It was touted as Morgan's first supercar and undertook a comprehensive development programme including endurance testing at BMW's huge proving grounds L'Autodrome de Miramas.

[5] In response, Morgan changed the design from 2005 (Series 3 and all subsequent Aero iterations), using Mini rather than VW New Beetle headlights.

The result of many years of hard work, a development programme that included racing in the FIA GT series and a partnership with BMW.

Whilst the car structure comes as pre-formed bonded aluminium elements significant work goes into hand making the overall vehicle continuing the handmade history of the company.

Items such as in-board shock absorbers, double wishbones all round, a flat floor, centre lock magnesium wheels, rose-jointed suspension and other elements were included providing significant handling improvements over previous models.

The interior had a turned aluminium dashboard, unusual asymmetric design and a custom made Mulberry case for use as a removable glovebox, along with nods to modern services such as cruise control, air-conditioning and a heated windscreen.

With many elements from BMW including the engine, gearbox and axle to push 1100 kg the performance was on a par with Ferraris, Porsches, TVRs and other supercars of the day.

Famous for its cross-eyed squint courtesy of the reversed VW Beetle headlamps, this was a culmination of both aerodynamic requirements and availability of light units at the time.

The VW Beetle headlamps were spotted by Chris Lawrence who envisaged reversing them to give the perfect angle to meet the aerodynamic requirements, and thus the cross-eyed look was born.

Along with a carbon fibre dashboard, unique gloss black wooden trim, a custom Mota-Lita steering wheel, a special leather interior, and performance side exhausts the car had blistering performance as demonstrated on Top Gear by Richard Hammond (Season 5 Episode 5) who later went on to own several Morgans.

Further revisions included a conversion to standard 5 stud wheels, uprated gearbox, brakes and other elements of the running gear.

The car retained the same overall dimensions but internal space was increased by moving the doors further out and making the wings/running boards narrower over the Series 1.

The third iteration of the Aero was largely around adding the new style Mini headlamps with changes to the wings and front panels resolving the famous squint of the earlier cars.

The AutoGT team sponsored by Banque Baring Sturdza with former Renault F1 drivers Jean Pierre Jabouille and Jacques Laffite made a great impression at the start of the year.

The lower revving V8 and side exhaust layout resulted in a very distinctive NASCAR style off-beat sound which was deep and very loud.

A first for the Aero 8 also comes in the form of an optional automatic transmission; Morgan state: – ZFs 6 HP26 six speed gives even better performance than a manual gearbox due to its special lock up clutch, low power loss design and instant change characteristic.

In addition to these technical changes, a repositioned fuel tank (to improve the weight distribution), revised instrumentation (from cream dials with blue numerals to black with white), an increase in luggage space, revised air vents, a move to a conventional handbrake lever and air intakes and exits on the front wings distinguish the Series 4 Aero 8 from previous models.

Many refinements were made to the overall shape including the use of the rear lights from the Lancia Thesis, flush fit of the doors and changes to the interior finish.

[8] Presented in 2009 at Villa d’Este Elegance Concours to celebrate the 100 years of Morgan, the Supersports shares the same chassis, engine and transmission of the Aero 8 Series 4.

With the lower weight due to the reduced bodywork the car is among the quickest using the Aero platform but can have a more lively handling balance.

The minimal aero screens similar to those on Caterhams along with the broad stance of the car make it look very long and low on the road.

The Series 5 reintroduced a soft top to the Aero range but still using the same BMW 4.8L V8 engine and manual or automatic gearbox (with a paddle option for the auto).

This was completed by the new design lead Jonathan Wells with the intention of bringing a fresh theme to the model with more modern materials.

The Series 5 also has a completely new front and rear suspension, with anti roll bars and outboard conventional wishbones and coil over units.

As the supply of BMW V8 engines came to an end a final run of 8 Aero GTs was released with a number of design changes including vents in the front wings, canards at the leading edges and an enhanced rear venturi.

The CX model represented another big step forward for the company as it introduced a new range of power trains again from BMW.

Shortly after the development and release of the CX based PlusSix Morgan gained external investment from InvestIndustrial an Italian venture capital company which took a majority share in the business.

[10] Morgan bought back the rolling chassis from Bristol's administrator before the liquidation auction, and announced the Plus 8 GTR[11] – inspired by the Plus 8 that raced in the 1990s & which was known as Big Blue.

The transformed special project will be available in certain worldwide markets, subject to local rules on the importation of European vehicles.

As part of the special projects programme, customers will be invited to commission their bespoke Plus 8 GTR alongside Morgan’s design team."