Despite our initial beliefs, not all Morgans are made of wood. The $187,000 Aero Supersports, shown in Geneva in all its naked beauty, is all metal, BMW and sidepipes. What it lacks is glass: champagne flutes, to be exact.
It’s surprising how simple a classic British roadster is when you strip away the swooping lines and the mad wiring. Beneath the not-crosseyed-anymore curvaceous looks of the big Morgan is a simple-looking aluminum tub, adorned with nothing but a 4.8-liter BMW V8, erupting through twin sidepipes.
This car is the Morgan Aero Supersports, which you’ll remember in concept form from last year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Sadly, its most rock and roll feature—twin flutes and two bottles of champagne strapped behind the seats—is gone from the production model.
A young Morgan designer named John has explained to us that due to the final placement of the fuel tank, the space necessary for this wonderful exercise in debauchery was eaten away. He also hinted at US regulations, but what could possible be wrong with a glass of bubbly at thrice the speed limit? Controlling spillage is a matter of fine motor control.
The Aero also has a racing version which competes in FIA GT3. Here, wood makes a cheeky return: contrary to the interiors of modern racing cars, which are stripped to the carbon fiber bone, the Morgan proudly wears a strip of wood along its dashboard.
Way to go, mates!