Morgan Plus 8

Pre war styling, traditional craftsman construction and modern performance combine in the Morgan plus 8, providing a unique blend which was a consistent sales success for Morgan for more than a quarter of a century. Morgan built three wheelers until 1935 when it moved to four wheels with the 4/4.

In the 1950's Morgan introduced the more powerful Plus 4, using Triumph TR four cylinder engines, but when Triumph adopted a six cylinder engine for the TR5 Morgan was unable to follow – because the longer engine would not fit into the Morgan engine bay.

Instead Morgan adopted Rover´s ex-Buick 3.5 litre all alloy V8 engine, which provided an unstressed 160bhp. That gave the new Plus 8 acceleration in the E-Type class, though the top speed of 125 mph (201km/h) reflected the high drag induced by the attractive, but old fashioned, body shape.
At first the Plus 8 body followed Morgan´s usual practice, with an ash frame covered with steel outer panels, but in 1976 a lightweight alloy body was made available as an option. In 1977 the Moss four speed gearbox was replaced by a Rover unit which offered a more precise gear change and an extra ratio.

Engine revisions followed in the 1980s, with fuel injection offered as an option and eventually as standard, and a 3.9 litre engine adopted in 1990. Ultimately a 4.6 litre Rover V8 was offered for the top of the range model.
Production of the Plus 8 came to an end in 2004 when a Ford V6 engine replaced the Rover V8 in a model simply called the Roadster.