Sebring/Le Mans TVR Pics

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by kdr
can't get on to lemans.org(maybe they're posting the entry list at last!), but i'm sure the morgan didn't post the slowest time in qualifying.

It most certainly did not.

[Chevyguy]

Ian, the Rocky comment, how touching. N-E-ways, the novaly of the Morgan is lost on me. What I like about sportscar racing, GT classes anyway, is watching cars that I know can tear it up on the road. NASCAR doesn't have that, openwheel doesn't have that, not even the prototypes have that. The Morgan doesn't have that. The Tuscon however...well..let me see some lap times and I'll tell ya.

[Graham Goodwin]

I could give you some indication from the times that the 2002 cars were doing in the UK Chevy guy - They were certainly able to take the fight to well driven and very well prepared 911s and 360s

[Mal]

And I thought the Morgan acquitted itself very well indeed in the race running very well untill well into the night if I recall correctly, and that was on very little testing and development.

[rdjones]

But I notice from last weeks Autosport, the car is for sale. Does this mean they are building a new car for this year?

[KA]

Originally posted by Mal
And I thought the Morgan acquitted itself very well indeed in the race running very well untill well into the night if I recall correctly, and that was on very little testing and development.

True- given that the total race experience with the car so far amounts to about half a season of British GT and the outing at Le Mans, I'd guess there's still potential for a lot of improvement in the Morgan

[KA]

Originally posted by Chevyguy
It looks fantastic. Now to scrap the Morgan in favor of a second Tuscon. I'm still beleiving that the Morgan has just been a praticle joke. Sorry to offend anyone, but who really believes that car has any place in sportscar racing?

I don't get this argument at all, and never have- the only real problem I had with the Le Mans entry last year was that I thought it was a year too early, given the fact that the car had barely been raced at the time the entry was accepted

It's got as much of a place in sportscar racing as anything else running in GT

[Chevyguy]

KA, it's just that, how is that car a "sportscar"? To me it's a novalty car. Sure, it's cute, and touching, but what happens when the Morgan hits the Autobahn, or when the stoplight turns green. It's just not a sportscar. If a team were to take, say, a Ford Focus (please no Daytona Prototype references), or a Honda Civic, and coax better performance out of it than the Morgan (quite probable), would it have the same kind of exceptance? Would it get a Le Mans entry? Of course not. I'm sure the Morgan has alot of horsepower, but why is this car which is clearly something to be looked at, being accepted into the highest calibur of sportscar racing in the world? Slap it into the touring type championships, and I'm happy to see it run.

[Graham Goodwin]

But the car IS a sportscar and, certainly in the UK, you do see them on the road too - unlike others that are readily accepted into race championships around the world

It was given a LM entry too early though!

[KA]

Originally posted by Chevyguy
KA, it's just that, how is that car a "sportscar"? To me it's a novalty car. Sure, it's cute, and touching, but what happens when the Morgan hits the Autobahn, or when the stoplight turns green. It's just not a sportscar. If a team were to take, say, a Ford Focus (please no Daytona Prototype references), or a Honda Civic, and coax better performance out of it than the Morgan (quite probable), would it have the same kind of exceptance? Would it get a Le Mans entry? Of course not. I'm sure the Morgan has alot of horsepower, but why is this car which is clearly something to be looked at, being accepted into the highest calibur of sportscar racing in the world? Slap it into the touring type championships, and I'm happy to see it run.

OK, it may not fit in with what you see as a sportscar, but Morgan are one of the oldest-established sportscar manufacturers in the world- they started building their famous 3-wheelers something like 90 years ago and they've been raced almost from the start.

Since then Morgans have appeared in sportscar racing at all levels worldwide, including racing at Sebring and Le Mans (first ran at Le Mans in 1938!) for years.

The factory quote something like 160mph and 0-60 in under 5 seconds for the production Aero 8- I think it can probably hold it's own on the Autobahn

Ask any Morgan owner whether they think it's a sportscar or not......

[Fab]

The Morgan made an absolutely good job on the track last year at LM, it's enough for me to have pleasure to see it back again in 2003... Ayse, d'you remember how we've cheered it as it came on the track for the starting grid ? The most successful team, if I can remember...

[bigh]

I thought the Morgan was a bit of a shed after the debacle of last years PQ, but phoenix-like, it done the business in the race, as good a first attempt as anyone (bar McClaren!), and I'm sort of looking forward to seeing it's ugly face again.
I just can't follow your argument at all chevyguy, and KA puts the Morgans case forward pretty well, after all they've been making sportscars for longer than Ferrari....
H

[Chevyguy]

I appreciate the info KA, as I am in the US, I don't know much about 'em. Like it even matters anyway, the Morgan is not going to displace any of the top 911 teams. But I guess that's why it needs to go, and fill it's grid postition with something that can take it to the Porsches, or another prototype.

[Evil Fuzzy]

Are you saying that just because in its first year the Morgan didn't perform like the Porsche that's been racing for some four years, it shouldn't be at Le Mans? By that theory the MG's, Ferrari 550's, Dome S101's, Panoz LMP07's, Ascari's, R&S MkIIIC's, Spykers and Ferrari 360's shouldn't be at Le Mans either since they didn't finish in their first year.
Let's just be glad the ACO doesn't think like that.
Please don't take this personal, but to me it isn't suprising that a new car doesn't run all that well. And I admire the teams for taking up the challenge of developing a new car and being there at the start of the race (even if they don't make it to the finish).

[KA]

Originally posted by Chevyguy
I appreciate the info KA, as I am in the US, I don't know much about 'em. Like it even matters anyway, the Morgan is not going to displace any of the top 911 teams. But I guess that's why it needs to go, and fill it's grid postition with something that can take it to the Porsches, or another prototype.

So far there isn't much around that has shown that it can displace the top 911 teams in GT so far apart from the Ferrari- the TVR should be fast but is unproven outside British GT- I don't know how well it will show at Sebring and I don't know how good the Spyker or Lamborghini are going to be

I do like the variety we've got this year though- and because cars like the TVR, Spyker Lambo (and the Morgan...) are all pretty new to the class, they've all hopefully got potential to improve with time and mileage- and let's hope some of them can take it to the Porsches.....

[Mal]

Morgan have just anounced their driver line up for this year and say that they have done a 'lot of development since last year, especially on the engine' they also state that they hope to prove that the 'Aero 8 is one of the worlds great sportscars', and they expect a lot of people to 'sit up and take notice'
If they are right, then our friend from Texas might have to eat his words!!
Besides, I think they acquitted themselves rather well for a first attempt last year

[ZXKawboy]

Within reason, it's my opinion that any car can be developed into a "GT" car. I say this from the perspective of a mechanical engineer who's *built* a few "gt" cars out of some pretty un-assuming vehicles.

Granted, it's much easier to develop something that was purposely designed to go fast, but sometimes...*sometimes*...making the "unassuming hack" go fast is just damned rewarding.

I think Morgan is doing a great job of it, and last year, I was thrilled to see my grandmothers "old" car out there and just getting after it. (I know..not my grandmothers car, but a distant descendant there-of).

Maybe they're out to prove a point? If that's the case...seems to me that they're making a good case of it.

Later, all

[AllonFS]

Last year there were was a big Morgan contigent in one of the car parks, (possibly Blue). It's the one just up from the museum on the other side of the road where all the Page and Moy coaches park up. There were a few road Aero 8s there, spectacular if not very pretty. Looked better on the track to be honest than up close, but after my first few years at Le Mans it was great to see a mixture of cars in GTO rather than just Porkers.

Also remember that Le Mans has a history of allowing unusual entries, the Caddy 'Le Monstre', the gas turbine Rover BRM, the 1962 Morgan, (nearly not allowed because it looked too old-fashioned) and any Debora! Just one of the many, many things that makes Le Mans such a unique and wonderful event.

[KA]

Originally posted by AllonFS
but after my first few years at Le Mans it was great to see a mixture of cars in GTO rather than just Porkers.

One of the things that I find really interesting about the GT class at Sebring this year is that I think we must have an example of nearly everything (the Callaway & the MCR Corvette are the exceptions that first spring to mind) that's currently approved by the ACO for the class

[KA]

Originally posted by Mal
Morgan have just anounced their driver line up for this year and say that they have done a 'lot of development since last year, especially on the engine' they also state that they hope to prove that the 'Aero 8 is one of the worlds great sportscars', and they expect a lot of people to 'sit up and take notice'

Presumably the Morgan at Le Mans this year is going to be run by the factory, rather than RaceSports, who seem to have their hands full of TVRs, and their Aero 8 currently advertised for sale- how does the Sebring entry fit together with this?- presumably the factory lineup of Short/Griffin/Morgan will drive the RSS/DeWalt car at Sebring as the factory one isn't ready yet, or am I reading too much into this?

[Smokey 6 litre]

that morgan is cool,
although apparently last year the engine sounded very tight (according my one of my teachers who skived school to go)

[Chevyguy]

Although it's very hard for me to put any faith into the Morgan or the Spyker, I'm with you on the variance of GTs. It really looks like the Ferrari's gonna make it, don't it? I've got an creepy feeling about that Lambro. Does anyone else find that a little alien? It just appeared one day, and it's racing Sebring. How long has it been since Lamborgini got involved with anything besides Lamborgini? Hope it's fast. And the Tuscon, very nice addition, and also very front engined. If either of these two show well, they might have customer interest like Ferrari's be been getting. I fit they don't show well, hmmm..., could be bad news. They really need to show some speed this year and get some people on board.

[Mal]

Does the Lambo have factory backing or development in any way - If so it could be a real dark horse bearing in mind who owns it!