Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Plus 8

I’m thinking of changing my 2013 Plus 4 for a Plus 8. The 4.0 GEMS version looks good to me and I would greatly appreciate any comments on the pros and cons of such a change. In particular does the GEMS management system generally work okay and are there likely to be emission issues at MOT time?
Many thanks

Long story , but a few salient points for you,

1 You are swapping a car that is at least 10 years older and may have 10 years' worth of more problems behind it.

2 The +8 is a bigger and heavier car than the +4 Duratec, it does take more taming on the limit , you will lose that "checkable" handling.

3 The GEMS engine is as reliable as any of the other Rover V8 powered +8s , with a few tiny exceptions surrounding the combined fuelling and ignition system. If you chip it , you need to do both, AND you need to ensure that there is no back voltage through the ignition switch , as this will flatten the battery overnight , easily dealt with by someone who has experience of this problem (Mark Adams at Tornado systems) The engine was not well set up by MMC and lacks knock sensors, the chips are OK but replacing them brings a big improvement .

3A The GEMS system is classified as Euro 4 , so is compliant with most ULEZ regulations in UK.

4 You will gain a lovely soundtrack , that V8 rumble is hard to beat

5 Your mpg will fall dramatically from around 40 to less than 30

6 The power delivery is totally different , instant torque from low revs means very relaxed cruising, but the engine will not rev as quickly as the Duratec, it just "builds up" rather than screams , so you do lose some of that sports car feel (the engine was designed for a 2 tonne 4x4, so hardly surprising)

Buy an S1 Roadster, lighter faster & better on fuel.

And has bags of torque, and a great soundtrack from the V6 exhaust, maybe not as deep as the V8 but still raises a smile on peoples faces as you drive past.

Or of course a Brooklands Roadster. There will be a nice example on sale at Williams very soon. Not my car in case you are wondering

Better on fuel .... certainly (Ford V6 is a modern DOHC unit)
Lighter ......... yes , but not that much
Faster .... I would dispute that

But the main problem for the Roadster for me is the low ground clearance , SE London is infested with speed bumps of all shapes and sizes. I go over them gingerly in the +8 , but the Roadster (even with the modified sump from Mulberry or SiFab) is a whole lot worse.

Yes but a musical friend of mine gave a good simile , he likened the V8 to the full orchestra , but the V6 to being a couple of sections short.

The torque of the V6 is there , but you have to work for it and rev it more , the V8 produces it from lower down the rev range. The V6 Aero Racing challenge cars always face problems getting them off the line compared to the V8s.

Just go drive it and fall in love and show us the pictures..

If possible take a friend with you that knows the Plus 8 well if you are not confident in your knowledge, good luck they are special cars.

Interesting, different people's perceptions.......I can pottle around in 5th gear at 1000rpm in my S2 and it will pick up cleanly. In fact it has so much torque low down that trying to pull away on a hill start without spinning the wheels is almost an impossibility.

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Interesting, do you have any citation on the comparative weight thing?