Morgan Aero 8 - how much of a lotus is it?

[simonb]

managed to acquire an Aero 8, and it does seem very lotus like in feel and handling.

The bonded chassis is obvious in its origins, but the whole suspension set up seems very competent, too much (IMHO) for Morgan with their live axles and sliding pillar suspension heritage

Feels like a lotus in drag, but is it?

Edited May 6 by simonb

[LOTUSMAN33]

Can’t comment on handling or parts use but will be interested in the thread as always fancied a Morgan one day.

Keep us posted how you get on it with it?

Dave  

 

[simonb]

will do

far more civilised than an elise at 80 top down on the motorway, and very flexible in 6th

brakes are better than I expect, so need to lighten my foot

gear change quite a long throw (but on quite a long lever), had the shame of graunching them a couple of times, then realised pedals were floor hinged, so placed my foot better

lovely feel on turn in, but not really explored much on back roads

[Escape]

I'm sure there's a lot of love for Morgan on here, so we need pictures. 🙂

I drove a (rented) 4/4 a couple years ago, we had a lot of fun but I was glad to get back into my Esprit afterwards. An Aero 8 is no doubt a different experience!

Filip

[Bravo73]

I’ve not driven a ‘modern’ Morgan yet but, ironically, I imagine that they are more BMW than Lotus, really. 

I’ve got a lot of experience driving an older +4 and 4/4. They aren’t very ‘Lotus’ at all really. Much more MG TA-D, really. 

[simonb]

keeps surprising me, does not feel like a re-chassised BMW.  The over long bonnet is a bit of a cheat, on a normal car you have quite a reach for the steering wheel, the dash is generously behind that, and then there is a long gap to the bottom of the windscreen.  In the morgan the wheel is close to your chest, the dash close to the wheel and the bottom of the windscreen a strip of wood away from that.  In reality the front corners are not that far away.  Have not got nimble in it yet, brain thinks it is a big car, but it fits in small gaps

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I borrowed my mate’s one owner 1991 3.9 litre pre-cat +8 for a weekend. It remains the most difficult car to drive that I’ve ever been in. On-off accelerator and clutch, unfathomable hand brake, heavy steering etc. Bloody quick and noisy though: you can hear it coming long before you see it. When he drives it, it is all smooth and pleasant. I guess that comes from his 50 years of Morgan experience. One final memory of that weekend was a small branch being blown off a tree as I passed by on the A1: it hit me clean on the head!