I suppose everybody is advocating their own car, so am I - but I will try to throw in a few facts.... The +8 is iconic, has a company history, the V8 blurb and loads of torque. A true classic. And it is the car that many morganeers and morganeers in spe dream of. Perhaps the easier car to sell at a good price when the day comes - more potential buyers. And yes, I have driven the +8, though only ocasionally.
But the V6 Roadster has a more modern, lighter and shorter aluminium engine, with the point of gravity further aft and thus the car better balanced. It is more powerful than the +8, but not overpowered relative to the chassis. The torque might be less than in a +8, but more than enough, believe me - and if you release all the power at higher revs it is quite a handful, although controllable. Being from 2005 it might be a S1 226 hp, with the german Getrag gearbox, virtually indestructible and with very good ratios. If you wish you can go around most of the day in 4th and 5th, almost like an automatic, if you whip it around twisty roads or want to ovetake quickly you have all the reasponse you need. And it might have perhaps best looking and well proportioned dash of all Morgans (IMHO). The S2 and S3 does not have the Getrag, they have 205 and 275 hp respectively (if I remember well), and they might have the dreaded rev hang. The early S1 had a full metal rad, no overheating - as the +8 ocasionally has. The later Roadsters had rads of metal combined with plastic, prone to leakage - which may have lead to a change of rad. The soundtrack is not very impressive, more like an ordinary sedan.
We do not buy such cars with rationale and cold hearts, so I fully understand those who eager after a +8 for it's iconic status and other reasons I have stated above. My opninion is still that the V6 Roadster is technically the better car. At least the S1, possibly the S2 and S3 as well. I would never change my S1.
But I admit I could do with a little more sound......Perhaps side pipes one of these days.......?
This was my feeling today after hearing the noise made by my friends v8. If only it sounded like a V8 😕
