How soon experiences are forgotten..even within the small Morgan internet community! In this article, the forgotten lore are the center lock alloys Morgan tried in the 1990s on the Plus 8 and those they tried on the earlier Aeros. (Forgive me with the latter as I stopped tracking Aeros in 2009 and removed any information on them I had up on the web, leaving what I had at the time in my archives. They are not a suitable subject for the GoMoG Manual.)  However, the two versions (Plus and Aero 8s ) exhibited the same dire problems when they were used. Yet as time goes on, I find the number of inquiries I get from people inexplicably trying to find these sad rims for their cars keeps increasing rather than staying disappeared in time. 

The history is simple enough. Morgan Plus 8 bolt-on alloys, at least after the crudely made early versions and the decidedly odd 14" Rostyles, were a fine rim. They should have looked odd on a vintage car like Morgan, but their simple clean design and convenience made that perspective moot. The tale that they were necessary to handle the torque of V8 was silliness of course. The legendary Shelby Cobra, a far more powerful car than the Plus 8, was happy on the 70 and 72 spoke wire wheels as stock, and eventually ended up on them when that option was finally offered.

But the option meant two wheel types for the Morgan best seller that used different hubs. So center lock alloys were tried. This produced significant misery..and threatened lawsuits from the then premier Morgan dealer in the USA, Cantab, the most prolific Plus 8 seller in the network in 1998/1999. The interaction between the softer alloy and the harder steel of the splines presented a deep risk to car and occupants. The wheels, if not EXTREMELY torqued, would fall off the car! The wheel's splines would wear very rapidly. The Aeros soon went through the same experience. I have seen a rear wheel of both models come off while driving! Thankfully, I was not in either car but only following behind on both occasions. 

The lawsuit threats ended when Morgan provided  dealers and owners with enormous bespoke bars to specially tighten these wheels. They were quickly removed from the lineup, and we assumed, at the time, that was the end of them. I am appalled now to see that there are those that were not trashed. They are now described as somehow desirable rather than unfit-for-purpose. Admittedly, the Factory wire wheels of the same era (prior to the later all-stainless wheels) are not very attractive and can rust, but these Plus 8 center lock alloys are dangerous. If alloys are wanted, bite the bullet and change your hubs to accept bolt-ons, which are once again becoming popular with the current Roadster.   

CURRENT ROADSTER