Morgan’s Celebrating 50 Years Of The Plus 8 With This Special Anniversary Edition

50 years is a heck of a long time by most standards. For a car’s lifespan, it’s an eternity. But that’s how long Morgan has been building the Plus 8 for – minus a few years when it was out of production.

What you see here represents Morgan’s celebration of that remarkable milestone. Unveiled alongside the Aero GT at the Geneva Motor Show, the Morgan Plus 8 50th Anniversary Edition takes the idea of “old school” to new lengths.

Peter Morgan and company first unveiled the Plus 8 prototype at the Earls Court Motor Show in London back in 1968. Some 6,000 units were built before the Rover V8 that powered it was discontinued in 2004, the Plus 8 dying along with it.

The model was revived in 2012 on the aluminum chassis of the Aero 8, sharing its 4.8-liter BMW V8, but clothed in more old-fashioned bodywork than its more streamlined counterpart. With a weight of just 1,100 kilograms (2,425 pounds), it’ could run to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.5 seconds and top out at 155 mph (250 km/h).

With that naturally aspirated engine now out of production, the Plus 8 and Aero 8 will be the last models to use it. In the end, just 50 examples of the anniversary special will be made, done up in a lacquered blue finish reminiscent of the first Plus 8 built, with yellow accents on the grille, hood, and rear tow eyes.

“This 50th Anniversary Edition is a fitting illustration of the Plus 8’s beauty and finesse, coupled with raw exhilaration and capability,” said managing director Steve Morris. “Performance has underpinned every one of the Plus 8s that have driven out of our factory gates for 50 years and we’re excited to reveal the car in full in Geneva.”