Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Drove the new Morgan Plus 8 today

No good phoning my Bank Manager, he has a sense of humour by-pass.

:snowlaugh:

TM creative writing comp coming soon, Simon and Boshers already off the blocks, can you give a short answer to a loaded question,

Promise of a 100 mile blast deserted on deserted fast A and B roads, (The Max stays put in the garage) do you grab the keys to +4SS or +8?

Like most either/or questions the choices given are asking you compare apples and pears or Aero chassis and trad chassis and may say more about the driver than the cars

i enjoyed both reads. many thanks and well done to Mog Co.

My experience of the +4SS is briefer than that of the +8 however IMHO the +8 anytime.

I can't think of another vehicle that I wouldn't say the same to maybe an Atom or a KTM but haven't driven either.

Not having driven either (more's the pity as far as the +4SS goes), either my +4 (Tinkerbelle) as was, RTA, or, if you promise no cameras etc. a Europa TwinCam from the late 70's / early 80s...

Cheers,

You still haven't told us, and please don't say it was a sausage role for Simon.

Coffee & cake?

You are such a tease, especially as you already know! All will be revealed in due course and you'll understand why I couldn't resist

The Plus 8 would definitely be a more relaxed drive on long, straight roads (the underpinnings of the Aero chassis and the bags of torque of the V8 would make cruising effortless); my time behind the wheel has not given me the full picture of which would be the more enjoyable given a twisty route.

Whilst the Plus4SS is in its element on twisty and challenging roads, having done the Alps (in particular the Col de la Bonette) in the Aeromax, I have little doubt the Plus 8 would be a very willing and capable compatriot.

If it sounds like I'm sitting on the fence, I am.

I was blown away by how planted and rapid the Plus4SS felt when I first drove one; that feeling hasn't dissipated.

However, the Plus 8 impressed me to no end and for your question, I've inferred a lot of my driving experience with the Aeromax into how the +8 would perform on your hypothetical journey.

In short, I guess a lot would depend on my mood.

If I was in the mood to blast through the 100 miles, really pushing both my ability (limited! ;)) and those of the car (far in excess of my skills), I'd choose the Plus 4 SS. I think it would make each mile an adventure and you'd finish tired but knowing you'd rung each ounce of pleasure for the time spent behind the wheel; in essence, you'd spent 100-miles racing against yourself and the clock.

If, however, I wanted to sit back, relax, cruise and take some of the miles with ease and some with a bit of a frenzy, the Plus 8 would make the 100-miles fly by. Effortless is the perfect word for how I believe it would perform. Again, much of this is based on how competent a mile muncher the Aeros are.

This isn't to say you couldn't cover miles with ease in the Plus4SS or that the Plus 8 couldn't be a bit of an animal but imho, one is an animal you could tame by not thrashing it, whilst the other has the potential to be the consummate GT, who would be willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in if the mood took hold.

Hard call but the 100 miles in either would be a pleasure.

When I posed the question I deliberately stated 100 miles. It can be somewhat wearisome to drive at ten tenths for much longer. One measure of greatness of a particular car is how well it can play different roles. If the new plus 8 can waft or hustle as the mood takes you then it will truly deserve to be a success. A good big un is often at an advantage to a good little un in this respect, small engines usually lack the torque, or torque in the right place to be really relaxing