Top 10 Supercars of Last Decade – Part Two
Author: Chris Barker
Published: 15 August 2008
Bearing absolutely no resemblance to those misleading TV ads for short-lived bi-weekly publications that purport to kit readers out with everything they could possibly need to construct their own aircraft carrier or something equally as preposterous (that mysteriously disappear – like the publishing house - by the second week’s edition) the second part of the unique MT guide to alternative supercars is back once again. Like the renegade master. Yup. It’s Top 10 Supercars of Last Decade – Part Two at your disposal.And this time around we discover that there's a lot more to creating supercars to rival the world's best than you might otherwise think. Like Bostick industrial-strength adhesives, cover-anything Humbrol paints, a giant, bi-focal magnifying glass and the patience – and life span – of a saint. As here it is in all its glory is our first seemingly obscure submission into the MT hall of supercar fame. Or is it?
Morgan Roadster
Cost: £36-40K or thereabouts for the latest versionSpeed: 134mphClaim to fame: The Morgan's body is still stretched around an ash framework, with steel and aluminium added further down the lineWhy it gets our thumbs up: Because it still exists, in more or less the exact same form as it did in the 1950s.Cheek whiskers, insect repellant and leatherette driving gloves at the ready.....0 – 62mph in 4.9 seconds may leave it some way behind a Cheetah, and 134mph isn’t going to have the earth revolving on its frightened axis, but forging this close a relationship to terra firma - plus still, stubbornly being configured from wood - makes the Morgan feel like it's traveling a heck of a lot faster than it actually is.Inventing a sports car shortly after Robin Hood first realised he was 'quite handy' with a bow and arrow, the original Morgan Roadster Plus 8 is still with us today – only getting new Ford Duratec 3.0-litre 24V V6 mechanicals and being re-badged as the Morgan 4/4 Roadster in 2004 (the Plus 8 itself superceding the Plus 4 that was produced from 1950 to 2000 as good as) - the waiting list for which stretches from here to kingdom come.Capturing a piece of prime British automotive heritage – and dragging it kicking and screaming – through the successive centuries, the Morgan Roadster is without doubt the quintessential British time traveler. If Dr. Who ever trades in his TARDIS, he should look no further than the Morgan Roadster as he looks to the future. Although be warned, championed by the dandy likes of Jonathan Ross, you might find yourself with a bit of an image problem.British racing green with tan leather interior and the over-riding stench of pipe smoke is obligatory, whereas air-con, sat nav and the whole plethora of acronyms that keep modern day chariots on the road cut no mustard in the unashamedly primeval Roadster. With a shrug of its shoulders, if the car could talk it would simply imply that if you want fresh air, open the window, and if you wanted to be told how to get to where you’re planning on going, ask the headscarf-clad little lady sat to your immediate left with the trusty Ordnance Survey map on her lap.Of course, Morgan hasn’t sat entirely on its laurels all this time, as its LifeCar, Aero 8 and AeroMax all testify. Plus, a good spread of the models past and present turn out a fair few weekends during the year, challenging hard in its own unique race series, whilst inextricably associated with – and cutting its own incredible dash - through Le Mans down the years too.• View the full Top 10 Supercars of Last Decade articles: • Bugatti Veyron • Morgan Roadster • Lamborghini Reventon • TVR Sagaris • Nissan GT-R • Ferrari 360 Modena • Porsche 996 GT3
• SSC Ultimate Aero • Spyker Laviolette C8 • Caterham R500
See Also:
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