ICONIC British sports car maker Morgan has allowed its design and engineering teams to let their imaginations run wild for a very special version of the Plus 8.

It's so special that production of the Plus 8 GTR will be limited to just nine examples which will owe their existence to the fact that the company recently ‘found' a number of pre-2018 Plus 8 aero chassis which had originally been supplied to another company for a project which was eventually discontinued.

Having retrieved them, the Malvern-based company decided to allow its design and engineering teams free rein to reignite one of the marque's legacy models which has resulted in the creation of what it calls a ‘gloves off' special edition.

The GTR takes some of its design inspiration from the Plus 8 race car - affectionately known as ‘Big Blue'- that competed in the GT series throughout the late nineties.

The design features a high shoulder line, not seen on a traditional Morgan body for decades, five-spoke centre-lock wheels, re-sculpted wheel arches, a revised rear end, front wings, and front splitter.

The GTR will be powered by a 4.8-litre BMW V8 engine which can be expected to be tuned to deliver more than the 362 bhp of the power units original fitted to the aero chassis Plus 8. Buyers will be offered a choice of a six-speed manual or ZF six-speed automatic gearbox and will be invited to work with Morgan's design team to commission their own bespoke car.

Production of the Plus 8 GTR will start in the summer, but while only nine are to be built for worldwide markers the company says that they will be just the first in a line of Morgan special projects set to commence this year.

Jonathan Wells, Morgan Head of Design, said: "Reviving a V8-powered Morgan at the current time may not seem like the obvious choice for a manufacturer firmly focused on new platforms and powertrains. This project has allowed Morgan's design and engineering teams to revisit some of their favourite elements of past Morgan models, as well as experiment with some features that we hope will appear on future Morgan cars."