You know a company has nailed its design brief when the car in question looks just as striking weeks after the hype has died down. That sentiment, I’d argue, rings true for the new Morgan Midsummer, the stunning limited-edition speedster based on the Plus Six and styled with the assistance of legendary design house Pininfarina. No wonder all 50 examples have already found owners. Although the possibly better news is that Morgan plans to cherry-pick bits and pieces from the Midsummer for future series production cars. Huzzah!
Come to think of it, the Midsummer probably marks the biggest shakeup in Morgan’s design language since the Aero 8. That, however, wasn’t the immediate hit the Pininfarina collab has proven to be, mainly down to its now infamous cross-eyed headlights that were widely derided when it launched in 2000 (although, for what it’s worth, I think they add character). Quirky looks aside, the Aero 8 was light years ahead of the Morgans that had come before thanks to a far more modern aluminium chassis and frame. The suspension was fully independent too, while power came from a 4.4-litre BMW V8. It may have divided opinion, but the Aero 8 is where Morgan’s modern era began.
While the squinting lights stuck around for the Series 2, the company corrected the Aero 8’s vision with new Mini-sourced lamps for the Series 3. More grunt came courtesy of a beefier BMW V8 in the Series 4, but the Aero 8 took its biggest step of all with the fifth and final generation. As we’re expecting with the Midsummer, Morgan lifted the design from the limited-edition AeroMax and migrated it to the series production car with barely any adjustments, most notably retaining the Lancia Thema-derived rear lights and doors that sat flush with the bodywork.
Though it looked almost identical to the AeroMax, albeit with the Supersports’ boat tail, significant changes were made underneath. The cantilever suspension was moved outboard with a double-wishbone setup and a chunkier anti-roll bars were fitted in the name of reducing body roll. Meanwhile, the interior was overhauled with a greater mix of textures and materials, as well as an optional digital infotainment screen for the centre of the dash. Production ended in 2018, with the Plus Four and Six now serving as the company’s bread and butter cars, but the Aero 8 - especially in Series 5 form - is still arguably the most ‘modern’ Morgan we’ve ever seen. At least on four wheels, anyway.
Just look at this 2016 example. A one-owner, 8,150-mile car finished in BMW’s carbon black metallic paint (though as the ad says, it does look navy blue in direct light) with a subtly-specced black leather cabin. There are some really tasteful options here as well, such as the rear-exit exhaust that delivers a nice rumble from the 4.8-litre V8 (mated to a manual gearbox, just so you know) without deafening you as a side-exit system possibly could. It also comes with the AR Motorsport performance pack with red Brembo brake callipers and, best of all, the mighty rare 19-inch rims from the AeroMax. It’s a lovely-looking thing.
Then there’s the asking price, which is £105,000. That may sound like a lot, because you can get into an Aero 8 for much less, but when you take into account the AeroMax looks, the low mileage and all the chassis upgrades that went into the Series 5, it does all seem to make sense. The cheapest AeroMax currently for sale on PH is a good £35k more than this, and while it has rarity on its side and that ultra-cool split rear screen, it’s not like the Series 5 was the ‘budget’ alternative. Far from it, in fact. Question is, do you splash out on one of these or wait for one of the 50 Midsummers to come up for sale? Over to you…
SPECIFICATION | MORGAN AERO 8 (SERIES 5)
Engine: 4,799cc V8
Transmission: six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 367@6,300rpm
Torque (lb ft): 95@3,400rpm
MPG: 23
CO2: 282g/km
Year registered: 2016
Recorded mileage: 8,150
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £105,000
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