Morgan Teases Us With The New Plus 8

Morgan turned head at the Geneva Motor Show on March 6, 2018, when they announced an upcoming 50th Anniversary edition of their iconic Plus 8 model. The iconic British car maker has been in business for over a century, making classically styled roadsters that have become the epitome of British car design.

Just fifty limited-edition models will be produced and individually numbered, making them instant collector pieces. Approximately 6,000 Plus 8s have been built since 1968 when Morgan released the original Plus 8. It was the first production V8 Morgan, sporting a Rover engine made by GM-Buick at the time, which was eventually swapped for the BMW V8 that stars in the 50th Anniversary edition. However, the special edition Plus 8 will be the last Morgan to use the BMW powerplant.

The Plus 8 50th Anniversary is based on Morgan’s production Plus 8 and features a bonded and riveted aluminum chassis. Weighing in at just 1,100 kg, the Plus 8 is one of the lightest V8 passenger cars in the world. The lightweight roadster can climb to 62 mph in 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph with either of the available manual or auto six-speed transmissions.

Morgan has also commissioned new wheels for their anniversary car. The 8 will roll on specially designed five-spoke rims that reflect the wheels of the original car but are updated to handle the improved power of the V8. As a nod to their roots in racing, the Plus 8 will feature the number eight painted on the front grille and 50th Anniversary badging to set it apart from the production model.

The special edition Plus 8 will only be available in a blue ‘speedster style’ that sports an open cockpit, or a ‘British racing green’ in a traditional soft-top convertible. The collector car will cost a base price of £107,500 (about $148,000), excluding taxes and local fees. The 50th anniversary Plus 8s will be distributed across Morgan’s dealerships in the UK and America.

For those lucky enough to purchase the Plus 8, they will receive a handcrafted timepiece by watchmaker Christopher Ward, whose design department worked with Morgan to design the watches as well as the dashboard dial faces, so each piece of craftsmanship compliments the other. Each watch will contain a bit of the original Plus 8 model, the MMC 11, built into the backplate of the watch, and will be numbered one through fifty, and each watch will be sold with its corresponding vehicle.