British carmaker Morgan has always been renowned for its retro, and at times somewhat quirky, creations. Its latest creation, the Eva GT, looks to clear out the dead wood…literally.
Before we get to the design, it’s worth mentioning that many of the Malvern firm’s cars feature a body substructure underpinned by ash wood. In a break from tradition, the Eva GT’s sinuous lines are hewn from aluminium, as is the chassis.
Although the Eva GT retains many of the styling cues that make such models as the +4 and Aero so distinctive (read long nose, upright grille, snub tail and prominent wheelarches characteristic of cars of yesteryear) it adopts other aspects that carry the marque further into the 21st century. It’s probably the first Morgan model to eschew rounded headlamps in favour of more aggressive horizontal units while the rear features a toned-down interpretation of the “sponson-tailed” AeroMax design.
Although the Eva GT sports a low-cut roof with letterbox side glazing, the car is in fact underpinned by a chassis capable of accommodating a 2+2 layout with plenty of luggage room.
Power is provided by a turbocharged 3,0-litre straight-six engine sourced from BMW – it’s exact origins are yet to be confirmed, but given the 228 kW and 400 N.m outputs that have been quoted it’s a fair bet that the motor in question is the current N55 unit. Having said that, the fact that the Eva GT won’t enter production until 2012 may yet preclude the use of such an engine. Morgan will offer the engine with a choice of six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.
Morgan claims performance figures of 0-100 km/h in 4,5 seconds and a 274 km/h top speed for the Eva GT.
Morgan is currently taking deposits for the car, which is expected to command a price tag in the region of £70 000 to £85 000 (roughly R900 000).
