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1968-2004 Morgan Plus Eight

Posted by Chris Dykes

While American manufacturers of the 1950s and 1960s wholly embraced the credo of “planned obsolescence,” GM’s practice of new model changes each year, tiny Morgan Motor Company instead reluctantly accepted change only as needed. And though GM certainly managed to move more product, Morgan’s path has made it the oldest privately owned automobile company in the world.

The Plus Eight was the result of change finding Morgan. The Plus Four had been produced since 1954 using the Triumph 4-cylinder engine, with the majority of production going to the United States. The Plus Fours were intended to be used, abused, and replaced. Owners were supposed to drive them hard, wear them out, and come back to buy a new one. The wooden frames weren’t even treated with a preservative until 1986.

With the introduction of the Triumph TR6, the 4-cylinder engine was being discontinued and Morgan, never a producer of their own powerplants, had to find something new for their most powerful model. This need came about in the time of the Mini Cooper and Jaguar XKE, both of which were successful, and clearly of a more modern aesthetic than a winged roadster. Morgan didn’t only need an engine, it needed to become relevant again. Rover even made an attempt to buy Morgan, but the attempt was thwarted. Obsolescence loomed.

What did come of the Rover discussions was the potential of the Rover V8. Maurice Owen, developer at Morgan, suggested the engine to Peter Morgan, who initially disliked the idea. But the performance was undeniably improved over the 4-cylinder car, as the Plus Eight could run to 60 in 6.7 seconds, quicker than the more modern offerings from competitors and on par with some Italian exotics of the day – the Lamborghini Miura wouldn’t have been able to shake a Plus Eight to 60.

The United States had been an important market for the Plus Four, but homologation would not come as easy for the Plus Eight. New emissions rules and safety regulations were difficult for a small manufacturer to meet. Bill Fink, an American who crewed for Oxford, figured out how to get Morgans back into the States. Don’t meet the regulations – avoid them. By converting the Rover V8 to propane, Fink sold Morgans that required no testing. Safety requirements were sidestepped, as well. For years, Bill Fink’s Isis Imports of San Francisco was the only United States importer of Morgans. Win Sharples opened an east coast dealership in the 1980s. Importing Plus Eights required more and more effort – airbags became standard in 1999, although both importers had to reinforce doors and bumpers to meet regulations. Visors, side reflectors, and door buzzers were also installed stateside. By 2004, most of this work was done at the factory and not by the importers.

The Plus Eight was produced with varying displacements of the Rover V8, from 3.5 liters to 3.9, and finally 4.0 with the introduction of the airbag cars in 1999. Each got a little wider, from 57 inches in 1968 to a maximum of 67 inches in 2004, to accommodate wider tires. Production finally ceased in 2004 with the end of the Rover V8. All models retained the characteristic bobble of the front end, as the front suspension copes with road irregularities the same way the first Morgan did in 1909, using a sliding pillar set up.

From a collection standpoint, Morgans can be frustrating. Up until 2004, after all, a new one could be ordered, thus holding down the appreciation potential for an older car. And although the traditional Morgan is no longer available in the States, seven dealerships divvy demand for the next generation Morgan, the Aero, and can order a new chassis and frame for an older Plus Eight restoration, built by some of the 150 employees of the factory.

It’s a different way of looking at business than the American approach of new and exciting models and features each year, with a larger and more complicated business operation to support them. Peter Morgan, son of company founder Henry and father of current president Charles, figured that he could sell enough cars to keep his company in business and make a profit. Critics can easily argue that the Plus Eight was always obsolete, but there was enough demand as it lasted 36 years. Now that it truly is obsolete, the Aero has taken its place, and development of the hydrogen-powered Life Car is underway as a joint project between Morgan and Cranfield University. A quotation from the Morgan Life Car brochure reads “One thing is for certain, the world of motoring will change out of all recognition over the next 10 years…Could this be its future?”

Morgan doesn’t practice planned obsolescence –rather it plans for obsolescence, and continues to survive.

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