There is a company that still builds what are effectively classic British sports cars. Yes, they have bigger and more powerful engines, but the essence of a classic British sports car is still there. That company is Morgan Motors. One of the highest-performance models it ever built is our Pick of the Day: a 1989 Morgan Plus 8 listed on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Newport Beach, California.
To explain it simply, the Morgan Plus 8 is basically a four-cylinder-powered Morgan Plus 4 with a V-8 under the hood. This gave the Morgan Plus 8 strong performance in the 1980s. Capable of 0-60 in around five seconds, the Plus 8 was quite fast for the era. These days, the V-8 feels extremely fast in the very basic Morgan chassis.
This Plus 8 is a true one-owner car that was purchased by the seller from the Morgan dealer Isis Motors in 1989. It is finished in Westminster Green with a contrasting and very classic-looking tan leather interior, and rides on factory-correct Morgan alloy wheels. Overall, the exterior looks to be in excellent condition.
The tan leather interior on this car appears to be original and in excellent condition. Morgan never skimped on its materials and I am guessing that the leather is from Connolly. The Morgan high-back bucket seats of this era are quite comfortable and much nicer than the bench seat in the Plus 4. I see no needs to be addressed inside of this car.
This Plus 8 is powered by a turbocharged 3.9-liter Rover V-8, which retains its propane-fueled configuration as installed by legendary Morgan importer Bill Fink. The propane conversion was done to enable the car to be imported into the U.S. in the 1980s.
Complete service records from new as well as an extensive photo album come with the car. In addition, it was able to pass a California smog inspection in early October 2026; the inspection report will be supplied for review alongside the historical emissions documentation.
A Plus 8 is an amazing car to drive, offering modern performance in the form of a classic British sports car. Finding one of these that is still in the hands of its original owner and that has only covered 11,353 miles from new is unheard of today. When Morgan ended production of the Plus 8 in 2005, the MSRP was more than $56,000. This one-owner 1989 Morgan Plus 8 with crazy low mileage has an asking price of only $42,500, making it one of the best deals on ClassicCars.com right now. If I could fit in this car, I would pay the seller and drive it home today. I would advise anyone interested — who isn’t six-foot-four — to do the same.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
