1975 Morgan Plus 8

Details

Morgan is one of the most unique and iconic motoring brands of all time.  This British family owned company was founded in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan and he ran the company until he passed way in 1959, aged 77. His son Peter Morgan took over the reins of the company until he passed away in 2003.

The first Morgans were three wheelers and it wasn’t until 1936 that Morgan introduced its first four wheel “car”, the 4/4, for four seats and four wheels. The three wheelers were phased out in 1952 by which time Morgan had introduced a bigger engined, high performance car designated Plus 4 to be produced alongside the 4/4. Subsequently Morgan introduced the Plus 4 Plus and whilst each of their models continued to evolve, during the late fifties and early to mid-sixties Morgan was seen to be “stale and producing more of the same” and many pundits thought the brand was indeed “dated and may fade away”.

Peter Morgan had other ideas and in 1968 he introduced the Plus 8. The car received critical acclaim when first shown at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1968 and it quickly put Morgan on the map as a maker of high performance sports cars. The first production cars were built in late 1968 and the 3.5 litre (3528 cc) Rover V8 engine was good for 160 bhp that propelled the car to top speed of 125mph, however, it was how it got there that had people excited. It was clocked by magazines in period from 0-60 mph in 6.7 seconds and could accelerate from 0-100 mph quicker than a 4.2 litre Jaguar E-Type!

The car continued to evolve and Morgan Plus 8 production finally ceased in 2004 after 37 years during which 6,233 cars were built.

We are delighted to offer this 1975 Morgan Plus 8 that is in fabulous condition. This car has the Rover 3.5 litre V8 coupled to a Rover 4 speed gearbox. It is understood the car was purchased new and sent to Papua & New Guinea where it spent most of its early life in a shed in Rabaul. In the 1980’s the car was shipped down to Port Morseby where it again spent more time in storage. During its time in PNG it was used sparingly due to the generally poor roads and lack of suitably qualified mechanics to look after it. It was then sold to a Brisbane based gentleman in the early1990’s (with circa 9,500km on the clock) who was working in PNG at the time. The car was not running and he left the car in PNG until 2007 when he decided to import it to Queensland and restore it. The car was restored by Abbington Motors over a two year period and it was complianced here in Brisbane on the 23rd May 2010.

Since the restoration the car has been used sparingly and today the odometer reads 12,790 km.

Unfortunately the owner passed away in 2012 and the family has made the decision that it is best for the car to find a new home.

The car presents and drives beautifully. The tasteful colour combination of british racing green with a tan interior suits the car. The paintwork is excellent as is all of the glass, chrome and trim. The interior is like new as is the soft top (which looks like it’s never been used) and side curtains.

The car needs nothing than a new owner to use it and enjoy it!