A century of Midland manufacturing is being celebrated by Morgan Motor Company with a special edition 4.8-litre sports car.

The new Morgan Plus 8 Speedster embodies is part of a special line of vehicles to celebrate 100 years of vehicle manufacture at Pickersleigh Road in Malvern.

The company said the Speedster, the latest evolution of the Plus 8, offers an invigorating driving experience “inspired by a bygone era of stripped back, road going race cars”.

It will have a 367 horsepower BMW V8 engine and a meaning it can go from zero to 62mph in 4.2 seconds with a limited top speed of 148 mph.

Morgan added, in a statement: “The latest in aluminium chassis developments ensure that its performance and road-holding will match its looks. The Speedster boasts a power to weight ratio to rival any vehicle in its class.

Following the Morgan tradition, each Speedster comes with a comprehensive list of options to enable every car to be personalised by its owner. Furthermore, every Plus 8 Speedster will sport a series of eccentric styling features only made available on the 100 years celebratory models built during 2014.”

The Speedster enters production in June, and the first cars will be available for delivery in the summer, priced from £69,995.

The Post recently reported Charles Morgan had left the firm.