The Morgan Plus 8 Is Compellingly Posh and Primitive at the Same Time

One secret to the Morgan Motor Company‘s longevity as a carmaker is its use of engines from other marques, which it has been doing since its founding in 1909. After all, the development cost of a power plant can be crippling for a small company with an annual output of hundreds or low thousands of units. Wisely, Morgan has, since the 1950s through the early 2000s, relied on engines from Triumph, Rover, Ford, and Fiat to power its lightweight cars.

The Morgan Plus 8’s time-proven engine began life in 1961 as an all-aluminum, 215 ci V-8 designed by Buick for GM’s economy models. It never was a hit, and production ended in 1963. But in 1967, Rover bought the rights to manufacture the design, using it in its luxury sedan, the P5B. The next year, Morgan’s first Rover-powered Plus 8 was on the road, using a modified Plus 4 chassis and looking about like every Morgan made since 1953, when the flat radiator was replaced by a rounded front end almost identical to that of its 2025 Plus Four.

The Plus 8 soldiered on until 2003, when U.S. air-bag standards made further importation impossible, and by which time, Morgan was developing new models with BMW engines and an all-new aluminum chassis. As it progressed, though, the Plus 8’s engine grew from 3.5 liters to 4.6 liters, but the later cars brought to North America featured the 4.0-liter version, which develops about 190 hp and 225 ft lbs of torque. This is enough to enable the Plus 8 to pounce from zero to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds. And while it’s not a horsepower monster, any V-8 gives a sense of purpose to a sports car weighing only 2,000-some-odd pounds.

By 1995 through the end of production, Rover’s R380, five-speed manual gearbox was fitted, and it’s a pleasure to shift the easy-going engine up to about 4,800 rpm, when maximum power comes on. And the sound! With the top down, the rumble from the fat exhaust pipes—exiting under each rear fender—is a reminder that Shelby Cobras and Sunbeam Tigers don’t get to have all the fun.

With 36 years of Plus 8s to choose from, there are plenty of options for stateside customers. It should be noted that U.S.-imported examples made from 1974 to 1992 were converted to run on propane in order to pass emissions regulations. So really, the earliest and later examples are the best, and of those, the 2003 Morgan Plus 8 35th Anniversary model, with only 110 examples made, is the top choice. (Though it’s newer than our usual pre-2000 model-year limit for cars featured in this article series.)

Really, all Morgan Plus 8s are much the same, and promise a perfectly delightful driving experience, offering the most traditional British roadster traits in a car that can easily keep up in modern traffic. Inside the cozy cockpit, leather, burl wood, and side curtains with sliding plastic windows take the driver back many decades to a time when radios were an optional nuisance—all that mattered was the vehicle and the road.

Like all Morgans prior to the company’s current models, which are built on an aluminum monocoque chassis, the last Plus 8 used ash (that means wood) framing under its all-aluminum body panels, so rust isn’t a concern, but—as the joke goes—termites are. The steel ladder frame and sliding-pillar front suspension are as primitive as a stone axe, but do the job, and few cars deliver the tactile steering response afforded by the featherweight Plus 8. Disc brakes are superb, and fat radial tires on classic chrome wire wheels—under the subtly widened fenders—make handling perfectly modern. Parts are readily available, and maintenance is as easy as raising both bonnets and diving in.

The Plus 8 may be the quintessential Morgan, conceived at a time when the British automaker’s four-cylinder cars were quickly becoming anachronisms, and long before BMW power came to the rescue. And in many ways, it remains the finest expression of the marque. Prices range from $40,000 to $85,000, depending on mileage and condition, and almost all have had owners whose improvements—from headers and exhausts to removing the battering-ram bumpers and adding a luggage rack—have made the vehicles even better. Take a long weekend, put the top down, and ask yourself if you have ever had as much fun driving any other car.

Click here for more photos of this 2003 Morgan Plus 8 35th Anniversary.