Thursday 27th February 2014

Morgan Aeromax: Spotted

Two caref... nutty owners from new

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We all like a bit of provenance with our cars. A little point of difference that elevates one particular automobile to greatness. The kind of thing that gives you the edge when it comes to bragging rights down at the PH Arms on a Friday night. Take this Morgan Aeromax we spotted in the classifieds.

Yes, it really is Hammond's Morgan

The ad begins sensibly enough - '2008 Morgan Aeromax, $265,000, 2 owners...' - nothing particularly unusual yet (aside from the car itself). But then it goes on to explain those two previous owners are none other than Richard 'Hamster' Hammond and former Moto GP rider Chris Vermeulen. Who happens to be the bloke selling it now.

That's what we call provenance. None of your Z-list celebrities, reality show rejects or Leyland-DAF trophy winning footballers - two proper petrolheads. You can almost smell the burning rubber from here.

You probably remember Hammond buying the Aeromax in 2008. The Morgan impressed him so much, he ordered one new from the Malvern Company and kept it for the best part of three years. At the time, the car cost £110,000, assuming you were one of the lucky 100 who managed to get on the list.

Now being sold by MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen

It subsequently emerged for sale at a dealer in Surrey for the princely sum of £99,950. And to think that some folk accused Morgan of cashing in with the Aeromax, it being £47,500 more than a standard Aero 8. That's a lot of money for a roof. But hey, how many cars from the past ten years have that much road presence? Not many.

You'd imagine someone of Chris Vermeulen's status would have no problem securing a new Aeromax from the factory - a quick phone call surely resulting in a friendly person from Morgan saying, "Certainly Mr. Vermeulen, which of the 11 recommended paint colours would sir like?" But no, as he told us when we spoke to him about the sale:

"I saw Morgan's Aeromax concept car in 2007 and loved it. By that time I saw that Morgan was going to make and sell 100 of them, but I was too late to buy one - they had all been sold."

And it's manual!

Undeterred, Chris spent the next few years searching for a right-hand drive model, which wasn't easy given that Morgan only produced 24. Like the rest of us, Chris spotted Hammond's Aeromax for sale in 2011 and did the right thing. He bought it. The fact that Richard Hammond was the former keeper was "just a bonus".

Chris used the 4.8-litre BMW-engined Aeromax in the UK until February 2013 when he finally took the plunge and exported it to his native Australia. He then wasted no time at all in fitting his own highly personalised Queensland number plates, which look a whole lot better than the original Morgan factory VX58 EZK it wore in the UK.

We won't insult your intelligence by pointing out what the CV7 stands for, but let's just say they won't be sold with the car.

You certainly won't want for attention

Vermeulen is known for being quite the car collector. His everyday motor is - get this - a 1954 Ford F-100 pick-up, which he lovingly restored from the ground-up with his father. It's powered by a 5.0-litre engine from a 1988 Ford Mustang and benefits from all-round disc brakes and independent front suspension.

He also owns a 1929 Hupmobile hotrod with a 360 Mopar engine, a 1933 Ford Coupe with a 500hp Chevy engine and a Porsche Carrera S - all cars that Chris says he "plays around with for fun". But sadly, the Aeromax now has to go.

Proving that even nutty, world class bike racers are just like the rest of us, Chris uses the dreaded 'p' word as the main reason for putting the Morgan up for sale.

Anyone going to Queensland soon?

"I love the car, but now that we have a growing family, it's just not practical for us anymore. I've only used it twice since my daughter was born four months ago."

This may explain why the Aeromax has only completed 1,700 miles since Hammond sold it in 2011. How will Chris replace it? He isn't sure, acknowledging it's "definitely impossible to replace a car like that".

So we'll throw this open to the good people of parish PistonHeads. How should Chris Vermeulen replace his Moggy? Answers on a postcard to the usual address.

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MORGAN AEROMAX
Engine: 4,799cc V8
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 367hp @ 6,300rpm
Torque (lb ft): 370lb ft @ 3,600rpm
MPG: 25.9 est.
CO2: 267g/km
Year registered: 2008
Recorded miles: 5,200
Price new: £110,000
Yours for: 265,000 AUD (£143,000)

You can view the ad for Chris Vermeulen's Morgan Aeromax here

 

[ukaskew]

The first purchase if/when I win the lottery. My wife strongly disagrees as she states with some insistence that it's one of the ugliest cars she has ever seen!