The Morgan Plus 8: The pain points

The Morgan Plus 8 is the purest anabolic British sports car. It is one hundred percent classic and authentic. And where its four-cylinder predecessors were born to dance on British back roads, you can trot tightly over the Autobahn to Switzerland with a Plus 8. We know for sure. We were passed by seven of them while we had the cruise control at 140.

The best investment

The Morgan Plus 8 is one of those classics whose prices cannot be affected by any economic crisis. And the Morgan Plus 1969's, which have been in existence since 8, have only grown in popularity. They were available with aluminum or steel bodies or built from a mix of the two materials. By the way, all that metal is still wrapped around a real wooden framework. And the brutally Spartan V8s have gone through quite a development path since their introduction. They are fantastic pieces of artisan craftsmanship. And if you really want to rally and steed with such a machine? Then with a good 20.000 km you can just need a new chassis and a different body. On the other hand, a well-maintained and reasonably sensibly used Plus 8 can easily last 250.000 km.

But even with normal use it appears that such a Morgan Plus 8 is not a recent Lexus. A Morgan Plus 8 driver is fortunately not easily nervous of a rattle more or less. The Rover V8 is a faithful animal, but it gets difficult when the cooling system sub works optimally. The aluminum engine block must be filled with high-quality coolant. The engine is also sensitive to the correct oil change intervals.

The Plus Eight is not insensitive to rust and rot

That can start with the front fenders. If they are not made of aluminum. The front crosspiece of the chassis is also a point for attention. Cracks in the engine mounts occur regularly. The steel interior of the fire barrier is rust sensitive. The uprights next to the fire shot can rot. The chassis under the seats can be suspicious. The A pillars may have come loose (Testing by 'lifting' the open door) Rot may occur at the wooden thresholds. The B post may also have become detached due to movement or wood rot. The spring attachments to the chassis can also be dead or damaged.

Oh yeah:

The 'sliding pillar' front suspension is just as sensitive to lubrication as it is dated. Remember that the Morgan Plus 8 with the hood on it is at least a kind of waterproof. The early Moss and Rover gearboxes have their limitations. It is fairly common in Morgan circles to mount on a 'late' five-bin. And if a differential with barrier is mounted, there must be no space in it and the bag must be oil-tight on the spot.

The range of used Plus 8s is quite wide

Importer Nimag likes to sell them themselves. But pay attention to the free market, so be aware of the possible pain points that we mentioned. Because Morgans are still so traditional that when repairing or restoring, many parts just have to be 'made' on the car in question. And those hours are expensive hours.