Morgan Aero 8
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Morgan Aero 8 | |
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| Manufacturer | Morgan Motor Company |
| Production | 2000-present |
| Predecessor | Morgan Plus 8 |
| Class | front-engined Sports car |
| Body style | 2-door convertible |
| Engine | 4.4 L BMW V8 |
| Wheelbase | 100 inches (2530 mm) |
| Length | 162 inches (4120 mm) |
| Width | 69 inches (1770 mm) |
| Curb weight | 1132 kg (2500 lb) |
The Morgan Aero 8 is a Sports car designed and currently built by the Morgan Motor Company in their factory in Malvern Link, Great Britain (an area of Malvern in Worcestershire).
The Aero 8 is notable for several reasons. Primarily because it is the first new Morgan design since the Morgan Plus 8, which was released in 1968. It is also the first Morgan vehicle with an alloy chassis (the Aero 8 features a CAD-designed Aluminum alloy adhered to a wood frame as opposed to previous Morgan vehicles that were built on a steel chassis).
The engine powering the Aero 8 is a 4400 cc V8 built by BMW and is mated to a 6-Speed Getrag transmission. All Aero 8s are built by hand in Morgan's Malvern Link factory., where they are able to produce up to 9 cars a week.
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[edit] Motorsport
The Aero 8 has competed at the 24 hours of Le Mans twice, in 2002 and 2004. There have also been several entries in the FIA GT series from both works cars and privateers. It is also used in the British GT Series.
[edit] Specifications
[edit] Engine
- Bore & Stroke: 3.25 in x 3.6 in
- Engine size: 4398 cc (4.4 L)
- Power Output: 325 hp (242 kW) @ 6100 rpm
- Torque Output: 330 lbf·ft (447 Nm) @ 3600 rpm
- Valvetrain setup: 4 cam 32 valve Double 'Vanos' Valvetron
- Compression ratio: 10.0:1
[edit] Transmission
- 1st gear: 4.05:1
- 2nd gear: 2.4:1
- 3rd gear: 1.58:1
- 4th gear: 1.19:1
- 5th gear: 1:1
- 6th gear: 0.87:1
- Final drive: BTR Limited slip 3.08:1
[edit] Suspension
- Front: Independent, inboard Eibach coil springs over Koni shock absorbers
- Rear: Independent, fully floating inboard Eibach coil springs over Koni shock absorbers
[edit] Brakes
- Front: AP Racing 350 mm cast iron discs/6-pot calipers
- Rear: AP Racing 332 mm cast iron discs/2-pot calipers
[edit] Wheels and tires
- Wheels: 18 in by 9 in forged alloy wheels
- Tires: 245/45/18
[edit] Chassis/Body
- Chassis: Kiln-dried Belgian ash bonded to CAD-designed Aluminum alloy
- Body Panels: aluminum
- Weight: 2500 lb (1132 kg)
- Ground clearance: 6 in (152 mm)
- Length: 13 ft 6 in (4120 mm)
- Width: 5 ft 9 in (1770 mm)
- Height: 3 ft 11 in (1200 mm)
- Weight distribution with one occupant: 50/50
- Drag coefficient: 0.39
- Fuel tank: 18.5 US gallons (70 L)
[edit] Performance
- Top speed: 160 mph (estimated)
- 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph): Under 5.0 seconds
[edit] Morgan Aero 8 appearances in media
- The race version of the Aero 8 is featured in the video game TOCA Race Driver 3 as a playable car.
- The stock version of the Aero 8 is featured in the game Project Gotham Racing 2 as a playable car.
