By now, you’ve probably seen a few images circulating of the new Morgan flagship; certainly no mistaking it for anything else in 2025, even with a significantly altered look for a Malvern sports car. As cars generally become more homogenous, those folk who can stand out are surely going to want to - and the appeal of a Morgan increases even more.
While that car is still a few weeks away, a new Morgan doesn’t happen all that often. And its imminent arrival was all the excuse required to check the classifieds for some classics. The recent generation of aluminium platformed cars, the CX era, has been very good indeed, more sorted to drive while retaining plenty of traditional charm. It’s hard to imagine cars like the CX-T existing without it, and regular updates have really brought the best from the latest Plus Four and Six; the Dynamic Handling Pack for the former is said to be a proper corker.
But the charm of a V8 will always remain irresistible in a car like a Morgan. The latest generation of BMW engines, the B48 2.0-litre turbo and B58 3.0-litre six, are very good - it’s why they’re used in so many cars - though it’ll always be hard to match the emotional appeal of eight cylinders. Of course, it couldn’t last forever, not least because BMW stopped making the V8 that Morgan used, although that doesn’t stop the engine pulling on the heartstrings pretty hard.
This V8 Morgan is a Plus 8 Speedster, the 60-unit special edition launched back in 2014 to mark 100 years of car production at Pickersleigh Road. While plenty of its spec is familiar for a limited run special, with some nice wheels and cool paint colour to go with the retro racer look, the price was a nice surprise: £70k for the Speedster was £15k less than a standard Plus 8. Which didn’t look anywhere near as cool.
It says much of the car’s reputation that this Speedster will still cost that 10 years later. The spec is fabulous - manual, Kingfisher Blue, the vintage steel wheels - and it’s been driven 14,000 over the past decade, which must be preferable to it seizing up in a collection. There’s never going to be a time when this Speedster doesn’t draw all manner of favourable attention. Even amongst other Morgans, it stands out.
Sure, you’ll have to be even more sure of the weather when heading out for a pub lunch than a normal Plus 8. It won’t drive with quite the same panache as a CX car. And things do get pretty blustery without a proper screen. But at the end of the journey this will be the car you’ve arrived in, and that’s going to make everything seem more than alright. V8 Morgans aren’t likely to get any less desirable going forward, either - especially ones that look this good.
SPECIFICATION | MORGAN PLUS 8 SPEEDSTER
Engine: 4,799cc V8
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive (6-speed auto optional)
Power (hp): 372@6,300rpm
Torque (lb ft): 370@3,400rpm
MPG: 26
CO2: 256g/km
Year registered: 2015
Recorded mileage: 13,697
Price new: £69,995
Yours for: £69,950
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