1969 Morgan Plus 8 Moss Box with extensive period race history

“As raced by Chris Lawrence; former Cooper-Ferrari F1 driver”

When it comes to Morgans with a story to tell, it doesn’t get much more interesting or pedigreed than this.

The Morgan Plus 8 is one of the most significant cars in Morgan’s history, and the early Moss gearbox cars are amongst the most characterful of them all. Introduced in 1968, the Plus 8 combined Morgan’s traditional lightweight chassis and hand-built body with Rover’s compact and powerful new 3.5-litre V8, transforming the performance of the marque almost overnight.

This particular period of Morgan history is closely associated with Chris Lawrence and LawrenceTune. A hugely accomplished racer and engineer, Lawrence had already established himself as one of Morgan’s great competition figures, taking a Morgan Plus 4 to a class victory at Le Mans in 1962. He subsequently worked closely with Peter Morgan on the development of the legendary Plus 4 Super Sports, before establishing LawrenceTune, which went on to develop and campaign some highly successful Morgans, including early Plus 8s.

XNP 35G is a 1969 Morgan Plus 8, fitted with the famed 3.5-litre Rover V8, built by John Eales and mated to the sought-after Moss gearbox. The combination alone makes this an extremely desirable early Plus 8, but when combined with its remarkable competition history, it becomes a genuinely unique Morgan.

The car was first owned by Peter Morgan and subsequently raced by Chris Lawrence, former Cooper-Ferrari F1 driver and founder of LawrenceTune. It has been owned and campaigned by its current owner, Tony Howard, since 1980, who was also a Morgan SLR owner.

XNP raced under the LawrenceTune banner between 1971 and 1980, taking part in a multitude of races and achieving over 25 victories.

The car’s impressive competition record includes winning the Production Sports Car Championship in 1973, whilst owned by Peter Morgan, and the 1974 Modified Sports Car Championship, driven by Chris Lawrence himself and Robin Grey.

In later years, the car continued to see competition use, taking part in the 2006 Historic Sports Car Club 40th Anniversary Race Meeting at Silverstone and the 2009 MG Silverstone Live event. At one point, a lap of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit was recorded at an impressive 1 minute 55 seconds.

XNP has also enjoyed considerable exposure over the years, being featured in magazines on numerous occasions, track tested at Silverstone by The Motor and appearing in several books, making it a very well-known and extensively documented Morgan.

Now reluctantly offered for sale by its current owner, XNP is running and driving and presents extremely well. It has been comprehensively rebuilt over the years, although in order to return it to competitive track use, it will require a thorough recommissioning. This would include items such as new seats and harnesses, a current fire system, fluids, tyres and brakes, along with the usual checks associated with returning a historic competition car to the circuit.

Priced at £59,995, this represents a fascinating opportunity to acquire an early Moss-box Plus 8 with genuine period competition history and an impressive list of previous owners and drivers.

Please note that the car is kept off site near our Reading branch, so please contact us to arrange an appointment to view.