Morgan Plus 8 GTR: Nine copies of naturally aspirated V8 return
The British company Morgan Motor Company has introduced a special series of Plus 8 GTR sports cars on the chassis, which were left in stock as a result of an unsuccessful project by an outside company.
Plus 8 is a classic Morgan model, produced in two generations: from 1968 to 2004 with a Rover V8 engine (3.5-4.6 liters) and from 2012 to 2018 with a BMW engine (4.8 liters). In the first generation Plus 8 racing versions of the first generation, Morgan supplied an aluminum frame in the 1990s, which was then used in his road models, including the cross-eyed Aero 8, and thus created a completely modern platform. Generation: built on modern Morgan Plus Four and Plus Six roadsters with inline BMW engines.
Morgan Plus 8 second generation
Morgan's era of naturally aspirated V8 models seemed to be over in 2018 with the release of the Plus 8 and Aero 8, but in February of this year, the British company abruptly announced the “extra” Plus 8 of the latest production year (i.e. 2018-r), which were intended for some unannounced side project.
According to Autocar magazine, these frames were intended for the relaunch of the British brand Bristol. The latter announced a new Bullet roadster in 2016, but was never able to put it into production and failed again, leaving Morgan components unclaimed. The new owner of Bristol Cars has canceled previous plans and wants to develop the company in his own way, with a focus on resuming production of classic models, and so Morgan was able to create a special edition Plus 8 of just nine pieces.
Morgan plus 8 g
The special edition, called the Plus 8 GTR, has a number of unique features that neither road nor racing versions of this model had before – photos of the exclusive novelty were published by Autocar magazine itself: the first of nine cars intended for a buyer from Denmark was exhibited last weekend at the Undercover Assembly Fair in Byster (UK, Oxfordshire).
Morgan plus 8 g
The Dane's car is left-hand drive, while the other eight are right-hand drive. All have doors with a flat top edge, no cutouts, redesigned fenders, a front splitter and aft with a more developed diffuser. The five-spoke center-nut hardtop alloy wheels cite the GT Racing Plus 8 series of the 1990s, but unlike them, the Plus 8 GTR is road-riding, has a civilian interior, and has no racing crossbars.
Morgan plus 8 g
The 4.8-liter “atmospheric” BMW of the N62 family is fine, but its power is slightly higher than the cars of the second generation series (367 hp) – the exact characteristics have not yet been announced. Transmission – 6-speed “mechanics” ZF or 6-speed hydromechanical “automatic”. Some changes have been made to the chassis, but the details are not yet known.
The price of the Morgan Plus 8 GTR has not been disclosed, but it does not matter, since all cars of the special series have already sold out among the best and most deserving buyers of the company. Assembly will not take place at Morgan's main facility in Malvern, Worcestershire, but nearby at the new Morgan Design and Engineering Center (M-DEC) on Pickersley Road.
