They look retro, but this is just about all there is old to these two beasts, the Morgan Plus 8 Speedster and the BMW R nineT. Ever thought about having these two racing for dear life and neo-retro glory? Now’s your chance to see which of these utterly non-track machines is faster around the Blyton Park circuit.
You’ll be surprised to learn that seems at first a non-issue, namely car vs bike, becomes a very interesting race with an outcome some of you have definitely not been expecting. The Morgan +8 Speedster is anything but the dull, heavy underpowered blast form the past. Under the long hood the Speedster hides a 4.8-liter V8 which can produce 367 horsepower. Couple this with the slim and slender build of the Morgan which has no roof, no windscreen and has basically undergone a careful weight reduction process (even though the rims could definitely do much better) for a total mass of around 1,100 kg (2,428 lb). Cue in a semi-automatic transmission and low clearance and you’ll get a better picture of what the Morgan +8 Speedster can do.
On the other hand, the BMW R nineT is powered by the old version of the iconic boxer engine, the “airhead”. Its power unit can produce 110 hp, but the wet weight of around 222 kg (490 lb) turns out a worse power-to-weight ratio. As you’ll discover as you play the video after the jump, the poor lean angle clearance of the BMW R nineT has a lot to do with the result of this race.
Still, the bike doesn't always win...
Even though motorcycles usually have pretty a brutal acceleration and can build up speed quite quickly, the R nineT is definitely not a worthy opponent for this Morgan. With foot pegs constantly scraping the track surface and insufficient distance to benefit from the bike’s acceleration, it’s the turns where the BMW loses out the most.
A couple of seconds slower per lap than the Morgan +8 Speedster, the BMW R nineT remains a very cool neo-retro bike, but if you plan to use it to show drivers who the real boss is, you’d better pick your “customers” very carefully. Enjoy!
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