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New Morgan Plus 8 GTR Revealed

Morgan Motor Company has just finished manufacturing the first Morgan Plus 8 GTR, the most powerful car in Morgan’s history so far. The first Morgan Plus 8 GTR was completed at the company’s Malvern Link, Worcestershire factory.

The first example was given a Yas Marina Blue finish which evokes the image of the original design sketches that were released when they announced the upcoming model back in February of this year. The sketches were tributes to the Plus 8 race car ‘Big Blue’ which was a truly prominent figure in the nineties.

The Plus 8 GTR project is limited only to nine examples mainly due to the recent availability of Plus 8 rolling chassis.

The other eight cars are all currently in production although it is estimated that several of them will be finishing their build by the end of the year. The remaining examples will be finished by the first quarter of 2022. Customers of all 9 examples closely worked with the design team at Morgan’s to be able to commission their own bespoke example, which is a real testament to the company’s personalization capabilities.

Five of the eight vehicles currently in production will be exported globally, and all nine cars are produced in different configurations like the varied transmission and drive side that were set according to the client’s needs.

Morgan Motor Company Chairman and CEO Steve Morris shared, “We are excited to release the first images of the Plus 8 GTR following the design sketches published earlier this year. The Plus 8 GTR represents an opportunity for Morgan to celebrate the V8 engine once again, something we did not expect to do since finishing the Plus 8 and Aero 8 models in 2018. Striking design, the finest craftsmanship, and an exhilarating sports car to drive, the Plus 8 GTR is the perfect swansong to the Morgan V8. We have been delighted to work alongside customers from around the world during the design and build process, and we look forward to sharing the final examples over the coming months.”

The design of the Plus 8 GTR was truly unconventional as they explored design themes that have not been seen on a traditional Morgan body for decades. It had a five-spoke center-lock wheels that were perfectly framed by the re-sculpted wheel arches. It was a design influenced by the Morgan 1990s Plus 8 race cars.

Other design elements include handcrafted aluminum front wings, revised rear end, and front splitter. The Plus 8 GTR’s racing aesthetic is completed by the hard top with a cockpit vent.

For the interior, it was given new door cards that matches with the high door tops and bespoke GTR dials. Clients also have the option of getting the carbon fiber racing seats and harnesses. Each GTR will be fitted with a plaque that shows its number in the build sequence.

The Morgan Motor Company also took certain design elements from the Plus 8 race car also dubbed as ‘Big Blue’ that competed in the GT series through the late nineties. The car was used as a testbed for Morgan’s first bonded aluminum ‘chassis’.

Like a typical Morgan, all the Plus 8 GTRs were hand crafted using traditional coaching techniques.

The Plus 8 GTR is the company’s second special project of the year after the Plus Four CX-T. Although the Plus Four CX-T is greatly different from the Plus 8 GTR in terms of fashion, they are both great models that shows the flexibility of the Morgan brand especially in terms of design, craft, and driving experience.

December 9, 2021 / Comments Off

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The Morgan Plus 8 GTR

Raw, visceral, loud, and low, the Morgan Plus 8 GTR represents what the Morgan Motor Company can create when its design and engineering teams let their imaginations run wild. Limited to just nine examples, it marks the first in a line of Morgan special projects set to commence this year.

The Plus 8 GTR explores design themes such as the high shoulder line, not seen on a traditional Morgan body for decades. Its five-spoke center-lock wheels are reminiscent of Morgan’s 1990s Plus 8 race cars, framed perfectly by subtly re-sculpted wheel arches. Further design elements include a revised rear end, front wings, and front splitter, and the fitment of a hardtop. The model also benefits from the learning and expertise gained by the company since the Plus 8 officially finished production in 2018.

One particular design inspiration was the Plus 8 race car that competed in the GT series throughout the late nineties, more commonly known as ‘Big Blue’. This car served as the testbed for Morgan’s first bonded-aluminum chassis, which would go on to underpin the Aero 8 and ‘Aero-chassis’ Plus 8 models. It seemed fitting, following the recent launch of Morgan’s latest CX-Generation bonded-aluminum platform, to use this opportunity to pay tribute to the car that pioneered Morgan’s use of aluminum structures.

The project has only been possible because of the recent availability of a number of Plus 8 rolling chassis, which have been re-acquired from a third party following a discontinued project. These were all built by Morgan before 2018 and were never used for their intended purposes. All are to be recommissioned and will benefit from the upgrade of selected mechanical components.

As part of their transformation from rolling chassis to the finished vehicle, each GTR will be handcrafted using Morgan’s traditional coachbuilding techniques. In a break from over a century of Morgan tradition, much of this work will be completed not at its famous Pickersleigh Road factory, but at the nearby Morgan Design and Engineering Centre (M-DEC). The Plus 8 GTR runs alongside core programs and is one of several Morgan special projects to be announced this year. It follows numerous special project Morgan models in recent years, such as the Aero GT, SP1, and Aeromax.

These ‘Aero-chassis’ Plus 8s use the Morgan first-generation bonded-aluminium chassis developed initially for the Morgan Aero 8. Previously, from 1968 to 2004, Plus 8 models used Morgan’s traditional steel chassis and were powered by Rover V8 engines.

All ‘Aero-chassis’ Morgan Plus 8s were powered by the BMW N62 4.8-litre engine, and the GTR will be no exception. In its original specification, this unit produced 362 bhp, however, the exact power output for the GTR is yet to be finalized. A choice of a six-speed manual or ZF six-speed automatic gearbox will be available, with fixed allocations for each transmission option.

Just nine Morgan Plus 8 GTRs will be built, with production beginning in summer 2021. The transformed special project will be available in certain worldwide markets, subject to local rules on the importation of European vehicles. As part of the special projects program, customers will be invited to commission their bespoke Plus 8 GTR alongside Morgan’s design team.

Jonathan Wells, Morgan Head of Design, said:

“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 a number of 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.”

February 19, 2021 / Comments Off

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2020 Morgan Plus Six Powered By A BMW Engine

British automaker Morgan Motor packs a new engine underneath the Morgan Plus Six, its official 2020 model unit.

Has there even been a more premium vehicle? You’re talking an all-new aluminum bonded platform and BMW’s turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine. That’s the same one powering the 2020 BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra. Which is all to say the Morgan Plus Six will deliver a similar performance. That means 335 ponies 369 pound-feet of torque.

It’s no Quicksilver, sure, but you’ll be zooming past zero to 60 in just 4.2 seconds. Morgan Motor probably couldn’t have done better than a top speed of 166 mph. But that’s not too shabby at all, if we’re being honest.

More about that engine, now. Morgan Motor chose it because it was designed with fuel efficiency in mind. That’s why you get a combined mpg of 38.2 miles per gallon. The only downside is that this isn’t a manual, so manual loyalists out there have to hold out. If you have no qualms with the car’s 8-speed automatic transmission, then feel free to issue a check.

Other features include lightweight composite hard-top, which will come standard in all touring models. There’s an updated interior as well, plus a slew of customizations. Throw in a new wheel design on top of that, by the way.

The Morgan Plus Six will launch with a couple of First Edition models. Morgan Motor is accepting orders in the UK right now, so what are you waiting for? That’s £77,995, please.

BUY IT HERE

Photos courtesy of Morgan Motor

March 8, 2019 / Comments Off

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Morgan Plus Six Debuts in Geneva

A Morgan With a Straight Six

Morgan is best known for the fact that it still uses wood on the frame of its cars. The company hasn’t debuted a new car in a long time now, but the Plus Six is one of its coolest yet. The car gets the BMW’s B58 turbocharged engine. That’s the same that’s in the new Supra.

In the Morgan, the engine makes a strong 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. Mated to the engine is a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. The vehicle can do a 0 to 62 mph run in a sprite 4.2 seconds and tops out at 166 mph. While some of the methods Morgan uses to build its cars are antiquated, those performance numbers certainly are not.

The car does utilize some modern design technology outside of its straight-six engine. The car uses aluminum which helps keep weight down. If you’re thinking aluminum is sacrilegious for a company that’s known for wooden frames, don’t worry. There’s still plenty of wood here. The wooden and aluminum structure of the car is what keeps it to a healthy 2,369 lbs. Morgan calls this new architecture the CX.

On top of that architecture, rests a body with all the vintage styling you could ever want. I’m not sure why more car companies don’t adopt this type of styling because it looks fantastic. The interior is also styled like you’d expect a Morgan to be, though it does feature an obvious BMW gear selector pulled straight out of the company’s parts bin. That’s the only major disappointment we see.

Morgan will build somewhere around 300 of the Plus Six each year. If this car scratches you right where you itch, it’ll cost you $102,668, which sounds reasonable for something so unique.

March 7, 2019 / Comments Off

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