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Alan Sykes has only his charming French wife, Chantal, to thank for making him one of the most envied men in the world
She has not only settled well into the Yorkshire way of life, at the Woodman Hotel and Restaurant, Thunderbridge, but has helped him to maintain a childhood love of Morgan cars, especially the rare Aeromax.
Involved in hotel and public house management, Alan developed an interest in the marque when a school friend’s mother collected her son each day in a four-wheeled Morgan and invited Alan to squeeze behind the two seats. There were no seat belt laws in those days.
At the 2000 motor show he set out with his son to look for a sports car. Son Peter thought he would be looking for a Lotus, Ferrari, Porsche or other exotic machinery.
No, Alan still had his feelings for the Morgan and eventually bought the last Plus Eight Anniversary to leave the Malvern production line. His intention was to keep it for life.
Things changed however, when Chantal called at the Morgan factory to buy him a traditional bonnet strap. She looked around the factory and an Aeromax was being developed, a car for which the company were taking only 100 orders.
Alan told me: “I became besotted by the Morgan that I decided to place an order. I was number 16 on the list and had to pay a £25,000 non-returnable deposit. I waited two years for the Titanium-coloured car with red leather trim, and all done by hand.
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 “It was delivered some months ago at a price in excess of £100,000. There are no rear bumpers, so I had a reversing camera fitted to make parking easier – it’s the only Morgan with that facility.”
When he paid his deposit there was no fuss at the factory or cup of coffee. But he did get free tickets for the Geneva motor show where the car was revealed, a signed poster from company chief Charles Morgan who also sends a Christmas card.
It cost Alan more than £300 to get to the show where among the visitors was the first owner of an Aeromax, Prince Eric Sturdza, who added dignity to the display. All 100 building slots were quickly taken and Alan observed how Morgan announced their success:
“They simply got a sheet of A4 white paper and with a ball pen wrote, ‘Sold Out’ and it was stuck on the windscreen.”
Alan contacted me through “Around Town” following the article in the last issue about my motor writing exploits and Morgan ownership. The test run was so exciting with tremendous response from the 4,799cc V8 engine which powers an automatic tiptronic gearbox and can give 170mph with 0-62mph taking just over four seconds.
The all-leather interior is trimmed to perfection and a special raven black wood fascia adds class. It is the first Morgan to carry a vanity mirror behind the sun visor.
The Aeromax is stunning and everywhere it goes it is on a film set. People stop, turn and take photos, even on motorways where passengers open windows to take photos on mobile ‘phones. When we parked, a dog out for a walk with its owner looked, prepared to relieve itself on a front wheel, but then changed its mind.
That’s respect.
One can stand and just look at this beautiful piece of hand-built – only two a week were made – British engineering. In addition to the Prince from Switzerland, other owners include “Top Gear” presenter Richard Hammond and television celebrity Paul O’Grady.
Alan is in for a busy time whenever he takes the car on the road, especially on a tour of Italy in the summer. The folks there love style and they will be fascinated by the two glass doors that cover the boot area and the Lancia-built rear lights.
Many hearts belong to Morgan, and those that are broken are those who don’t have an Aeromax. For son Peter, this car is now his inheritance.
More about Aeromax on (website)
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