BRITISH sports car maker Morgan is ditching V8 engines to concentrate on the development of a new wide body sports car.

The decision by the Malvern based company brings an end to 50 years of using V8s in its cars and sees the curtain come down on the Aero 8 and Plus 8 models.

Details of the power plant to be used in the new model are being kept under wraps at the moment and will be announced in 2019.

All the company is saying is that it will be a ‘performance powertrain never before installed in a Morgan'.

It is likely the new system will feature electrification which could see the brand entering the world of hybrid powertrains.

Morgan already has a tie up with Frazer-Nash Energy Systems and is in the throes of launching an electric version of the Morgan 3 Wheeler called the EV3.

The wide body car will use an all-new bonded aluminium fabricated chassis designed in house by its engineers at its Pickersleigh Road factory.

The chassis will be twice as stiff as the aluminium chassis used on previous flagship Morgans which the company says will result in the most dynamically capable production Morgan ever.

Graham Chapman, technology director for the Morgan Motor Company, said: We are excited to be launching the ‘Wide Body' car in Morgan's 110 year, and over the coming weeks and months, we will be releasing further details.

"The 2019 launch of this car is the culmination of several years of unprecedented investment in design and engineering for Morgan. This has produced the most advanced development programme in Morgan's history, the results of which we cannot wait to share with our customers worldwide."

Morgan first started using V8 engines sourced from Rover in 1968 when it launched the +8 model and switched to using engines from BMW in the early 2000s.

The final Plus 8 is the 300th to be fitted with BMW's N62 engine and it, alongside the last Aero 8 will become part of Morgan's heritage fleet.

The company, which will be 110 years old in 2019, will continue to produce its Roadster, Plus 4 and 4/4 models as well as the 3 Wheeler.