Released in 2000, the Aero 8 was Morgan’s first properly ‘new’ car since their financially underwhelming Plus 4 Plus of 1964, and personified the fabulous notion of traditional styling with modern underpinnings.

Ditching Morgan’s tradition of using an aluminium-skinned wooden frame with a heavy steel chassis, the Aero 8 was revolutionary for both Morgan and the wider sports car world, as it featured an all-aluminium bonded chassis.

The design may have contained some traditional styling cues, but beneath the skin modernity had arrived with independent suspension all round utilising double wishbones and inboard dampers and AP Racing brakes.

That specification meant the Aero 8 offered a huge step forward in terms of its driving dynamics, and the 286bhp BMW M62 4.4-litre V8 driving through a 6-speed Getrag gearbox, could propel it from 0-60mph in less than five seconds and on to a top speed of 160mph.

The Series 2 Aero 8 arrived in 2004 and offered more interior space, as well as more...