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.
