Morgan has announced details of a new special edition car that will be limited to just nine examples when it goes into production later on this summer.
Based on the now discontinued Plus 8, the new “GTR” version is expected to become the first in a line of new Morgan ‘special projects’ set to commence this year.
Design sketches revealed by the British brand show features such as a high shoulder line “not been seen on a traditional Morgan body for decades”, while the five-spoke centre-lock wheels are reminiscent of Morgan’s 1990s Plus 8 race cars, framed by re-sculpted wheel arches.
Further design elements include a revised rear end, front wings, and front splitter, and the fitment of a hard top.
Each GTR will be hand-built at the Morgan Design and Engineering Centre (M-DEC) in Worcestershire, and, like Plus 8s of old, will be underpinned by a bonded-aluminium chassis and get power via a BMW N62 4.8-litre engine.
In its original specification this unit produced 362 bhp, however, the exact power output for the new car is yet to be finalised.
A choice of a six-speed manual or ZF six-speed automatic gearbox will be available, with fixed allocations for each transmission option.
“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,” says Morgan design boss, Jonathan Wells. “This project has allowed Morgan’s design and engineering teams to revisit some of their favourite elements of past Morgan models, as well as experiment with some features that we hope will appear on future Morgan cars.”
