It sounds like an 1176 with all 4 buttons pushed in on steroids... IMNTLBFHO it's more than worth the money. I don't know where you got the piece... but if your dealer has a decent relationship with the folks at Empirical Labs they can probably get the mod done for you for like $125... which will be less expensive than selling your current unit and buying an EL-8X.
The British mode is definitely worth having. It gives the box even more variety and great sounds. If you have two Distressors I'd also recommend having the stereo image link mod done at the same time.