Standing starts are sheer wanton pleasure: drop the clutch at 3000rpm and the limited-slip differential encourages both big rear wheels to scream and spin most of their way to the excellent 2.2sec 0-30mph time. Bang the lever into second and there is another yelp as the car leaps forward again. There have been faster times in more sophisticated cars, but none more exciting. You are always conscious of the noise from the deep-voiced twin pipes behind, though they can be docile when required. You can make yourself very audible, if you must, by opening the beautifully progressive, traditional roller-pedalled throttle.
More so than in virtually any other car, the Plus 8’s handling is inextricably bound up in its ride. Steering is by worm and nut, and is high geared at 2.4 turns lock-to-lock. It provides plenty of feedback, but requires far too much physical effort, especially in fast corners.
Despite a slight rear weight bias, there is marked understeer, and the back end is hard to break away on a smooth road. Hit a bump, though, and the rear axle hops out readily, sometimes sending the back sliding, other times just wiggling it. It is a handful down a country road – not dangerous by any means, because, in spite of its waywardness, it is essentially very stable and will always put itself right – but you have to work hard. The problem is mainly the ride, which is very bumpy.
