The Morgan Aeromax is a unique Morgan commissioned by Prince Eric I. Sturdza, President of Banque Baring Brothers Suisse.

Based on the requirement for a comfortable long distance Touring Coupe, drawings by Matthew Humphries were discussed with the customer to define the total concept.Particluar requirements such as the gullwing" boot openings, hardwood and traditional pleated leather interior and a large flat load area behind the seats were particular requirements.

Matthew Humphries created a quarter scale clay model at the University of Coventry Automotive Design School. The model was required to harmonise with the Morgan Aero Eight chassis and incorporated the exterior elements of the car that were not to be specially tooled. The model was digitised and a file created on CATIA software to define the surface shape and boundaries of the metal and glass panels. Using data from the computer file simple jigs were constructed to build the ash skeleton, alloy sheet metal panels and toughened glass panels.

Brightwork features such as the door handles and the door mirrors were created by hand to unique sculptural designs. The split rear window allows easy access from either side to the custom built luggage commissioned from Schedoni of Italy. A substantial chassis beam protects heavy items from moving forwards into the cockpit.

The car is an illustration of flexible manufacturing at the Morgan Motor Company. Modern automotive technology is combined with quality craftsmanship. The beautiful finish of the bodywork is the result of the craftsmen's passion at Morgan.

The aluminium chassis has safety features which have surpassed the industry standards of the vehicle certification authorities of Europe and the USA during the approval process. Siemens electronic airbag systems protect the occupants and sensors are built into each wheel bearing to relay tyre contact information to the engine ECU and the ABS electronic brake control units. The car has reassuring driver features such as air conditioning, tyre pressure and tyre temperature monitoring and cruise control. Even with these features the chassis is the lightest V8 production platform in the world.

Charles Morgan commented, "The Morgan Aeromax demonstrates the wealth of talent in our small yet dedicated motor works. It took just 4 months from a sketch to being able to test drive a real finished car. The car is a showcase of the coachbuilding and technical skills of the whole team."

The ash frame is laminated for extra strength. This gives the potential for energy absorption in the cockpit and also ensures durability and safety. It is incidentally beautiful and each of the three backbones of the skeleton of the frame has nine laminates of wood visible from the inside of the car. The wood above the dashboard and doors is carved to display age and grain.

The light alloy bodywork has been hand formed from high quality alloy sheet.Each coachline is finely defined in metal. The car is powered by the latest version of BMW's N62 V8 which, with its combination of performance economy and modest emissions, perfectly compliments the design of the car.

The exhaust exits through the car wings and adds character to the V8 tone. The low unladen weight makes the Morgan Aeromax Coupe one of the fastest accelerating sports cars in Europe.

Text/Photos: Morgan