram frame prior to the S2 coming in as well. The S2 was also named Aero America as it was reconfigured to allow it to meet US regs (fuel tank moved to ahead of rear axle) but retained the Clarence effect. I was never aware of the hardtop option on the S2 but had seen the GTN's with it.

I thought that the GTN was the last of the S1 series and so had S1 narrow cockpit shape. For me the width of the rear wheel arch at it's base and also the narrow gap between the edge of the steering wheel and door outlined the S1 thin body. All the S1's I sat in had a very narrow gap (with the default wheel) between the wheel and door and I was not convinced this was suitable for a light car with good torque on a wet road when my right foot was involved. You could not wind on opposite lock quick enough with that gap even using the advanced driving shuffle. Getting out over the broader running board was also something I did not relish given the even tighter cockpit. As a result of this I spent a long time looking for an S2 many years ago. So I found a lot of variations of S1 being wrongly described (usually late S1 with solid dash, three wipers, normal alloys) as they had the 5 speed and 4.4 286hp engine.

On both cars they appear to have the low tail

The comment re an S3 with beetle lamps I don't understand. The main difference between the S2 and S3 was the lamps/single part wing. They took the chance to make the front wing in a single part which made servicing a bit easier. The running gear was identical - engine, box, brakes, dash etc ? I thought it became an S3 simply because of the nose job? So it is either an S2 (beetle) or an S3 (mini). Same running gear?

I am certain a few cars have been mis-represented at sale (possibly not maliciously but due to lack of knowledge) and the individual nature of the Aero's over time makes this a bit of an issue anyway.


Main features ? (probably forgot a few)

S1
Narrow body
4.4L with 286hp V8
5 Speed Getrag
2-3 wipers
Narrow dash with bag
Narrow cabin/wide sill
Front wing made of 2 parts (wing + sill)
Knock off wheels (mostly)
Low non-aero boot lid tail

GTN
Narrow body
4.6L Alpina 330hp
Not certain of cogbox
3 wiper
Narrow dash with leather bag ?
Front wing made of 2 parts (wing + sill)
I thought narrow body
Hard top included
Low non-aero boot lid tail

S2
Wider US body (car same width but the body line had been moved out making wider cabin, narrower running boards combo)
Revised petrol tank positioning
4.4L with 330bhp and single vanos
Front wing made of 2 parts (wing + sill)
6 Speed ZF Manual
Uprated front brakes
Full width dash
Wider cockpit
High boot lid tail, apparently for aero reasons.

I'm confused. My S1 has a 6 speed 'box (and centrelocks, two wipers, etc.).

Series 1 Gertrag 6speed box.

I am always happy to be corrected. I have only tried and broken a few of them.

The three S1 I tried had 5 speed Getrags from memory. One of the few things about the S2 that I found annoying was the effort to select reverse on the ZF6 manual as the wife could only just push through the detent. Small chip in a big list of great.

Nick, I probably didn't explain my comment too well.

Below, in first picture ,is the bulkhead of my Series1.The gap from the speaker 'pods' to the bulkhead/door panel is quite small -



On this later,Series 2 wide body (I think!) , the gap from the speaker 'pods' to the bulkhead/door panel is much wider -



Also, at some point the fuse box was 'squared off' as it no longer fouled the bonnet when closed.

I hope you are enjoying the GTN; we need more pictures.....

James

I am no expert so will bow down to superior knowledge, but in my experience:

S1 - Early cars
Narrow body
4.4L with 286hp V8
6 Speed Getrag
2 wipers
Narrow dash with bag
Narrow cabin/wide sill
Front wing made of 2 parts (wing + sill)
Silver Centre lock magnesium wheels with decals
Low non-aero boot lid tail
No cut-out above boot lock
No raised section in front of door hinges to reduce wind noise/water ingress
Gangster style soft-top hood

S1 - Later cars
Narrow body
4.4L with 286hp V8
6 Speed Getrag
2 wipers
Narrow dash with bag
Narrow cabin/wide sill
Front wing made of 2 parts (wing + sill)
5 stud wheels (believe these are alloy not magnesium but not actually sure on that one)
Low non-aero boot lid tail
Cut-out above boot lock to aid access
Raised lip section in front of door hinges to reduce wind noise/water ingress
Pram style soft-top hood

GTN
Narrow body
4.6L Alpina 330hp (approx) - in X5 trim these were rated at 350bhp, and they were tuned for the GTN so who knows?
6 Speed Getrag
2 wipers
Narrow dash (don't believe they had the bag although again happy to be corrected)
Front wing made of 2 parts (wing + sill)
Black Centre lock magnesium wheels
Low non-aero boot lid tail
Cut-out above boot lock to aid access
Raised lip section in front of door hinges to reduce wind noise/water ingress
Carbon Fibre hard-top
Pram style soft-top hood (optional - believe only 3/4 cars have them)
Different spring setup
Built by Aero racing
Lighter due to roof configuration
Carbon fibre interior
Different gear stick/Custom steering wheel

S2
Wider US body (car same width but the body line had been moved out making wider cabin, narrower running boards combo)
Revised petrol tank positioning
4.4L with 330bhp and single vanos
Front wing made of 2 parts (wing + sill)
6 Speed ZF Manual
Uprated front brakes with ABS
Full width dash
Wider cockpit
High boot lid tail to accomodate the extra boot space

Lots of confusion with those who don't know much about these in the dealer/second-hand market, but a few interesting books on these including the "Aero 8 - Brave & Exciting New World" publication that came out a year or so ago - which clears most of it up. I really should refer back to it!

I don't claim to have superior knowledge Nick, I hope I am not seen that way.

Genius! Well that definately clears it up then (love your speaker covers btw).

This image of GTN#1 is pretty conclusive I think:


Definately a narrow body, so the only difference must be the roof is wider to accomodate the soft-top being fitted at the same time - so perhaps there are some minor differences but definately not a "wide" body in the sense of an S2.

I do like it when a mystery is solved - only problem is now I need to do some real work on the GTN!
Will have to get some pictures up over Christmas .