What Not

1987 Jaguar XJ-S

The boys and I were walking through a parking lot in Wake Forest, NC, when we chanced upon a woman placing her groceries in the trunk of this beautiful car. I couldn’t help asking her about it. “Ma’am, I used to have an XJ-S. Would you mind if I took a picture of your car?” She said, “Sure, as long as I’m not in the picture.” For the next five minutes we swapped stories about our cars. She and her husband only drive it once in a while. It’s kind of a special events car. But as we spoke one common experience was evident. We both commiserated about the high cost of maintaining the V12. Even so, it was nice to experience this iconic car again.

I’m home sick today—nasty head cold. But when Jefferson came home from school, I helped him finish the Jaguar XJ-S pine derby car for tomorrow’s weigh-in. I told him he should sell advertising spots to Leikin Motor Companies, but he didn’t want to. Instead, he chose to advertize the Christian adventure books he’s reading. In any event, Jefferson and I are happy with how the car turned out. The only thing it’s missing is the chrome jaguar for the hood!

Thanks to Corvette Bob and Grandpa for help shaping the wood.

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My oldest son will be racing in his cub scout’s pinewood derby in a week or so.  So, he asked if we could work on it tonight.  After all the SAVE SAAB hub bub and the tears in my children’s eyes when they heard SAAB might go under, I was thinking he might like to make a Swedish car.  But he chose something different.  I’m not sure where he got this idea, but I can honestly say that I didn’t tell him what to make. Really!

After squashing the graphic to about 75% of its height, we were able to print out, trace, and affix the sideview of the car to the side of the block. Then a quick call to a woodworking friend from church led to a late night bandsaw party. We both learned a bit and enjoyed working with Bob (of Corvette Mongoose fame). When we left the house, Jefferson had enough sandpaper, files, and tools to carve out a respectable entry. His biggest challenges will be filing out the sloping hood and raised headlights as well as the infamous flying buttresses.

Stay tuned!

H/T Autoblog

After our Sunday evening church service, I stood by the glass doors looking out at the parking lot.  Seeing the lights of cars pulling away in the darkness, reminded me of the days when we still owned the Jaguar XJ-S.  That was a special car.  Except for the fact that it was truly a two-seater (with enough rear seating for maybe two Chinchillas) I wouldn’t mind owning one again.*  One of the primary reasons was the beautiful design of the car.  There’s just something about a Jaguar that you can’t get over.  People still think so today. Take it from an automotive writer who drove the new super-charged Jaguar XF for an extended test drive.

“We were continually surprised by how much attention the car attracted, even after nine months on the road. “I came out of the dry cleaner’s to find a man standing just gazing at it,” said one staffer. “He asked me what model it was and kept repeating, ‘Beautiful, just beautiful,’ and actually stood there and watched as I pulled away.” The design simply draws people in, and the Jaguar name is still magical to many folks.”

Natalie Neff, “Treading Lightly Again: Shedding winter tires brings our Jag back to life,” AUTOWEEK, November 15, 2009, p. 30.

*I conveniently left out the high cost of repairs, the amount of oil the V12 consumed, the collapsed driver’s seat, and a number of other unimportant things. You know what they say … “Love is blind.”

For it’s 60th anniversary, Motor Trend recently came out with its 60 coolest cars of the last 60 years.  Not surprisingly, two of them were Jaguars (the Mark II and the E-type).  But I must admit that a few cars were missing that would have made my own list.  But then again, who am I?

Well, let me answer that questions.  I’m a car salesman who has owned and driven a number of interesting cars over the years.  And I’m a blogger who happens to have time to write an article about his own coolest cars.  So, let Motor Trend have their own ideas … and I’ll express my own.

1. 1982 Jaguar XJ-S V12 HE

This is my favorite car of all that I’ve owned or might have a chance to ever own.  It’s one of those designs that some people love and others can’t stand to see.  But to me, it’s the ultimate car in my budget range.  The beautiful sloping hood and raised headlights along with the V-12 engine make this a car that won’t easily be forgotten.

2. 1988 SAAB 900 Turbo 5 speed

After owning two other Classic 900s, I found this one on eBay in the Washington DC area.  The price was right and the performance exhilarating.  What a difference the upgraded suspension and turbo charger made over the model S.  And having found an SPG box in the junk yard also bumped up the horse power and throttle response.  It was quite the car because of it’s classic Swedish styling, powerful kick, comfortable leather seats, and nicely upholstered plaid door inserts.

3. 2008 Volvo C30 2.0 6 speed

Yes, the Volvo S60R should probably be in this spot, but there’s something about the styling of the C30 that bumped the R down a notch.  With a 227 hp turbo charged 5 cylinder mated to a 6 speed manual gearbox, this was one fun car to drive.  I may never own one, but I’ll take every chance to drive one!

4. 1980 Chevy Monza

I was a poor college student working for the Tradin’ Times in Columbus, Ohio, when a college chum gave this car to me. At the time, it was the coolest car I had ever owned. It had cloth bucket seats, a leaky automatic 3 speed, and the iron duke 2.5 liter four cylinder. It’s nothing compared to the cars above, but at the time, it was “pretty cool.”

From what I recall, Tom Walkinshaw was the man responsible for the R series Jaguars. These were beefed up version of the XJ6 and XJ-S. In the following video, you can see what Walkinshaw was able to do with a hopped up XJ-S. Watch for the “up on two wheels” corner. I was holding the sides of my seat just watching it. Yikes!