In standard form, the plus 8 is pretty hopeless as a sports car but when sensibly modified, they can be very rewarding. Before I get flamed for saying such a thing, I'm comparing them to other cars I've had, such as top spec Caterhams, highly modded E Types, TVR Griffiths and Lotus's.
My first plus 8 was a trully dreadful car, totally standard
Hi Culminator,
I guess that everyone has a different definition of a sports car. I come from a similar backfround Lotus, Caterhan, TVR etc. (I sold the Caterham and the Cerbie to fund the Mog)
But I would not call a standard +8 a hopeless sports car and if your first +8 was truly dreadful then I suspect that may have been that particular car rather than the breed as a whole. I found that when standard the +8 handled as well as the Griff and was not far behind in the ride stakes. Flooring it from standstill would get the car snaking, but feeding in the power overcomes that and still leaves black lines on the tarmac. I would say that brutal use of the throttle out of a corner unsettles the car more than the Griff so I soon learnt to be a little more gentle. Conversely I was much more confident in the +8 in the rain than either the Griff or Cerbie.
I did elect to make some minor mods but I would consider none of them essential.
Brian
