50 years is a heck of a long time by most standards.
For a car’s lifespan, it’s an eternity. But that’s how long Morgan has been
building the Plus 8 for – minus a few years when it was out of production.
Unveiled alongside the Aero GT at the Geneva Motor
Show, the Morgan Plus 8 50th Anniversary Edition takes the idea of “old school”
to new lengths.
Peter Morgan and company first unveiled the Plus 8
prototype at the Earls Court Motor Show in London back in 1968. Some 6,000
units were built before the Rover V8 that powered it was discontinued in 2004,
the Plus 8 dying along with it.
The model was revived in 2012 on the aluminum
chassis of the Aero 8, sharing its 4.8-liter BMW V8, but clothed in more
old-fashioned bodywork than its more streamlined counterpart. With a weight of
just 1,100 kilograms, it’ could run to 100 km/h in 4.5
seconds and top out at 250 km/h.
With that naturally aspirated engine now out of
production, the Plus 8 and Aero 8 will be the last models to use it. In the
end, just 50 examples of the anniversary special will be made, done up in a
lacquered blue finish reminiscent of the first Plus 8 built, with yellow
accents on the grille, hood, and rear tow eyes.
