We Drove the Ultra-Rare Morgan Plus 8 GTR

If you drive far enough along Kensington High Street in London you’ll spot the city’s Indian Motorcycle dealership. It wasn’t always a motorcycle dealer, for years it was the home of Bristol Cars. Bristol’s sign was occasionally broken, but the building proudly housed cars as rare, quirky, and British as they come. Until one day the cars, and Bristol, were gone. 

How does this relate to the Morgan Plus 8 GTR? Officially, it doesn’t. Unofficially, Morgan got hold of nine defunct, bonded-aluminum Bristol chassis and 4.8-liter BMW V-8s, acquired after Bristol’s demise and asset sale. Then, Morgan announced a new car (complete coincidence). 

That was the Plus 8 GTR. After getting hold of several chassis from a ‘discontinued project,’ Morgan announced that the naturally aspirated Plus 8 was getting one last crack of the whip. The team in Malvern released a sketch; A car inspired by a GT racer from the 1990s with a flat door (rather than the trad Morgan swoop), an angry front, race car wheels, more louvers and vents than is polite for a car to have, and that was kind of it. That drawing enticed nine buyers who, for an undisclosed price, specced their cars and went off into the sunset with the very last of a breed. 

Because they all sold quickly, there was no press activity, so, until the UK’s DK Engineering (who happen to have one for sale via auction platform Carhuna) asked if I’d fancy a stab at one of the rarest cars not only to come out of Morgan, but maybe in the world, only a handful of people knew what a Plus 8 GTR was like. 

First things first: it looks badass. It’s the ‘angry’ version of the Plus 8 that Morgan should have made back in the day (well, pre-2019). Its bodywork is aggressive, the splitter up front gives it a pronounced chin, its wheels look awesome, and the fixed roof adds aggression. It’s what a futurologist from the 1950s would think a race car in the year 2000 might look like. Inside it’s a pleasing reminder of what Morgan used to make—bright lights, BMW bits, clean dials with big ‘GTR’ logos, and a six-speed stick. 

Its seats aren’t brilliantly comfortable if you’re human-shaped, the cabin is a touch cramped, and the fixed roof, while lovely to