FIA GT Morgan Aero 8's for FIA GT3 in 2007

**Bentley03** · 22 Dec 2006, 12:20 (Ref:1797613)

DSC have just broken the news that three Morgan Aero 8's will be campaigned in the 2007 FIA GT3 Championship by French team Mirabeau Competition, regulars in FFSA GT. Mirabeau Competition will prepare and enter the cars, this is not a factory programme.

Amazing news...............

ChironWSC · 22 Dec 2006, 12:37 (Ref:1797632)

Have the cars been homologated by the FIA for GT3 yet? Also Have Morgan built 200 Aero 8's yet or will they become the same fate as Mosler?
The manufacturer I would think needs to be involved with the Homologation of the car, so Morgan will be fairly well involved initially.

**Bentley03** · 22 Dec 2006, 12:47 (Ref:1797637)

According to the DSC article, the GT Commission have recently given the car the 'required approvals'.

Graham Goodwin · 22 Dec 2006, 12:48 (Ref:1797642)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChironWSC

Also Have Morgan built 200 Aero 8's yet or will they become the same fate as Mosler?

They have built considerably more than 200

Simon S · 23 Dec 2006, 10:33 (Ref:1798205)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChironWSC

Have the cars been homologated by the FIA for GT3 yet? Also Have Morgan built 200 Aero 8's yet or will they become the same fate as Mosler?
The manufacturer I would think needs to be involved with the Homologation of the car, so Morgan will be fairly well involved initially.

question:

Assuming Morgan have built 200+ Aero 8's (and I have no idea if they have or not)...

how can *anybody* other than the manufacture produce a GT3 car? I might be missing the point here, but as I understand it, only the manufacture can homologate the cars??

if this is not the case, what's to stop me (as a non-manufacturer) gaining an entry for just about *any* road based car? Perhaps I could ask to homologate a Honda-engined Exige for example (you can imaging how much lotus would like/support that idea)?

Having looked hard at GT3, I really am struggling to understand it, there does not seem to be anything in the way of proper reg's, and the acceptance seems more a case of politics than defined rules.

PS. this is not to say I would not like to see Morgans racing in GT

Ranald · 23 Dec 2006, 11:25 (Ref:1798241)

As I understand any team wishing to entre a car into GT3 must have explicit permission to do so from the manufacturer.

Simon S · 23 Dec 2006, 13:59 (Ref:1798317)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ranald

As I understand any team wishing to entre a car into GT3 must have explicit permission to do so from the manufacturer.

Sure you are right, the point I was making is where is this stuff written down?

GT3 seems to be very much whatever you want at the moment....

Dragaan · 23 Dec 2006, 15:32 (Ref:1798348)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon S

GT3 seems to be very much whatever you want at the moment....

Unless you want a Mosler...

Sorry, couldn't resist the smilie

**FIRE** · 23 Dec 2006, 13:51 (Ref:1798308)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon S

question:

Assuming Morgan have built 200+ Aero 8's (and I have no idea if they have or not)...

how can *anybody* other than the manufacture produce a GT3 car? I might be missing the point here, but as I understand it, only the manufacture can homologate the cars??

if this is not the case, what's to stop me (as a non-manufacturer) gaining an entry for just about *any* road based car? Perhaps I could ask to homologate a Honda-engined Exige for example (you can imaging how much lotus would like/support that idea)?

Probably Morgan has given Mirabeau the green light to develop a GT3.
For example the GT3 Corvette is developed by "non-manufacturer" Callaway and the Jaguar by Apex.

SALEEN S7R · 22 Dec 2006, 14:30 (Ref:1797724)

Nice to have another manufacturer in the GT3 class, particularly a British one.

The Morgan's have run fairly competitvely in various classes in recent years perhaps this can do also.

Graham Goodwin · 22 Dec 2006, 15:05 (Ref:1797743)

If anything though the more interesting point of this story is the potential Le mans angle

**Bentley03** · 22 Dec 2006, 15:25 (Ref:1797767)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

If anything though the more interesting point of this story is the potential Le mans angle

Just to put some meat on Graham's bones (can I say that?

), the 2004 GT2 Le Mans car is actually in Mirabeau's workshop for evaluation. The article points out that FIA GT3's are based on road cars, so why would Mirabeau assess a purpose built GT2 racecar? Presumably a new GT2 programme is under consideration. The article goes on to point out that Morgan's 100th Anniversary is in 2009, and, "Could the ACO resist such a historically significant entry from a French team at Le Mans, in 2009?"

I suspect there would be considerable support for such a programme!

SALEEN S7R · 22 Dec 2006, 16:13 (Ref:1797783)

Unfortunately my subscription to DSC ran out a couple of weeks ago, ill have to renew it in early January, no money at the moment. So, Morgan for GT2 at Le Mans again? Sounds good to me.

Dani Filth · 29 Dec 2006, 14:45 (Ref:1801252)

The Aero 8 uses a modern BMW V8

gttouring · 29 Dec 2006, 15:49 (Ref:1801313)

good the morgans loook and sound so great- and front engined racers are coooler than rear and middies anyday

**Adam43** · 29 Dec 2006, 18:40 (Ref:1801388)

The Morgan uses a BMW engine, I'd have though someone would have posted that by now

Anyway the point of the post; a link: http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/sales/aero8gtn.html

old man · 5 Jan 2007, 12:08 (Ref:1807356)

According to that fount of knowledge on all things motor sport, and especially GT racing, I speak of the Autosport of course, Mr Laffite and Mr Jabouille are behind the Morgan entry. Why? I ask myself

Graham Goodwin · 5 Jan 2007, 13:24 (Ref:1807430)

That's sort of correct - as I understand it it's actually the other way around - One of Lafitte's long time backers is major Morgan fan Eric Studza - The Barings boss who commissioned the original Morgan Aeromax

old man · 5 Jan 2007, 15:19 (Ref:1807572)

Being old I am all for nostalgia but if I were our ex F1 heroes I would want serious wedge to put my name to that in modern racing, correct me if I am wrong but it will be nowhere surely?

Dani Filth · 5 Jan 2007, 17:10 (Ref:1807657)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

That's sort of correct - as I understand it it's actually the other way around - One of Lafitte's long time backers is major Morgan fan Eric Studza - The Barings boss who commissioned the original Morgan Aeromax

if i'm not mistaking it's Eric Sturdza . he's actually a Prince .. royal descent from Romania actually

Motorsport was a common practice in early 1900s for royal families around here . like most places .

**chunterer** · 5 Jan 2007, 17:50 (Ref:1807670)

So that's the same engine that's in the Ascari is it?

TheNewBob · 5 Jan 2007, 16:17 (Ref:1807619)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

The Morgan uses a BMW engine, I'd have though someone would have posted that by now

Anyway the point of the post; a link: http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/sales/aero8gtn.html

Hmmm... off-topic but vaguely amusing for all of 5 minutes - following that link, wonder where that picture was taken? The livery is British GT from '02 (it has the GTO class badge), but that's a rather big-looking orange grandstand in the background...?

Marcel ten Caat · 5 Jan 2007, 18:01 (Ref:1807678)

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNewBob

Hmmm... off-topic but vaguely amusing for all of 5 minutes - following that link, wonder where that picture was taken? The livery is British GT from '02 (it has the GTO class badge), but that's a rather big-looking orange grandstand in the background...?

You are not serious right?

How about Le Mans during the test days?

TheNewBob · 6 Jan 2007, 07:57 (Ref:1807977)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stranger

You are not serious right?

How about Le Mans during the test days?

My excuse is that I was hungover!

Leoparky · 8 Jan 2007, 12:20 (Ref:1809526)

No it iS not the same engine as the Ascari, that runs the previous series M5 power plant (V8 not V10) blue printed by them to get 500bhp. The Aero 8 engine is a stock BMW engine (BMW do not allow anyone to use M power plants apart from Wiessman who run the M3 engine). BMW engineers were part and parcel part of the development programme at Morgan which is why the car can be sold world wide (getting through noise and emmission regs). As a brief aside I heard that Damax (The Ascari Team) had been to Malvern looking at racing in GT3. Perhaps they are reading between the lines as Mosler have not been admitted into GT3.

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