Morgan Motors’ timeless Plus 4 gains a 225-hp Cosworth engine for its 65th birthday

By Ronan Glon July 24, 2015

Morgan AR P4 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Morgan Motors’ Plus 4 is celebrating its 65th birthday, a milestone that’s practically unheard of in the auto industry. To celebrate the occasion, the British carmaker has traveled to the 2015 Silverstone Classic that’s taking place in England to introduce a limited-edition version of the heritage-laced roadster.

Developed with input from renowned Morgan tuner AR Motorsport, the AR Plus 4 is powered by a Cosworth-built, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that delivers 225 horsepower — nearly 75 more than the standard Plus 4. Performance statistics are not available yet, but the sub-2,000-pound roadster is expected to be capable of reaching 62 mph from a stop in less than seven seconds before going on to a top speed of over 120 mph.

To complement the extra grunt, Morgan has also fitted the Plus 4 with a comprehensively redesigned suspensions system that includes adjustable shock absorbers on all four corners, more powerful brakes, a different axle ratio, and a revised chassis. All told, the AR P4 promises to be the most driver-focused Plus 4 built over the last six decades.

It’s also billed as one of the most user-friendly Plus 4s ever to come out of the Malvern, England, factory thanks to additional sound-deadening material under the hood and throughout the body as well as a revised dashboard that boasts additional gauges, switches, and warning lights. LED lights on both ends help the driver see and be seen.

Visually, the AR P4 gains clear turn signals up front, model-specific stickers on the rocker panels and a pair of twin black exhaust tips. Finally, Morgan has thrown out the Plus 4’s classic wire wheels and installed a set of more modern-looking alloys.

Built entirely by hand, the Morgan AR Plus 4 carries a base price of £54,995, a sum that converts to approximately $85,300 at the time of writing. Just 50 examples will be built, and the car maker predicts that they’ll all be spoken for relatively soon because a handful of them have already been sold.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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