More than any other car maker, Morgan is about tradition. It has been run by the same family since day one, the cars’ styling has remained largely unchanged for over 50 years, the bodies still sit on ash frames and, since 1968, the Plus 8 has been powered by the Buick-derived Rover V8 engine.

The all-alloy V8 started as a 3.5-litre with 150bhp, and by the end of production last May it had risen to 3.9 litres and 190bhp.

But now it’s gone. For its replacement, Morgan follows fellow low-volume Brits Noble and Marcos by opting for Ford V6 power, in this case the Mondeo ST220’s 3.0-litre.

From the outside, you’d never guess that there’s a new heart throbbing beneath the louvered two-piece bonnet, because dimensions and styling are unchanged from the old car’s. Which is exactly how it should be.

The olde-worlde feel continues inside. Firm chairs beautifully trimmed in red leather are bolted to the floor yet sit curiously high. Ahead there’s a slab of wood punctured by cream-faced Smiths instruments and fronted by the obligatory Moto-Lita wood-and-aluminium wheel.

Just don’t look down. Let your eyes stray beneath the dash and you’ll get a shock: there’s a nasty control for the heater, the stereo is ridiculously inaccessible (though at least its hidden position means it doesn’t spoil the traditional look) and there is a galvanised steel bar, inexplicably left uncarpeted, running across the middle of the floor.