Morgan's 155mph Savile Row suit
"Don’t be fooled by the retro styling – this 155mph British roadster handles like a modern supercar," says James Martin in the Daily Mail. Morgan inspires devotion from fans – and what they have always loved about the cars was the traditional way in which they are built. So you could forget about "traction control, adaptive suspension, blind-spot monitoring or other namby-pamby modern things like luggage space".
Now, though, Morgan has taken the modern weight-saving technology it used for its more modern Aero 8 model, as well as its longer, wider dimensions, and put the traditional Morgan body on it. The result is this new Plus 8. Inside, the Morgan is now "spacious and comfy", with padded leather throughout.
The engine is a BMW 4.8-litre V8, used in the previous-generation 5 Series, and it’s "seriously big, seriously powerful, and in a car this low and light it flings you through the scenery at a terrifying rate". Thankfully, then, the steering is sharp and the brakes good. "All in all, the Plus 8 is like a Savile Row suit that does 155mph and costs £85,000."
It is very quick, agrees John Barker in Evo, but the "pace shouldn’t come as a surprise, because even at idle the 4.8-litre, 362bhp V8 crammed beneath the bonnet mumbles menacingly from the side exit exhaust pipes". The odd handling makes the car "a curious thing to thread down a twisting road", but the six-speed automatic gearbox is a surprisingly good match for the car, smooth and responsive, and the steering is "weighty at speeds but not intrusively so, so you can get into a very satisfying groove with the car". There are "few cars as intriguing, exciting and thunderously quick" for less than £100,000.
Price: £85,200
Engine: 4.8-litre V8
Power: 367bhp
Top speed: 155mph
0-62mph: 4.4 secs.
Fuel economy: 26mpg