SnakeBitten
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A pretty interesting article about the Viper and Morgan Aero 8....
Remodeling the Surface of the Earth
WITH SPRING JUST AROUND THE CORNER, THOUGHTS of that perfect blast down the coast begin to creep into mind. Of course, there are many versions of this dream sequence, using various kinds of cars. And while the oft-dreamt-of perfect little sports car and the **** GT have their appeal, we thought it would be interesting to see how two more elemental cars fare in this rather romanticized scenario.
For this story, we wanted cars that were simple and pure, with some connection to the past. We wanted lightweight cars, but we also wanted big, potent engines. And of course, we wanted roadsters.
The American participant in this adventure had to be the Dodge Viper. Spiritual heir to the mighty Cobra of the ‘60s, the Viper has the reputation of being elemental in the extreme. Past experience with the latest version tells us that it has become a real driver’s car as well. Oh, and not to be overlooked – it offers torque of 311 pound-feet per ton from its eight liter V-10.
For a worthy representative of the rest-of-world contingent, our thoughts naturally turned to England. Sports car roots run deep there, and the small British manufacturers understand the notion of the pure, elemental car as well as anyone. But did they have a car with the guts to be part of this comparison? Fortunately, the answer is yes. Morgan has recently dropped the 4.4-liter BMW V-8 into their aluminum Aero 8 chassis. Weighing only 2500 pounds, the Aero 8 delivers torque of 264 pound-foot per ton. Not quite at the Viper level, but ahead of well-endowed roadsters like the Corvette, Porsche 911 Turbo and Mercedes SL55 AMG.
We head to San Francisco to pick up the cars, our plan being to quickly exit the city and get onto the Pacific Coast Highway for a run through Monterey, Pebble Beach and Big Sur. We roll onto the PCH and begin to get a feel for the cars. The first thing you notice about the Morgan is that the exhaust sound is amazingly well done. When you get into the throttle, the BMW V-8 delivers a sound that is somewhere between a mid-'60s Corvette and a Harley. It’s much louder than almost any modern production car in memory, coming from sidepipes that are only about two feet from your ear and tuned to be noticed. But the sound is so melodious that it begs you to run the car up through the gears again and again. The miracle is that when you are simply cruising at a constant speed, the exhaust rumble disappears. You have to take into account that the Morgan is not a quiet car, but still, the dual-mode nature of the exhaust is very well engineered.
The Morgan also delivers a marvelous, throwback view over the hood. As in many front mid-engined cars, you sit almost on the rear axle, and so the view through the windshield includes acres of hood real estate. In the Aero 8, the hood is much narrower than normal, making it seem even longer, giving the car a welcome vintage feel. That sense is amplified by the close position of the steering wheel and the upright and rather short windshield.
As we enter a long winding stretch on the PCH, I realize that the steering in the Morgan is a bit slow. As you turn, your elbows tend to hit the bolsters on the surprisingly comfortable seats. Uh oh: steering wheel too close, ratio a bit slow, wheel texture uninviting – this is looking bad. But then, why am I enjoying myself so much? About 20 miles further down the road, it occurs to me that the Morgan’s ergonomic problems are noticeable but not really annoying, and secondly, that he boys back in England have set up the steering and suspension to provide ample interesting feedback. The feedback is what gets you involved and makes you forget that perhaps the wheel could be an inch further away.
I switch to the Viper before we make a detour onto 17 Mile Drive around Pebble Beach, and my first few minutes in the Viper are a series of minor shocks. Right off the bat, the seats are impressively comfortable, with pleasantly compliant cushions and excellent bolsters in the shoulder area. I’m also impressed with the shifter and clutch. For such a big engine, the clutch is light and progressive, even if the throw is pretty long. The shift mechanism is also very light, much lighter than on the Corvette for example. The mechanical feel and movement aren’t in the Acura NSX domain, but shifting in the Viper is easy.
The weird thing about the Viper ergonomics is the gearing. At highway speeds, I notice that I never get out of fourth gear, even though there are two more gears available. A bit of quick math shows that the Viper is set up to do about 330 mph in sixth gear at redline. Of course, even the mighty V-10 couldn’t come close to pushing the car through the air at any such speed. Just as weird, fifth is set up for something like 220 mph, which is also fantasyland. Fifth might be handy for long highway cruising a little over the limit, but I never did figure out what sixth was for. Anyway, I’m sure the Dodge engineers figured that with 525 pound-feet of torque on tap, shifting was emioptional with this gearbox. And in a way it is, but this set up makes it slightly harder to stay in the rev range where the engine seems to thrive.
Perhaps thrive is the wrong word. “Remodel the surface of the earth” might be closer to what this engine can do in the all-important mid-band. The thrust produced by the Viper above 3000 rpm is just amazing, partly because the motor is strong, but just as much because it seems so unruffled doing it. Passing maneuvers at three-quarters throttle seem impressively relaxed until you glance at the speedo. To put this in context, I would say the Corvette Z06 feels like it has slightly less mid-band punch and slightly more top-end power. But the Corvette lets you know it is working when you get on it, whereas on the street, the Viper seems to be toying with things.
Part of the sense of ease is because the exhaust on the Viper at part throttle is relatively quiet and characterless. So, the downside is that the Viper doesn’t sound very exciting until you’re really into it. That said, it is nowhere near as silent as the SL65 AMG Merc, which is downright eerie in its thrust-to-decibel ratio. Frankly, though, as much as I like relaxed mid-band thrust, a little more sonic character at normal speeds would be nice.
For sonic character, you can’t beat the Morgan, and honestly, it feels plenty strong as well. No, it doesn’t give you the sense that you can dial up close to infinite torque, but the BMW powerplant pulls well from practically any speed, and being a refined OHC unit, its power seems to get stronger as things get moving. The Morgan’s ample power makes highspeed acceleration almost as fun as in the Viper. The great thing is that the Aero’s engine has a wider rev band in which it seems comfortable, and this, combined with its thrilling exhaust blat and very usable six-speed, make working the drivetrain interesting under a wider variety of conditions.
When we hit Big Sur, I really notice this difference. There are lots of places where the PCH is carved into the side of the coastline. Coming into switchbacks, downshifting and then rolling into the power in the Aero is great fun. The exhaust echoes off the road cut walls, and you can almost imagine yourself at Le Mans because the Aero sounds so much like the C-6R in this situation.
On these smooth roads, the handling of the Aero is ideal. The car has very little roll or pitch. As a result, even though it basically tends toward understeer, it feels great. You can bring the back end around with a touch of the throttle. And you can really feel what is going on through the wheel and the seat of your pants. The car does have a little initial tendency to swing wide, not because the suspension is rubbery but because the initial steering response near center has a bit of autobahn tuning (a.k.a. slop). Even so, the Morgan seems so organic, so interactive with the movement of the road that you can’t help but get involved in wheeling it around, even at five-tenths.
On the same Big Sur twisties, the Viper serves up a few surprises. As you would expect, grip is high, but having recently done a lot of seat time in the slightly skittish Z06, the Viper seems impressively well planted at the rear end. With all that torque beneath your right foot, this is a welcome form of reassurance. The Viper also seems smaller than the Corvette. This is pretty clearly an optical illusion (the Corvette being a mere 0.7-inches wider). Dodge has placed creases along the tops of the fenders about four inches inboard of the flanks of the Viper, and this, combined with a very long hood, gives the impression that the Viper is rather narrow. Just as important, Dodge has given the Viper rather quick steering and excellent turn-in, so the Viper feels relatively light and nimble.
The downside of all this work to tame the beast is that the Viper is a little boring at street speeds, even on a glorious road like the PCH. The cushy seats filter out some of the road, the big V-10 loafs along quietly, and the steering is smooth and relaxed. Sure, you’ll never confuse the Viper with an Accord, but you have to go pretty fast in the Viper for things to get involving.
To keep things interesting, we exit the PCH at Cambria to explore some tighter and more varied terrain. Again, somewhat surprisingly, the Viper feels quite at home on narrow, pock-marked roads. The compliance in the suspension is very well-judged. The ride is quite firm, but you almost always have the sense that the tires are following the ripples of the road surface – something that a lot of stiffly sprung cars don’t do. And the agility of the car continues to make it enjoyable. The Viper is certainly one of the few supercar-class rides that works well in this kind of situation, feeling more like a Boxster than an Enzo.
The Morgan has the agility and sightlines to work well on these tighter roads, but it doesn’t feel as happy as the Viper. That’s because the Morgan’s spring and damper setup is firmer than the Viper’s, and the chassis isn’t as stiff. You can feel a lot of impact harshness transmitted into the Aero’s interior. The car is still a blast to drive on these roads, but I’d have to say the Aero isn’t ideal for locations with consistently bad road surfaces.
Both cars are remarkable achievements in a world filled with well-engineered but rather anesthetized cars. Both cars are entertaining to drive on a wide variety of roads, and are practical enough to be useable on all sorts of different drives, provided that less than a week’s worth of luggage is needed. Both cars offer amazing power and grip. And both cars are visually interesting in a way that distinguishes them from almost anything else on the road (you may call the Morgan weird or wonderful, but it turns far more heads).
The Viper is clearly the better car in an analytical sense, certainly the better value, and in many ways <font color="red">the car the Z06 should have been </font>. At the same time, the Morgan is the car for your soul and given its exclusivity, an amazing value too.
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Remodeling the Surface of the Earth
WITH SPRING JUST AROUND THE CORNER, THOUGHTS of that perfect blast down the coast begin to creep into mind. Of course, there are many versions of this dream sequence, using various kinds of cars. And while the oft-dreamt-of perfect little sports car and the **** GT have their appeal, we thought it would be interesting to see how two more elemental cars fare in this rather romanticized scenario.
For this story, we wanted cars that were simple and pure, with some connection to the past. We wanted lightweight cars, but we also wanted big, potent engines. And of course, we wanted roadsters.
The American participant in this adventure had to be the Dodge Viper. Spiritual heir to the mighty Cobra of the ‘60s, the Viper has the reputation of being elemental in the extreme. Past experience with the latest version tells us that it has become a real driver’s car as well. Oh, and not to be overlooked – it offers torque of 311 pound-feet per ton from its eight liter V-10.
For a worthy representative of the rest-of-world contingent, our thoughts naturally turned to England. Sports car roots run deep there, and the small British manufacturers understand the notion of the pure, elemental car as well as anyone. But did they have a car with the guts to be part of this comparison? Fortunately, the answer is yes. Morgan has recently dropped the 4.4-liter BMW V-8 into their aluminum Aero 8 chassis. Weighing only 2500 pounds, the Aero 8 delivers torque of 264 pound-foot per ton. Not quite at the Viper level, but ahead of well-endowed roadsters like the Corvette, Porsche 911 Turbo and Mercedes SL55 AMG.
We head to San Francisco to pick up the cars, our plan being to quickly exit the city and get onto the Pacific Coast Highway for a run through Monterey, Pebble Beach and Big Sur. We roll onto the PCH and begin to get a feel for the cars. The first thing you notice about the Morgan is that the exhaust sound is amazingly well done. When you get into the throttle, the BMW V-8 delivers a sound that is somewhere between a mid-'60s Corvette and a Harley. It’s much louder than almost any modern production car in memory, coming from sidepipes that are only about two feet from your ear and tuned to be noticed. But the sound is so melodious that it begs you to run the car up through the gears again and again. The miracle is that when you are simply cruising at a constant speed, the exhaust rumble disappears. You have to take into account that the Morgan is not a quiet car, but still, the dual-mode nature of the exhaust is very well engineered.
The Morgan also delivers a marvelous, throwback view over the hood. As in many front mid-engined cars, you sit almost on the rear axle, and so the view through the windshield includes acres of hood real estate. In the Aero 8, the hood is much narrower than normal, making it seem even longer, giving the car a welcome vintage feel. That sense is amplified by the close position of the steering wheel and the upright and rather short windshield.
As we enter a long winding stretch on the PCH, I realize that the steering in the Morgan is a bit slow. As you turn, your elbows tend to hit the bolsters on the surprisingly comfortable seats. Uh oh: steering wheel too close, ratio a bit slow, wheel texture uninviting – this is looking bad. But then, why am I enjoying myself so much? About 20 miles further down the road, it occurs to me that the Morgan’s ergonomic problems are noticeable but not really annoying, and secondly, that he boys back in England have set up the steering and suspension to provide ample interesting feedback. The feedback is what gets you involved and makes you forget that perhaps the wheel could be an inch further away.
I switch to the Viper before we make a detour onto 17 Mile Drive around Pebble Beach, and my first few minutes in the Viper are a series of minor shocks. Right off the bat, the seats are impressively comfortable, with pleasantly compliant cushions and excellent bolsters in the shoulder area. I’m also impressed with the shifter and clutch. For such a big engine, the clutch is light and progressive, even if the throw is pretty long. The shift mechanism is also very light, much lighter than on the Corvette for example. The mechanical feel and movement aren’t in the Acura NSX domain, but shifting in the Viper is easy.
The weird thing about the Viper ergonomics is the gearing. At highway speeds, I notice that I never get out of fourth gear, even though there are two more gears available. A bit of quick math shows that the Viper is set up to do about 330 mph in sixth gear at redline. Of course, even the mighty V-10 couldn’t come close to pushing the car through the air at any such speed. Just as weird, fifth is set up for something like 220 mph, which is also fantasyland. Fifth might be handy for long highway cruising a little over the limit, but I never did figure out what sixth was for. Anyway, I’m sure the Dodge engineers figured that with 525 pound-feet of torque on tap, shifting was emioptional with this gearbox. And in a way it is, but this set up makes it slightly harder to stay in the rev range where the engine seems to thrive.
Perhaps thrive is the wrong word. “Remodel the surface of the earth” might be closer to what this engine can do in the all-important mid-band. The thrust produced by the Viper above 3000 rpm is just amazing, partly because the motor is strong, but just as much because it seems so unruffled doing it. Passing maneuvers at three-quarters throttle seem impressively relaxed until you glance at the speedo. To put this in context, I would say the Corvette Z06 feels like it has slightly less mid-band punch and slightly more top-end power. But the Corvette lets you know it is working when you get on it, whereas on the street, the Viper seems to be toying with things.
Part of the sense of ease is because the exhaust on the Viper at part throttle is relatively quiet and characterless. So, the downside is that the Viper doesn’t sound very exciting until you’re really into it. That said, it is nowhere near as silent as the SL65 AMG Merc, which is downright eerie in its thrust-to-decibel ratio. Frankly, though, as much as I like relaxed mid-band thrust, a little more sonic character at normal speeds would be nice.
For sonic character, you can’t beat the Morgan, and honestly, it feels plenty strong as well. No, it doesn’t give you the sense that you can dial up close to infinite torque, but the BMW powerplant pulls well from practically any speed, and being a refined OHC unit, its power seems to get stronger as things get moving. The Morgan’s ample power makes highspeed acceleration almost as fun as in the Viper. The great thing is that the Aero’s engine has a wider rev band in which it seems comfortable, and this, combined with its thrilling exhaust blat and very usable six-speed, make working the drivetrain interesting under a wider variety of conditions.
When we hit Big Sur, I really notice this difference. There are lots of places where the PCH is carved into the side of the coastline. Coming into switchbacks, downshifting and then rolling into the power in the Aero is great fun. The exhaust echoes off the road cut walls, and you can almost imagine yourself at Le Mans because the Aero sounds so much like the C-6R in this situation.
On these smooth roads, the handling of the Aero is ideal. The car has very little roll or pitch. As a result, even though it basically tends toward understeer, it feels great. You can bring the back end around with a touch of the throttle. And you can really feel what is going on through the wheel and the seat of your pants. The car does have a little initial tendency to swing wide, not because the suspension is rubbery but because the initial steering response near center has a bit of autobahn tuning (a.k.a. slop). Even so, the Morgan seems so organic, so interactive with the movement of the road that you can’t help but get involved in wheeling it around, even at five-tenths.
On the same Big Sur twisties, the Viper serves up a few surprises. As you would expect, grip is high, but having recently done a lot of seat time in the slightly skittish Z06, the Viper seems impressively well planted at the rear end. With all that torque beneath your right foot, this is a welcome form of reassurance. The Viper also seems smaller than the Corvette. This is pretty clearly an optical illusion (the Corvette being a mere 0.7-inches wider). Dodge has placed creases along the tops of the fenders about four inches inboard of the flanks of the Viper, and this, combined with a very long hood, gives the impression that the Viper is rather narrow. Just as important, Dodge has given the Viper rather quick steering and excellent turn-in, so the Viper feels relatively light and nimble.
The downside of all this work to tame the beast is that the Viper is a little boring at street speeds, even on a glorious road like the PCH. The cushy seats filter out some of the road, the big V-10 loafs along quietly, and the steering is smooth and relaxed. Sure, you’ll never confuse the Viper with an Accord, but you have to go pretty fast in the Viper for things to get involving.
To keep things interesting, we exit the PCH at Cambria to explore some tighter and more varied terrain. Again, somewhat surprisingly, the Viper feels quite at home on narrow, pock-marked roads. The compliance in the suspension is very well-judged. The ride is quite firm, but you almost always have the sense that the tires are following the ripples of the road surface – something that a lot of stiffly sprung cars don’t do. And the agility of the car continues to make it enjoyable. The Viper is certainly one of the few supercar-class rides that works well in this kind of situation, feeling more like a Boxster than an Enzo.
The Morgan has the agility and sightlines to work well on these tighter roads, but it doesn’t feel as happy as the Viper. That’s because the Morgan’s spring and damper setup is firmer than the Viper’s, and the chassis isn’t as stiff. You can feel a lot of impact harshness transmitted into the Aero’s interior. The car is still a blast to drive on these roads, but I’d have to say the Aero isn’t ideal for locations with consistently bad road surfaces.
Both cars are remarkable achievements in a world filled with well-engineered but rather anesthetized cars. Both cars are entertaining to drive on a wide variety of roads, and are practical enough to be useable on all sorts of different drives, provided that less than a week’s worth of luggage is needed. Both cars offer amazing power and grip. And both cars are visually interesting in a way that distinguishes them from almost anything else on the road (you may call the Morgan weird or wonderful, but it turns far more heads).
The Viper is clearly the better car in an analytical sense, certainly the better value, and in many ways <font color="red">the car the Z06 should have been </font>. At the same time, the Morgan is the car for your soul and given its exclusivity, an amazing value too.
