Morgan Aero 8: PH Carpool

This PHer wanted to combine a bit of Ferrari, Z4M and Westfield into one and appears to have nailed it!

Name: Mark Jackson (markcoopers)
Car: Morgan Aero 8
Owned since: June 2014
Previous cars: BMW Z4M Roadster, Ferrari Mondial T Coupe, BMW E36 M3 Evo Cabriolet, Mazda MX-5 Mk1, Mini Cooper S, six or more Westfields and countless daily drivers.

Now this is a garage!

Why I bought it:
"Having tried to combine the family with my love of driving, hence the M3 and Ferrari choices, it transpires that the family endure what I embrace! Therefore I gave up on the four-seater fun bus and returned to two seats and open tops. I wanted something that combined the driver connection of the Westfields, the speed and reliability of the Z4 and the aural and visual drama of the Ferrari. I think tHe Morgan Aero 8 ticks all those boxes."

What I wish I'd known:
Put simply, I wish I had remembered the car and details. Like most people my view of Morgan was of cars fabricated out of ash that were styled and drove with a traditional bent. However the Aero 8s (Series 1 cars at least) utilise an aluminium glued and riveted chassis, double wishbones all round, a limited-slip diff, inboard dampers, rose jointed suspension and a BMW supplied V8 with a manual that is hard mounted to the chassis. Underneath it started out as a 1996-1997 GT2 race car first before being adapted to road use. Driver connection and speed ticked."

Looks a big part of the appeal for Mark

Things I love:
"I love the looks and road presence and the effortless performance it serves up. I know the looks can be decisive but I have a secret passion for Art Deco and hot rods so, to me, roof up or down it is just gorgeous. Others seem to agree as well as every trip out normally involves a few Q&As from admirers along with requests for photos. The fact my car also comes with a melodious V8 is just the icing on the cake.

"Ownership also brings other delights, a signed picture of the car in build and a photo build diary for example. Aural and visual boxes ticked."

Things I hate:
"Well there is no getting away from the fact that it is hand made, but for me this adds to rather than lessens the appeal. There is only one bug bear, the tyre pressure monitoring system and its total reluctance to either work properly or be silenced for good!"

Long bonnet but not much space under there!

Costs:
"Well I had the leather tidied up and the annual service completed the other day, all of which was totally reasonable for a car with an original list price north of £60K. So far it is similar in running costs to the Z4M. However despite having an epically long bonnet engine bay space is at a premium. As a consequence some ancillaries like oil filters and access points like changing a bulb do require removal of most of the front body work, with the resulting labour costs."

Where I've been:
"I love a road trip, so just a month after purchase it was on the Eurotunnel for a trip to the Le Mans Classic, two up with all our camping stuff. This year sees it heading to Exmoor and Wales for long weekends and if the stars align a Scotland hoon as well. With an aluminium chassis I did make a point of using it over the winter as regular use helps with the reliability."

What next?
"I will get the front resprayed this year to remove the stone chips and will either silence for good or fix that sodding tyre pressure monitoring system!"

Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!