In the Morgan Plus 8 from 850 to 1200
09/10/2012
In 1968, Morgan built the first prototype of the Plus 8. The Rover V8 engine, which had once started its life as a Buick power unit, was transplanted into the front of the Morgan sports car, which had been stretched slightly for this purpose.
This operation increased the kerb weight from around 660 kg to 850 kg. However, the initially 3.5 liter engine was able to cope with this weight without any problems and the performance was more than impressive.
The car was launched in 1969 and buyers loved it. The adventurously humming Plus 8 was built until 2004, when the engines were no longer available.
Now there is another Plus 8, again with an eight-cylinder heart, this time from BMW. Along with this new engine compartment, the wooden-metal construction has also given way to an aluminum chassis design and what is the result? An unladen weight of 1,220 kg! Shocking! And it's not just the weight that has been increased, the car has also grown considerably in size: 4.14 instead of 3.7 meters long, 1.77 instead of 1.46 meters wide. Truly gigantic dimensions, at least for a Morgan.
Will the fans of the traditional Morgan put up with this? Well, in any case, they will mostly have to enjoy the pleasure alone, because with a payload of 135 kg (according to Auto Motor und Sport), a passenger will hardly be an option.
