OAK partners with Morgan for Le Mans (update - And signs Quesnel)

[Hun200kmh]

LOL, I wasn't expecting this but as a Morgan owner and gentleman-hillclimber (wouldn't call myself a racer ) it's just one more reason to make 2012 the year I'll be at Le Mans for the 24 Hour race.

http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/morgan_news/news/lemans/lemans.html


All this to celebrate the class win, 50 years ago, of the fabled Morgan Plus 4 TOK258.

http://www.lemans62.org.uk/TOK258.html​

A car that, 50 years later, is still being made, and many of its younger brothers raced (in my case, "hillclimbed") as can be seen everywhere and also in gtplanet

 

[nitrorocks]

Nice! I like this a lot! What hillclimb class did you run?

 

[Stavelot]

Even funnier Morgan builds their cars from wood and have partnered with Oak Racing

 

[Hun200kmh]

LOL yeah, I guess oak wood is Morgan's equivalent to kevlar


EDIT: @nitrorocks, my hillclimbs happen within historic/classic cars festivals or events, nobody really cares much about classes. It's just going up with whatever you got and doing it the fastest possible ... without wrecking your precioussssss Usually my times put me in direct battle with 70's Porsches and Alfas (driven by lovers of old cars that are usually older and fatter than me) .

 

[Tommi]

Even funnier Morgan builds their cars from wood and have partnered with Oak Racing

Would be even more funny if they were running it in the ELMS.

 

[nitrorocks]

LOL yeah, I guess oak wood is Morgan's equivalent to kevlar


EDIT: @nitrorocks, my hillclimbs happen within historic/classic cars festivals or events, nobody really cares much about classes. It's just going up with whatever you got and doing it the fastest possible ... without wrecking your precioussssss Usually my times put me in direct battle with 70's Porsches and Alfas (driven by lovers of old cars that are usually older and fatter than me) .

Oh. So your running a Morgan? I've seen those rallies and they are really cool 👍

 

[Blaze_409]

Really thoe? They must be gettin paid fro them to go ahead and rebrand as "Morgan"

 

[Stavelot]

Or Jacques Nicolet purchased Morgan....

 

[JohnBM01]

The modern Morgan Aero 8 GT cars and such are lovelt automobiles to me (no matter what some may think). But... a Morgan LMP? Sure curious to see what they'd come up with for an LMP2 car.

 

[Stavelot]

Well it's still a Pescarolo/OAK chassis just Morgan branding ala MG Lola.

 

[nitrorocks]

GT5 needs the Morgan Aero GT cars

 

[hawkeye122]

"Carbon Fiber? Nah. Lets go for a Pine monocoque and probably a nice Walnut steering wheel."

 

[Azure Flare]

And here this thread was about a LMP built by blokes in the Malvern Hills who think its the 1930s.

 

[Hun200kmh]

Or Jacques Nicolet purchased Morgan....

Believe me, that's not gonna happen.

 

[sumbrownkid]

Nice result of the cost cap regulations. ACO actually thought hard about the new regulations in terms of cost.

 

[Amac500]

I'm probably echoing others but I got to say my piece:

Morgan deffinently isn't the first I think of when I think of race cars. They are the first I think of when I think cars that will burn first in a forest fire. I find it hilarious that in the press release Morgan said they have became known for being on the cutting edge of technology and that Le Mans was the best place to showcase and continue this tradition. I think the guy got dropped on his head and genuinely thought Morgan was a German car company for a minute! I mean "cutting edge technology"???? Let's upgrade from wood to any kind of metal before we be so bold! I guess this means we can see the first wooden prototype at Le Mans in the near future, right?

 

[morganiste]

I have been a Morgan fanatic since my Plus 4 Super Sports (which I stupidly sold years ago) I have now an Aero 8 S 2 and am awaiting my bespoke Threewheeler. I am thrilled that Morgan is returning to Le Mans. What will be "Morgan" in the car besides the name ?

 

[nitrorocks]

I have been a Morgan fanatic since my Plus 4 Super Sports (which I stupidly sold years ago) I have now an Aero 8 S 2 and am awaiting my bespoke Threewheeler. I am thrilled that Morgan is returning to Le Mans. What will be "Morgan" in the car besides the name ?

Your a true Morgan fan. I just looked at your profile, and your name. I am pleased with this too. Does anyone here think that their -package is reliable?

 

[morganiste]

Thanks. What package are you referring to ?

 

[nitrorocks]

Their chassis/engine packages

 

[Hun200kmh]

If you are talking about the LMP2, I have no doubt it is reliable.

If you are talking about Morgan road cars, I have no doubt they are reliable. And have many other unique attributes that make them what they are.

In one of my hillclimbs I had a lengthy conversation with this man. 80+ years old engineer, now retired and still having fun driving his first car, one he bought when he was in college:

And he told me this: "We the MG guys used to make fun of the Morgan owners, because Morgan froze in time. When I had my MGB, Morgan was already 30 years behind, doing cars that looked like yours"

I smiled and said ... "yeah, that's true ..." (what else could I say to him ... )


And then he smiled back and said: "Well, MG is no more, and 50 years later you show up here with a brand new car that looks exactly like the ones we used to make fun of. I guess that means Morgan won."

 

[Ardius]

The modern Morgan Aero 8 GT cars and such are lovelt automobiles to me (no matter what some may think). But... a Morgan LMP? Sure curious to see what they'd come up with for an LMP2 car.

I think sticking your name on an old Pescarolo run by an indepedent team gives the answer "not much".

 

[MagpieRacer]

That was just the coolest racing car ever. I hope they inject some Morgan personality onto the LMP2 car.

 

[Hun200kmh]

I think sticking your name on an old Pescarolo run by an indepedent team gives the answer "not much".

I think it is a new car Ardius. Granted, an OAK car, but a new one.

And yes, AFAIK the LMP2 Morgan is as much a Morgan as the LMP2 Lotus is a Lotus. These manufacturers just "brand" the cars.

 

[Hun200kmh]

[YOUTUBEHD]1mkV-1_E8x4[/YOUTUBEHD]

Another one for me to cheer for. Along with the DeltaWing, the e-tron quattro, the Hybrid Toyota. I need to go there ...

 

[Furinkazen]

[YOUTUBEHD]1mkV-1_E8x4[/YOUTUBEHD]

Another one for me to cheer for. Along with the DeltaWing, the e-tron quattro, the Hybrid Toyota. I need to go there ...

My ears oh my ears!!! 👍

 

[nitrorocks]

That was just the coolest racing car ever. I hope they inject some Morgan personality onto the LMP2 car.

I love this car. GT5 needs the GT version.

 

[Ardius]

I think it is a new car Ardius. Granted, an OAK car, but a new one.

And yes, AFAIK the LMP2 Morgan is as much a Morgan as the LMP2 Lotus is a Lotus. These manufacturers just "brand" the cars.

It will be derived from the Pescarolo which itself is derived from a Courage. The video above says it all really. OAK have clearly modified it enough for it to be considered a new car, but the basic design concept is pretty old now and has nothing to do with Morgan - which is the main point I was making. I think billing it as "what Morgan come up with" or even "what OAK come up with" is giving a little too much credit to what is basically a branding exercise and a puff of life into a pretty old chassis.

Not to rain on the parade or anything though, I just felt it had to be pointed out. Full credit to OAK for developing the car further and keeping it going, hopefully for them it still has some performance to give.
And nothing wrong with supporting Morgan either, just as long as everyone realises there is very little relation going on here.

 

[Hun200kmh]

And now OAK moves again and signs Dr. Ulrich's nemesis, Olivier de Quesnel!

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/le-mans-quesnel-joins-oak-racing-management-group/

The final part of the article is telling, OAK wants to follow the footsteps of ORECA and get a big manufacturer onboard (Morgan isn't big enough obviously )