British sports car manufacturer Morgan Motor Company will no longer produce vehicles powered by V-8 engines. With both the Plus 8 and Aero 8 models going out of production in 2019, Morgan will retire the V-8 engine for good. Interestingly enough, the V-8-powered Morgan will be phased out exactly 50 years since the company built the first car with this type of engine.

The End of the BMW-sourced V-8

Morgan's affair with the V-8 began in 1968 when the British adopted this design due to the decreasing availability of large four-cylinder engines for its Plus 4 model. The company adopted the Buick-based Rover V-8 engine and thus the Plus 8 roadster was born.

The brand's most recent V-8 engine was sourced from BMW. In 2005, the Aero 8 series was launched with BMW's N62B44 unit under the hood. The 4.4-liter V-8 was produced from 2001 to 2007 and also powered the BMW 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, and the X5. In 2008, Morgan adopted the newer, 4.8-liter V-8 codenamed N62B48. Introduced in 2004 in the X5, it also powered 5, 6 and 7 Series models.

The N62B48 was offered in the Aero 8, Aeromax, and Aero Coupe at first. The engine found its way into the Aero SuperSports in 2010 and the Plus 8 in 2015. Although BMW stopped using this mill in 2010, Morgan still offers the 4.8-liter V-8 almost 15 years since its introduction as of late 2018.

What's Next?

Although the Plus 8 and Aero 8 will be discontinued, it doesn't mean that Morgan will stop producing sports cars alongside the 3-Wheeler. According to the British firm, a new "wide body" sports car will be unveiled in 2019. Details are very slim, but "wide body" could mean that Morgan will finally build a sports car with integrated fenders.

The four-minute documentary that Morgan released to sign off the V-8 includes an audio hint about the new engine at the end. And judging by the way it sounds, it should be a turbocharged V-6.

The modern engine will be paired with a brand-new platform that's twice as stiff as the older aluminum ones. The new sports car won't be the first to feature a V-6 engine. From 2004 to 2012, Morgan solid a Roadster model powered by the 3.7-liter Cyclone V-6 borrowed from Ford. However, it will be the first Morgan to feature turbocharging.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2012 Morgan Plus 8.

Read our full review on the 2015 Morgan Aero 8.