Last year marked the 50th – and final year – of Morgan using a V8 engine. The Plus 8 and Aero 8 are unquestionably iconic models within the Morgan range and Morgan’s latest video celebrates their significance and the engine that powers them.
The short film features Keith Dalley, chief test driver at Morgan, who was responsible for test driving every aluminum chassis Morgan V8. Following Dalley on his final V8 test drive around Malvern Hills in the UK, the video ends with a beautiful look at some notable Morgan V8’s from the last half century, before closing with a hint of what will power the next performance Morgan.
This year Morgan will launch an all-new ‘wide body’ sports car in its premium product range, positioned above the Roadster, Plus 4 and 4/4 in performance terms. The car is not designed to be a direct replacement for the outgoing Plus 8 and Aero 8, but it will naturally fit into the space in the Morgan product range left by both.
This car will use an all-new bonded aluminum fabricated chassis designed by the car manufacturer. The chassis will be twice as stiff as the aluminum chassis used on previous flagship Morgans. This chassis, combined with a performance powertrain never before installed in a Morgan, will result in the most dynamically capable production Morgan ever.
The development program for the car has spanned several years, all the work done by the company’s 30-strong R&D team based at the Morgan Factory in Malvern, UK.
Morgan’s technology director, Graham Chapman, said, “The 2019 launch of this car is the culmination of several years of unprecedented investment in design and engineering for Morgan. This has produced the most advanced development program in Morgan’s history, the results of which we cannot wait to share with our customers worldwide.”