Welcome! A very nice car - even without Peter and the dog.
I do understand your problem too well. My first +8 was built in December 1991. It had two catalytic converters, in Germany I had no choice by then, and both were on the driver's side. Chris mentioned what you could do. I only know one more solution against the hot air coming from the gearbox. There is a rubber sealing available for (German?) water-closets you can fit around the gearstick. Actually, I never fitted it because I didn't know whether the gearbox would like the extra heat.
Enjoy your car and Talk Morgan,
Roderich
