Morgan Motor Company has announced a new Limited Edition Aero 8 Race Inspired car.

• Morgan Motor Company has announced a new “gloves off” variant of the Aero 8: the race-inspired Aero GT
• Limited to just eight examples, the Aero GT will mark the end of Aero 8 production at Morgan’s Pickersleigh Road factory
• Aero GT is fitted with new hand-worked body panels, including wing top louvres and a drastic rear diffuser – all reducing drag while significantly increasing downforce
• Each of the eight cars – all already sold to existing Morgan customers – will be individually numbered and with bespoke customer-requested features
• The Aero GT will be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 2018

Morgan Motor Company has today announced its most extreme roadgoing model to date; the race-inspired Aero GT. Using lessons learned from Morgan’s GT3 race victories, the Aero GT is based upon the lightweight aluminium Aero 8 but with an all-new hand-worked, aerodynamically honed body which reduces drag but significantly increases downforce.

Conceived initially during the development of the 2015 Morgan Aero 8, the aggressive Aero GT variant never saw the light of day. But, in 2018, the final eight Aero 8 cars to roll out of Morgan’s Pickersleigh Road factory will be Aero GT variants.

 With close consultation between head of design, Jon Wells, and Morgan’s uniquely talented metal workers who have perfected their skill over a lifetime, every panel of the bespoke Aero GT is reworked by hand with new wing top louvres, deep side impressions and a drastic rear diffuser. Contradicting the styling department’s usual approach to maintaining fluid forms, the designers embraced these new body enhancements.

All eight Aero GT models – already accounted for by existing Morgan customers – will be individually tailored to each owner. Individually numbered cars will each leave the factory with bespoke customer-requested additions, in line with Morgan’s hand-crafted approach.

Fitted with a 367bhp 4.8-litre BMW V8 and six-speed manual gearbox, also found in the Aero 8, the Aero GT sprints from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds, hitting a top speed of 170mph. With the engine no longer in production, the Aero GT is not only a last hurrah for the current Aero 8 but for the naturally aspirated BMW engine, too.

The Aero models marked a new era for Morgan when the Aero 8 was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2000. A bold new design and lightweight aluminium construction ushered in a new level of performance for the Morgan brand, which has reached its latest and most extreme evolution in the Aero GT.

Jon Wells, Head of Design at Morgan Motor company said: “The beauty of working so closely with talented sheet metal workers and coachbuilders is that designers are relatively unrestrained in their ability to challenge the forms and their functions.

“Unlike many, we are able to make truly special limited edition vehicles that really exercise the imagination of the designer and the ability of the craftsman.

“The Aero range has always offered Morgan the platform to explore the boundaries of mechanical and styling design and I am delighted the family has allowed one of our wildest ideas to become a reality.”

Steve Morris, Managing Director of Morgan Motor Company, said: “One of our greatest strengths as a brand is our ability to be responsive and create a hand-built car which is truly bespoke to each customer. I am a proud owner of an Aero 8 myself; it has been a stalwart of the brand and offers an exceptional driving experience, that only gets better in Aero GT guise.

“Every Morgan is built to an exacting specification and is bespoke to each customer, as their personality is displayed in every detail. A great deal of emotion is invested in every decision and this experience is only enhanced by the joy of then driving such powerful and unique vehicles. The Aero GT is the ultimate ensemble of this formula.”

TMW - The Licence loser or the car to frighten the elderly, either way, this is one hell of a car.

There is only one car thats available that will frighten the old and get the kids to grin with envy, and that is the Subaru WRX/STi, and when it is the traditional Blue, then you know you have a car thats not only a licence loser, but a back cruncher, and thats exactly what you have here with this Subaru.

The Scooby just oozes speed from the outside, from the Pic-Nic table spoiler at the back, the side skirts and the deep grill at the front and the huge air duct on the bonnet, you just know that you will not be let down in this car.

Being that this car is a four wheel drive with manual gearbox, getting the power down smoothly is difficult, well, at the start of ownership, once you get used to the way the car works then getting the car to pull away at speed without either slipping the clutch, over revving or making the car misbehave, either way, that noise you get from the quad exhaust is just awesome, and one that you never get used too, take it through a tunnel, rev hard and the noise is phenomenal.

The four door saloon, as a bog standard car is great, plenty of room in the back for the rear passengers, and the huge boot space, bring it to the front and again you have loads of space for front seat passengers, but then add it to that power and it takes it to another level, a level thats not matched or beaten by anyone, the nearest rival is no long available, and the Mitsubishi Evo X is no more.

the 2.5 litre Boxer engine, with twin scroll turbocharger is more power that you will ever need, the top speed of the car is 159mph, so more than double the UK maximum speed limit, and because of the power and speed, it means that the CO2 is a whopping 242g/km, and thusly the fuel consumption just happens to be :-

• Urban Cycle 20.2mpg
• Extra Urban Cycle 33.6mpg
• Combined Cycle 27.2mpg

Now, these figures might look low, and they are, but you expect this in a car of this ilk, working your way through the short shift gears is easy, and you get up to 6th gear quickly and efficiently, with the fully independent suspension all around giving stability and making journey's sure footed and easy.

The display up front gives you all the info you could ever need, now, whether it was me, or the car, i cant say, but i found the central display difficult to operate and getting the info i needed was not that easy, so i left it on the fuel consumption page, so that i can see what i was, or was not achieving.

You can lock the central dif if your needing to drive heavy in a straight line, but try and turn a corner with teh central diff lock on, and it does not like it, at all  !

The Car cost £29,000 before any options are added, but then it comes with a whole host of standard kit including, but not limited too :-

• LED Lamps Front & Rear
• Pop-Up Headlamp Washers
• Front Fog Lamps
• Rear Diffuser
• Rear Privacy Glass
• Leather & Alcantara Seats
• Aluminium Pedals
• Electric Windows
• Keyless Entry
• Push Button Start
• Dual Zone Air Con
• Multi Function Display
• Seven Airbags
• ABS with EBD
• Bluetooth
• Four Cylinder Boxer Burble
• Cruise Control
• Hill Start Assist
• Torque Vectoring
• Boost Pressure Gauge

And So on, these are just a small selection of the options that you will find on this car, and it is all these and more that make the car a brilliant car to own and run.

CONCLUSION

So, would i have one, well, if you ignore the low mpg, the firm suspension, and the over hard seats that can hurt your back, then too damned right i would, but then those things are expected, and complaining about them after you have taken delivery is wrong, owning a car like this comes with these foibles, so, you have to suck it up and enjoy it.

Just enjoy the speed, the room, the look, oh yes that look, it is a stunning car, and the noise, thats another reason to have this car, the noise it makes, you will never get fed up with opening the window and tapping the accelerator, the growl is something to love and enjoy, ok, yes i want one, and i want it now, unfortunately i dont think my back would cope though.

Citroen launches a new sportier C1, The Furio, aimed squarely at the youngsters market, and looks great.

Citroën is extending its C1 city car range with the introduction of a new C1 Furio, offering young drivers an affordable, sporty looking car. Building on Citroën’s sporting credentials, C1 Furio will be on sale in the UK from 1 August.

Bringing a new sporty style and unique features to the Citroën C1 city car range, C1 Furio will go on sale in the UK from 1 August, with prices starting from just £10,855 on the road.

Available as a three door hatchback, the new C1 Furio boasts striking exterior styling to appeal to younger drivers wanting a sporty look, but without them having to pay a premium for a more powerful engine. Two powertrain options are available: VTi 68 manual and PureTech 82 manual.

Based on the existing ‘Feel’ trim level, C1 Furio benefits from the addition of black 15-inch ‘Planet’ alloy wheels, bold exterior graphics, plus Sunrise Red door mirrors and wheel centre caps to provide an eye-catching contrast to the Lipizzan White or Carlinite Grey metallic body colour paint options. A rear diffuser and centred exhaust outlet complete the sporty exterior.

Inside, C1 Furio benefits from the addition of ‘Wave’ grey cloth upholstery and a rev counter.

The new C1 Furio joins Citroën’s long line of motor sport inspired small cars, including the 1990s Saxo Furio, plus cars like the AX Sport and C2 ‘by Loeb’.

Then new Citroën C1 Furio is available to order now and is officially on sale from 1 August 2016.  

Citroën C1 Furio	On the Road MRRP (£)
C1 VTi 68 manual 3-door Furio	10,855.00
C1 PureTech 82 manual 3-door Furio	11,205.00

FRANKFURT - Golf GTi Clubsport model to début at Frankfurt & to coincide with the 40th Anniversary of the GTi.

• 265 PS anniversary model accelerates to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds
• A boost function increases power output to over 290 PS for a short time
• Expressive exterior with new front bumper, side skills, rear diffusor and multi-part roof spoiler

At the beginning of next year, the icon of the sporty compact class – the Golf GTI – is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Volkswagen will mark this historic event with a progressive special edition: the new Golf GTI Clubsport. 

Now Volkswagen is presenting the production version of the new Golf GTI Clubsport at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt and offers a first look ahead at the driving performance of the most powerful production GTI ever.

The inventor of the “GTI” is thus continuing the tradition of GTI anniversary models, as exclusive special editions also marked the 20th, 25th, 30th and 35th birthdays. The turbocharged direct-injection engine in the anniversary model delivers an output of 195 kW / 265 PS , 35 PS more than on the previous most powerful Golf GTI. That, however, is far from all. For a short time – approximately 10 seconds each time – the driver can increase engine power by an additional 10 per cent to over 290 PS using a boost function. 

This added power is activated simply by kicking down the accelerator.

The Golf GTI Clubsport sprints to 100 km/h in 6.0 seconds with a 6-speed manual gearbox; the optional 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) is even faster at 5.9 seconds.The Golf GTI Clubsport has a top speed of 250 km/h (DSG: 249 km/h). A look at fuel economy shows just how efficiently the sports car converts engine power into propulsion. 

With a manual gearbox, consumption is 6.9 l/100 km (equivalent to 160 g/km CO₂); if power is transferred to the front wheels by DSG, the figure comes in at 6.7 l/100 km (155 g/km CO₂).

Not only has Volkswagen given the anniversary model's engine more power, it has also extensively revised the design, equipment and aerodynamic fine-tuning of the anniversary model. 

Due to the high power output and significantly improved downforce, the dynamic performance of the Golf GTI Clubsport propels it into the domain of top-class motorsport. This results in ground breaking handling properties at high speeds and breath taking cornering speeds.

The Golf GTI Clubsport is painted in “Oryx White” (other colours are available); as a contrast, the roof area comes in black. 

The Volkswagen exterior designers created a completely new front bumper, new side sills, a new rear diffuser, a new multi-part roof spoiler and exclusive forged alloy wheels for the anniversary model. These features immediately make the anniversary model stand out from the familiar GTI models.

In terms of style, the side profile of the Golf GTI Clubsport is based on the original GTI version. To put this in context: the first generation was characterised by a wide black trim stripe on the side between the front and rear wheel arches at bumper level. 

This stripe has now been transferred to the side area of the anniversary model, paying homage to the 1976 Golf GTI, and is enhanced with the lettering “Clubsport”. The black trim stripe is continued towards the front in the new air deflector element of the front bumper. 

The optional “Bresica” 19-inch alloy wheels designed especially for the new Golf GTI Clubsport make a further dynamic statement. The anniversary model is equipped as standard with forged 18-inch alloy wheels that are also newly designed. A fine detail on the side are the high-gloss black door mirror caps.

The redesigned roof edge spoiler, perfected in the wind tunnel, is much larger than its counter part on the current GTI. There is a narrow air gap between the roof area that is entirely in black and the wing-like spoiler placed above it. The roof spoiler in high-gloss black and “Oryx White” projects upwards above the roof line. 

The lower rear section has also been individualised. Seen diagonally from behind, it is noticeable that the line of the wrap-around splitter of the side line (below the sill) is continued in the large rear diffuser that is a new development. Here, too, the colour is high-glass black. 

The redesigned and chrome-plated tailpipes of the twin-pipe exhaust system have been elegantly integrated in the diffuser; the diameter of the tailpipes is much larger than on the familiar Golf GTI models. The LED rear lights come in dark black-red.

The interior features iconic details that are essential for every GTI; they include the ergonomic sports seats with a tailor-made look featuring tartan fabric upholstery, red top stitching, a gear knob in golf ball design and a black headliner. 

These insignia of sportiness have been individualised or modified for the Golf GTI Clubsport. Accordingly, the anniversary model features folding racing bucket seats instead of sport seats. 

The seats are partially covered with Alcantara and feature a honeycomb pattern in the area of the back rests and seat cushions; the backrest also incorporates “GTI” lettering. A red line enhances the seat belts. 

New trim strips in “Honeycomb 40” design (instrument strip, centre console and doors) give the interior an even more exclusive appearance. Sporty decorative features include Alcantara trim on the gear lever, new lenses on the gear knob, the Alcantara sport steering wheel (with GTI emblem, red seam and 12 o'clock marking) and customised floor mats with red edging. 

When the driver and front passenger open the doors, they see the exclusive stainless steel door sill plates with red GTI lettering.

Golf GTI Club sport fuel consumption in l/100 km: 6,9 - 6,7 (combined), CO_2- emission in g/km:160 -155 (combined)