Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Plus 8 - Chronology

I'm considering getting back into the fold with a Plus 8 (trad).

Where can I find details of the various iterations through the years?

A car quite local to me is available - a 3.9 mid 90's. is this a good "vintage" ?

I have had a 94 3.9 (4 yrs) and my present 3.9 for ten years she is a 1999 and neither has ever let me down in any way, neither have ever seen a battery minder either but I always throw the red isolator key when not in use.

I believe the later 4.0 Ltr power units were heavier, likewise the 4.6 Ltr and that's why I chose my models.

Good luck in your choosing.

I have two books that cover the topic:

The essential buyers guide Morgan Plus 8 by Phil Benfield
Morgan Plus 8 fifty years an icon by Michael Palmer

The first one would probably be best as it's a small paperback.

Hello MPH

A mid 90s +8 will likely be a 3.9 with Hotwire (14CUX) fuelling, distributor ignition and catalytic convertors . In general that is a "good vintage" but just to give you some more points to ponder:-

A pre 1993 car is likely to be non-cat , some prefer this for the exhaust note, and simplicity (cats are very expensive and can require replacement on very lightly used cars due to internal corrosion)

A post 1997 car is a "long door" , with the stainless steel bulkhead and valences (valences can rot against the bulkhead and this is difficulty to check)

A "fuel chip" is a worthwhile addition to all of the above (usually Tornado by Mark Adams)

If you come across a 4.6 with Hotwire make sure it has a fuel chip in the ecu , as standard it used the 3.9 chip which led to chronic overheating this is an essential modification

A post 2001 car switches to GEMS fully ecu controlled feeling and ignition and was known as the 4.0 . This is Euro 4 and passes through most of the UK's low emission zones if that is important to you.


As ever buy on condition, and your own personal preference for colours and upholstery etc. Beware of cars that have covered very little mileage , they can require quite a bit of servicing and fettling to get back to a reliable drivable state.

Thanks for all the useful info. I've bought it !

It's a 1995 model and almost completely standard as far as I can see. It's in very good overall condition and has been undersealed from new. Hasn't been used much in the last couple of years but I drove it home around 30 miles this afternoon and it goes very well. The only obvious issue is an erratic tickover which I doubt is much to worry about. 30k miles and I got it for less than £25k which I think is a good price. The owner needed it to go due to storage issues and I was the only caller he'd had. Shows how depressed the market is I guess.

It's a few years since I've owned a trad Morgan so I'm hoping I gel with it.

Some pictures.

That looks a beauty, enjoy your miles.

The price sounds about right for realism in the market.

mph, looks well cared for, enjoy

Is that a Yorkshire Centre badge I spy ?

Here are your pics with direct image links as they weren't loading for me initially.







Well presented car Have always liked the Plus 8 dash layout particularly the variant with instruments four square.

Thanks all.

To answer an earlier question, yes the car does have a Yorkshire Centre badge. The previous owner lives in North Yorkshire and it's been there for the last few years at least.

The car appears to be in very good condition and to have been well maintained but I intend to have it checked over by a local specialist while having a couple of issues sorted at the same time.

It's probably 25 years since I last owned a Plus 8 so I also need said specialist to give me an assessment of how it drives. My initial impression is that it seems surprisingly taught. Assuming I gel with the car I'll definitely be considering a front suspension upgrade, probably SSL which I found really improved my last trad. which was a 3.7 Roadster.

Any Plus 8 owners with the SSL upgrade ?

I've noticed that it has a galvanised chassis, would this have been standard on a 1995 car ?

I have a '96 Plus 8 and had the SSL front suspension fitted a few years ago, it really made a significant difference to the drive, in fact it was so noticeable that my wife (as a passenger) commented on how much more positively the car corners. A couple of years later I had the SSL rear 5 link suspension fitted, it's not a cheap option but I think it was worth every penny. I'm not suggesting that it's like driving a modern car but it does reduce the crashing when you go over potholes and there's a lot less creaking and squeaking, but the biggest improvement is the handling.