LMS: Morgan Aero Spawns GT3 Race Car

Le Mans / ALMS

LMS: Morgan Aero Spawns GT3 Race Car

On its 100th anniversary, British traditionalist competes with race-prepared Aero SuperSport.

Wouter Melissen | http://www.ultimatecarpage.com | Posted December 22, 2009 Gaydon (GB)

Morgan Aero SuperSports lead the pack during the 2009 FIA GT3 finale at Zolder. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)

Morgan kicked off the company's centenary celebrations in great style by launching the new Aero SuperSports during the 2009 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.

The GT3 racing version made a victorious debut just a few weeks later during the opening round of the European Championship at Silverstone. This was Morgan's very first win in the highly competitive class after two fruitless seasons.

Once again responsible for the development of the new racer was the French AutoGT team run by former Renault Formula 1 drivers Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Jacques Laffite, and funded by great Morgan enthusiast Prince Eric Studza from Switzerland.

One of the Aero GT3 cars was driven at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed where Morgan's 100th anniversary was celebrated. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)

Mechanically, the SuperSports GT3 is identical to its predecessor and as such closely related to the Aero range of Morgan road cars. Carried over almost unaltered is the advanced bonded aluminum spaceframe chassis. Suspension is by double wishbones with adjustable springs/dampers on both ends.

The main technical difference between the road and racing cars is the size of the BMW V8 engine used. Through a slight increase of both the bore and stroke, the displacement has gone up from 4.8 liters to just shy of 5 liters. With the mandatory restrictors, it pumps out around 440 horsepower. A Holinger-sourced six-speed gearbox completes the drivetrain package.

Many of the new elements introduced on the SuperSports road car were carried over to its racing counterpart. Unlike its hard-topped predecessor, the SuperSports GT3 has a coupe roof, which greatly improves the body's rigidity. This is one small part of the much revised rear end, which also includes vertical tail lights and air channels behind the wheels.

The nose features an upgraded splitter and the traditional Morgan grille is removed altogether, replaced only partly by a composite blanking panel. Finished in surprisingly elegant combination of green and gold, the complete Morgan Aero SuperSports GT3 tips the scales at about 2,400 pounds.

Two cars were constructed ahead of the 2009 season by the AutoGT team. No. 100 was entered for French drivers Dimitri Enjalbert and Johan-Boris Scheier and No. 101 was piloted by their compatriot Gaël Lesoudier and Belgian Maxime Martin.

The two Morgans were entered in the FIA-sanctioned GT3 European Championship where they faced a wide variety of production-based machinery ranging from the new Audi R8 to seasoned Dodge Vipers.

To ensure some parity, all of the GT3 cars were tested by Christophe Bouchut at the start of the season. The results of these tests formed the basis of the performance equalization on the basis of weight and horsepower restrictions.

At the season-opening Silverstone round, company principal Charles Morgan received one of the best 100th anniversary presents he could think of. The No. 100 car secured pole for the first race and went on the win its race. This exact feat was repeated by the No. 101 car in the second race.
Unfortunately, the spectacular results at Silverstone could not be repeated in the remainder of the season. A second at Adria and a fourth at Paul Ricard were the only other decent finishes for the striking machines.

For an 18-photo gallery, see Morgan Aero.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wouter Melissen

UltimateCarPage.com

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