What's the news?
Morgan has announced that it will make a stripped-out, lightweight version of its Plus 8 model, called the Speedster. This limited edition model has been developed to celebrate 100 years of Morgan building cars at its Pickerleigh Road factory in Malvern, Worcestershire.
Looking at the Speedster, the biggest obvious change is to the wheels, which are steel affairs whereas the normal Plus 8 wears alloys. It is said to be inspired by a 'bygone era of stripped back, road-going race cars', and if it is indeed lighter than the standard Plus 8's already trim 1,100kg kerb weight (which makes it the lightest V8 passenger car approved to European safety standards apparently), then we're not going to argue.
Like the normal car, it's a BMW 4.8-litre V8 engine up front making 372hp and 490Nm, with the power-to-weight ratio naturally improved by the removal of the latter; the current Plus 8 already has a heady figure of 338hp/tonne. The Speedster is claimed to have lopped 0.3 seconds off the Plus 8's 0-62mph time, with an all-in effort of 4.2 seconds, but its top speed is limited to 148mph - less than the 155mph of the cooking version.
Further tantalising nuggets from Morgan suggest the handling will be sharpened by the latest aluminium chassis developments, while the Speedster will benefit from a 'series of eccentric styling features' that will be exclusive to it alone. You can still specify your Morgan with a comprehensive list of options to enable full personalisation for each owner.
Anything else?
The Speedster will cost from £69,995 including VAT and on-the-road costs when it enters production this June, with deliveries a little later in the summer.
Matt Robinson - 28 Apr 2014