Description
Kelham Hall | Newark, Nottinghamshire
Viewing: Tues 16th June from 12pm
Auction: Wed 17th June from 9am
Location: Main Street, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG23 5QX
1987 Morgan Plus 8
Just 50, 000 miles from new
Estimate
£20, 000 - £25, 000
Registration No: T. B. A
Chassis No: R9869
MOT: May 2027
Only 4 previous keepers
Superbly maintained by a fastidious owner
Just 50, 000 miles from new
Although Rover's attempts to acquire Morgan in 1966 had proved fruitless, it nevertheless granted the sports car manufacturer access to its newly acquired, ex-Buick, lightweight aluminium V8 with a view to cementing a supply contract. Hired by the Malvern works to assess the powerplant's merits, race engineer Maurice Owen lost little time in shoehorning one into a Morgan Plus 4 chassis. With trials of the resultant prototype successfully undertaken in 1967, the Plus 8 debuted at the following year's Earls Court Motor Show. Built along familiar Morgan lines, its ladder frame chassis was equipped with independent 'sliding pillar' front suspension, a leaf-sprung rear axle and front disc and rear drum brakes. Supported by an ash frame, its swooping bodywork looked as traditional as ever but gave no clues as to the new model's performance potential. Initially equipped with a four-speed Moss gearbox but later Rover four- and five-speed units (the latter from 1978), Autocar magazine found even the earliest Plus 8 capable of 0-60mph in 6. 7 seconds and 124mph, making it the fastest accelerating British-built car in period. Today, Plus 8s are much sought after as they continue to be regularly at the front of the pack at historic race meets.
Chassis 'R9869' comes direct from it's fastidious owner with a fresh MOT. Finished in Rossa Corsa with grey leather this Plus 8 is accompanied by a history file that contains MOT certificates dating back to the first in 1990, numerous previous invoices, and a current V5C document (which shows four previous keepers). A notably original example, 'R9869' is supplied with the hood, tonneau cover, side screens, luggage rack, rain cover, spare wheel cover and full bumpers. The vehicle ran faultlessly on the photoshoot sounding just as they should, pulling cleanly through the gears and remained cool at all times.
This example of the desirable V8 variant with the 3. 5-litre fuel-injection engine, low mileage and low ownership promises many more years of driving pleasure and is offered with spare keys and current V5C.
PLEASE NOTE: The current registration is to be retained.
