The Plus 8 morphed into the S1 Roadster in 2004, so the difference is little more than the engine and gearbox .
Early ones also have steering damper blades and the short lived Devol bushes and bump steer until the steering geometry was upgraded.
I lived behind a Rover V8 for 22 years. It's tough losing that sound but the V6 when pushed has a very satisfying snarl, and is a much more modern unit than the Rover V8.
For me the later Roadsters don't have what the S1 has...hard to describe, but the S1 is so well resolved (after a bit of tweaking obviously).
