GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Morgan Aero 8 renewed

Update, March 4:Local importers of the Morgan brand advise that the new Aero 8 will come to Australia. Pricing is yet to be decided, but according to the importer, it will "above the $228 990 of the current Plus 8 which remains in production, but is expected to be below the $274 990 of the now discontinued Aero Coupe". Current Aero SuperSports and Coupe, built on the previous wooden chassis, will cease production from next month.

Plucky and eccentric, sports car manufacturer Morgan has delivered the fifth generation of its Aero franchise in Geneva.

Though only moderately fiddled in terms of its visuals, the Aero 8 is heavily reworked underneath, with the ditching of the traditional ash wood-based chassis.

Instead, the new Aero 8's chassis is aluminium, delivering a massive improvement in both bending and torsional rigidity over its predecessor.

During the show, motoring.com.au spoke to Morgan chief designer Jonathan Wells, who revealed the new Aero 8 will follow swiftly in the tyre tracks of the recently launched 3Wheeler – possibly arriving in Oz early in 2016.

Wells says handling has been "transformed" with his design enabling all-round double wishbone suspension to be fitted. Replacing the old car's inboard suspension, there's less roll, better traction and a better ride.

The lighter Morgan is now only available as a convertible. There are no plans to replace the limited-run AeroMax coupe or Aero SuperSports targa. A new tonneau clam now hides the fabric roof.

Pricing is significantly cheaper than the Aero SuperSports it replaces, thanks to new production techniques, more BMW switchgear and higher expected volumes. In the UK this has seen the price fall from £130,000 (AUD$239,000) to £60,000 (AUD$110,000) for the new car.

Morgan hopes to make 150 Aero 8s a year.

There will be a proper, BMW M-sourced mechanical limited-slip differential for the rear-drive layout and the BMW feel doesn't end there.

It's the last car to use BMW's naturally-aspirated, 4.8-litre V8 (M itself has moved on to a biturbo V8) with 274kW of power and just under 500Nm of torque.

So what, you might ask, but there are no electronic aids to keep the inattentive or underskilled Aero 8 driver on the road when things go wrong.

On top of that, it's all about power-to-weight, rather than sheer power, and the Aero 8 weighs just 1180kg. With that in its favour, the new Aero 8 sprints to 100km/h in 4.5s and tops out at 273km/h.

If that all sounds too busy, you could option it with a six-speed automatic transmission, complete with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, but the six-speed manual is the one to have, Morgan insiders say.

The body styling has evolved over the 15 years of the Aero's run, but it still has oddball features like clamshell boot hinges and a mohair roof.

The interior has been fiddled, too, with an improved air conditioning system and a new dash layout. There is finally a touch screen multimedia system and the car can be made lighter again with carbon-fibre seat shells.