Morgan Plus 8 GTR

The spec table cannot tell you that the Morgan Plus 8 GTR is a car where the numbers need context. With 9 built, it sits apart from the majority of the 600-car catalogue in a way that power and acceleration figures alone do not show. Its 375 bhp places it 447th of 600 cars, and its 0-100 km/h time of 5.2 seconds ranks 483rd, faster than 117 cars in the collection. These are not figures designed to dominate a spreadsheet, but they reveal a different kind of appeal when placed alongside the full field.

The Plus 8 GTR is a track focused 2 seater roadster with a naturally aspirated 4.8 litre V8, rear wheel drive, 490 Nm of torque and a top speed of 249 km/h. Within the catalogue, 216 cars use a V8 layout, 132 combine a V8 with RWD, and 56 are naturally aspirated V8 cars. That places this Morgan in a defined group, but its identity comes from the particular combination of an open two seat format, V8 power and a production figure of 9. Among the 177 cars with known production counts, only 7 are rarer.

The financial position adds another layer. With a used price of £200,000, the Plus 8 GTR ranks 174th of 600 by price, making it more expensive than 426 cars in the catalogue. At £533 per bhp, it is not a purchase measured purely by output for the money. The appeal lies in what the figures surround: a UK built Morgan from a marque founded in 1910, with a specification that favours character and a distinct place in a collection.

For a collector building from 600 possibilities, this Morgan creates an interesting balance. It does not need to compete with the catalogue’s fastest or most powerful entries to matter, because its separation comes from the combination of rarity, layout and engine character. Choosing the Plus 8 GTR means accepting that a garage can contain cars whose importance is not defined by winning every numerical comparison. The final judgement belongs to the collector: whether a naturally aspirated V8 roadster with only 9 examples belongs in that carefully assembled space is something decided by personal taste, not by ranking alone.