The price is £129,000 including taxes and a limited-edition Christopher Ward wristwatch, but not including extras. Expensive when you consider that the 2014 special-edition Plus 8 roadsters were a whisker under £70,000 and the last production Plus 8 models sold at just £85,461; though they're apparently all sold out.
Details are crucial on a car like this and after some past howlers, Jon Wells, Morgan's design head seems to have taken things in hand, though the builders' screws at each end of the dash are a fright. The rest of the cabin is well finished, however, and good looking. Climbing in over the wide sills is a bit of a clamber, but once in there, the view down the endless bonnet louvres and fur-lined leather bonnet strap is utterly captivating. Despite the wide cockpit, the seats are narrow and the seat backs feel hard against the back. There's not a lot of space inside but plenty of hidden spaces where stuff can get lost.
Press the starter and the big BMW booms into life and settles to a clanking idle. The throttle response is immediate and the gear shift is heavy, but short shifting with a clear gate. You don't have to change gear much, though, as the humungous torque and car's 1.2-tonne weight allows it to pull from walking pace in top gear. Performance is immediate and electrifying; with those 245/40/18 rear Yokohamas spinning up at a twitch of the right foot. You need to have a care in the dry, let alone the wet; perhaps that's why this car doesn't have a hood. Extend the engine up to the 6,200rpm red line and it fires off to the horizon; top speed is limited to 155mph, with 0-62mph in 4.5sec and a Combined fuel consumption of 23mpg.
While the aluminium honeycomb chassis is fundamentally sound and relatively stiff, the ride quality is poor, with a lot of bouncing over big bumps and shuddering over small ones. The steering is much improved over the slightly terrifying system on the first Aero 8 models, it still lacks feedback and doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. It turns in with a consistent weight, but on a bumpy narrow road, it feels darty and too high geared. With limited ground clearance and suspension movement, the Plus 8 isn't a match for a modern performance saloon, but at high speeds it feels a little too much like flying by the seat of your pants for comfort. Nose wide understeer is the main trait, but oversteer is always just a squeeze of the throttle away...