It’s an unlikely scenario. At a time when most major manufacturers are haemorrhaging, this Malvern minnow celebrates its (first) centenary with a new range-topper. One that costs an eye-watering £116,000. Given the sparkly-eyed evangelism that surrounds the marque, the arrival of any new Morgan tends to be greeted with open checkbooks. Just look at the Aeromax. A mere 100 were made, and most were sold long before the first car was even built. With the new Aero SuperSports, Morgan hopes to repeat the large-deposit-upfront formula.

Closely related to the Aeromax and, by proxy, the Aero 8 roadster, much of the existing car’s architecture is carried over. What really grabs your attention is the styling. With the SuperSports, Morgan’s chief designer Matt Humphries has reached cosmic heights of outlandishness. Most obvious deviation from the outgoing car is the lift-out roof which comprises two aluminium panels that can be stowed in the boot. That and the silver roof bar which provides a welcome visual break. Sadly, the Aeromax’ split rear screen is gone, the more conventional boat tail nonetheless allowing better over-the-shoulder visibility.

This being a show car rather than the finished article, detail differences abound. The roof panels on the production item will be more rounded, while the slender seats in the prototype will be replaced with wider thrones. Production cars will also feature superformed aluminum bodywork rather than hand-rolled panels as here. And considering the number of divergences, we were predictably asked by Morgan insiders not to be too judgemental until the finished item is ready for testing.

They needn’t have worried. Like the Aeromax, the electro-hydraulic steering loads up beautifully with the sort of meatiness so often found lacking in many high-end performance cars. It also sounds improbably potent, the bellow out of the side-pipes on start-up causing pupils to dilate. The ZF auto cushions changes beautifully and responds that much quicker if you use the sequential manual change, while the equal-length wishbones all-round and trick Bilstein shockers lend an almost supple ride. Morgan has created a car that will doubtless polarize opinion, but that’s like anything new. Even in rough-cut development form, we’re convinced.