Malvern-based Morgan Motor Co (www.morgan-motor.co.uk) has released the first images of the 50th Anniversary Edition of its iconic Plus 8, ahead of its unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show on 6 March.

Named after the famous eight-cylinder engine beneath the car’s hand-built body, over 6,000 Plus 8 models have been built in the last 50 years at Morgan’s Pickersleigh Road home.

The family-owned manufacturer of bespoke sports cars will produce 50 of the special-edition models, each to be sold through its existing dealership network.

The images released by the company show a blue lacquered paint finish, reminiscent of the first Plus 8 production model (known as MMC11), with hand-painted yellow accents around the car’s iconic front grill, along the bonnet and on the rear towing eyes.

The Morgan Plus 8 has a lightweight aluminium chassis and a 4.8-litre BMW engine beneath the traditional Morgan body. At just 1,100kg, it is one of the lightest V8 passenger cars in the world and has a top speed of 155mph.

The Plus 8 prototype was revealed to the public at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1968. About 6,000 Plus 8s were made before the car was discontinued in 2004, when production of the Rover V8 engine came to a halt.

In 2012, the Plus 8 returned to the Morgan range — on a lightweight aluminium chassis and with a powerful 4.8-litre BMW engine. With a restyled body, the new Plus 8 was larger and significantly quicker than any ‘classic’ Morgan before that time.

The Plus 8 50th Anniversary Edition will be the last Morgan sports car to feature the naturally aspirated V8 engine.

Managing director Steve Morris said: “This 50th Anniversary Edition is a fitting illustration of the Plus 8’s beauty and finesse, coupled with raw exhilaration and capability.

“Performance has underpinned every one of the Plus 8s that have driven out of our factory gates for 50 years, and we’re excited to be revealing the car in full in Geneva.”