The Morgan Plus 8 bowed out three years ago with a 50th Anniversary Edition, but now it's back. Before you get too excited about owning a V8-powered tree, the new version is limited to nine examples, and all of the building slots have been allocated.
The story behind the car is quite interesting. Morgan originally sold nine chassis to an external buyer. Whatever the external buyer had in mind never came to fruition, so Morgan got the chassis back and decided to build the Plus 8 GTR. We first heard of this development in February this year, but now the actual car has arrived. If you look at the concept sketch and the actual vehicle side-by-side, you'll note that it's spot on.
We love the roof that slopes forward, the long hood, and the black grille. The exterior paint and white alloys were inspired by the Big Blue racing car from the 1990s. Morgan used that racing car to develop its bonded-aluminum chassis. The chassis would eventually be used for the Aero 8 and Plus 8 models.
Each of the nine vehicles will be handcrafted using Morgan's traditional techniques. The GTR will not be built in Morgan's existing factory but rather at its design studio. Morgan says that it will continue to focus on its core products, with the GTR being one of several special projects over the years.
Power is provided by BMW's discontinued 4.8-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine. This high-revving unit was first used many years ago on the first go-faster X5 before BMW developed a full-blown M version. As standard, it produces 362 hp, but Morgan says it will have more in the GTR. It doesn't say how much, but 362 hp was already more than enough in a car that weighs less than a Mazda Miata.
The engine can be mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, and that both left- and right-hand-drive cars will be built. One of these cars will likely be imported to the USA.
"Reviving a V8-powered Morgan at the current time may not seem like the obvious choice for a manufacturer firmly focused on new platforms and powertrains. However, when the opportunity presented itself to recommission several rolling chassis and create an exciting special project such as Plus 8 GTR, we embraced it fully. This project has allowed Morgan's design and engineering teams to revisit some of their favorite elements of past Morgan models, as well as experiment with some features that we hope will appear on future Morgan cars," said Jonathan Wells, Morgan's head of design.
Though Morgan is embracing the future, it hasn't gone EV yet. The next-generation 3 Wheeler will have turbocharged Ford power, and it's currently building the Morgan Plus Four CX-T. The latter is an overland version of the Plus Four, and it is gloriously ridiculous.