First Drive: Morgan Plus 8 50th Anniversary edition

Devised by Peter Morgan the firm's managing director, and talented engineer Maurice Owen, the project came about after Peter rebuffed an approach by Rover to buy out his family's car maker, but in the process learned about the existence of a Rover version of Buick's all-aluminium 3.5-litre V8.

Mounted in a Z-section ladder-rail chassis, with a solid rear axle and sliding-pillar front suspension, the Plus 8 was an unholy device, but it was cheap and fast. With 151bhp in an 862kg car, it had 55 per cent more power and 60 per cent more torque than the Morgan Plus 4, but weighed just 5 per cent more. In September 1968 Autocar road tester Michael 'Scarletti' Scarlett wrung a 0-60mph time of 6.7 seconds out of the prototype MMC II at Millbrook proving ground, which meant the Plus 8 was faster off the line than a Jaguar E-type, but £640 cheaper.

In 1990 I recall performance testing a fuel-injected 3.9-litre, 188bhp Plus 8 at Millbrook, where the rear springs bent like swamp snakes and the axle tramp made your eye balls flutter, but the resulting 0-60mph in 5.2 seconds meant that in a straight line at least, this 'antique roadshow' was faster than a Porsche 911 turbo – wow.

Everyone loved the Plus 8, even His Royal Highness Prince Charles, who asked for an example to be demonstrated at Windsor Castle whereupon his miserable security detail decreed that he could never drive such a car.

Morgan's relationship with that Rover/Buick engine stood it in good stead over the years as Rover did the donkey work on making it legal and Morgan fitted the ever cleaner and more powerful units to that extraordinary car, which grew wider and stronger but kept its ash-framed body work and looks. 

Eventually of course, emissions and safety legislation caught up with the Plus 8 and in 2004, the old engine (now displacing 4.6-litres) was retired in favour of not one, but two cars; the traditional V6 Roadster powered by a cast-iron, three-litre, 24-valve Ford V6, which gave similar performance if at higher revolutions, and the Aero 8.

Despite a name reaching back to the old pre-war three-wheeler Morgan the Aero 8 was an entirely modern car, sporting a 282bhp/317lb ft BMW 4.4-litre naturally aspirated V8 thanks in part to Wolfgang Reitzle and Karl Heinz-Kalbfell's admiration for the racing Morgan at the 1998 Nürburgring six-hour race – BMW won it, but the two BMW directors walked down to the Morgan pit to express their appreciation to Charles Morgan and the rest was history.

To cope with all that power, Morgan used the bonded and riveted honeycomb chassis based on ideas first tried by Charles in his 1994 race cars and subsequently used in the 1997 GT2 Le Mans car. Worked on by Jim Randle, former Jaguar chief engineer and subsequently by an in-house team headed up by Chris Lawrence, the Aero 8's most controversial feature was Matt Humphries's retro styling complete with cross-eyed headlamps (which came from a Mini). Even your own correspondent called it "the world's first strabismic sports car'.

Yet in most other respects this brutish car was highly likeable and it was certainly a performer, with faster acceleration than not just the Porsche 911, but also a Jaguar F-Type. 

In 2012, Morgan bowed to popular demand and produced a yet more retro-styled version of the Aero 8, badged as the Plus 8 – the legend was reborn. By this time the BMW lump was producing 367bhp and 370lb ft giving even more outrageous performance. Time and emissions legislation, however has caught up with the big BMW V8 and this year, after half a century, the Plus 8 badge will be no more. To celebrate Morgan has produced a 50^th Anniversary Edition Plus 8, limited to just 50 models available in French blue as a roadster, or in British racing green as a fully-trimmed road car. The roadster, driven here is the better looking car with its aero screens and stripped-down looks.

The price is £129,000 including taxes and a limited-edition Christopher Ward wristwatch, but not including extras. Expensive when you consider that the 2014 special-edition Plus 8 roadsters were a whisker under £70,000 and the last production Plus 8 models sold at just £85,461; though they're apparently all sold out.

Details are crucial on a car like this and after some past howlers, Jon Wells, Morgan's design head seems to have taken things in hand, though the builders' screws at each end of the dash are a fright. The rest of the cabin is well finished, however, and good looking. Climbing in over the wide sills is a bit of a clamber, but once in there, the view down the endless bonnet louvres and fur-lined leather bonnet strap is utterly captivating. Despite the wide cockpit, the seats are narrow and the seat backs feel hard against the back. There's not a lot of space inside but plenty of hidden spaces where stuff can get lost.

Press the starter and the big BMW booms into life and settles to a clanking idle. The throttle response is immediate and the gear shift is heavy, but short shifting with a clear gate. You don't have to change gear much, though, as the humungous torque and car's 1.2-tonne weight allows it to pull from walking pace in top gear. Performance is immediate and electrifying; with those 245/40/18 rear Yokohamas spinning up at a twitch of the right foot. You need to have a care in the dry, let alone the wet; perhaps that's why this car doesn't have a hood. Extend the engine up to the 6,200rpm red line and it fires off to the horizon; top speed is limited to 155mph, with 0-62mph in 4.5sec and a Combined fuel consumption of 23mpg.   

While the aluminium honeycomb chassis is fundamentally sound and relatively stiff, the ride quality is poor, with a lot of bouncing over big bumps and shuddering over small ones. The steering is much improved over the slightly terrifying system on the first Aero 8 models, it still lacks feedback and doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. It turns in with a consistent weight, but on a bumpy narrow road, it feels darty and too high geared. With limited ground clearance and suspension movement, the Plus 8 isn't a match for a modern performance saloon, but at high speeds it feels a little too much like flying by the seat of your pants for comfort. Nose wide understeer is the main trait, but oversteer is always just a squeeze of the throttle away...

That's part of the appeal of a Morgan, there's (almost) always more power than grip and you need to know what you are doing. Besides, if you don't want to drive it, you can always just admire it in the garage, where its clichéd looks never fail to draw the eye. And if the price seems high, remember that rarity alone means these limited edition cars will tend to hold their value.

It seems hard to believe that Morgan isn't already on the lookout for a replacement for the Plus 8. Steve Morris, Morgan's managing director says a replacement isn't on the top of his things 'to-do' list, but I can't help thinking it can't be at the bottom, especially as Morgan is on the cusp of gaining permission to import four wheelers to the USA where the Plus 8 was a favourite. Fifty years is a lot of history and this car is a fitting tribute, but is it really all over for the Plus 8?

The Numbers

Engine: 4,799cc BMW V8 naturally aspirated petrol

Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel-drive

Power/Torque: 367bhp @ 6,100rpm and 370lb ft @ 3,400rpm

0-62mph: 4.5sec

Top speed: 155mph

Price £129,000