TAM wrote:
My youngest brother owns a 1971 Jaguar XKE-12. It has a 5.7 liter V-12 under the hood, fed by a trio of carburetors. In that era, it was a true supercar of the same ilk as Ferraris and Aston Martins. It is a real treat to drive, but it does NOT reward sloppy habits. It goes exactly where you point it, and the connection between the steering and front tire patches is direct. There is zero slop in the steering. It demands precision, and it rewards precision with a remarkable driving experience. OTH, if you over-correct, you will be rewarded with bad juju. You literally feel the road surface in your hands, and can tell exactly what your tires are doing. The connection between the gas pedal and the engine is equally direct and linear. There is no mush in the pedal. There is no delay in the throttle response either. The car leaps forward immediately when you give it the gas. The only difference between a small amount of pedal and a big amount of pedal is how hard it pushes you back into the seat....but the response is right now. If you give it too much gas when you didn't mean to, you are rewarded with bad juju. Not enough gas = not enough juju. The brakes are equally responsive, with no mush in the pedal. Either too little or too much pressure on the brake pedal rewards you with bad juju. The right amount is astonishing for its efficiency. The ride is on the harsh side. It has suspension, but that suspension (using the technology of the day) was calibrated to control a car going 150 mph, not one going 45 mph. The interior ergonomics are designed for high performance driving and comfort is secondary.......so while I would gladly borrow it for a day of spirited driving on curvy country roads, it is not a car I would choose for daily commuting. The electronics are by Lucas, Prince of Darkness.....and you need a set of British Whitworth tools if you want to work on it yourself. You can work on it yourself if you want to, but most XKE owners I know (my brother included) also maintain friendly relationships with their local XKE-specialist mechanic. I said that driving it is a real treat, and it is, but the whole time I'm behind the wheel, I'm scared that some knucklehead is going to run into me.....or that in the process of trying to avoid said knucklehead, I'll over-correct with steering/gas/brakes. The car demands precision, and it is not happy in traffic. It wants the open road, preferably with lots of curves. It's a crapshoot whether it will light on the first turn of the ignition key or not.....or not light at all.....in which case you get to lift that sexy forward-hinged hood while an admiring crowd gathers around and asks a lot of questions.....which in the moment, if you are honest, you have trouble answering.....because you had to raise your hood. Finally, the XKE hasn't been built that will last 200,000+ miles on regular oil changes.
^^^^^^^^ All true.
When I was in college I had a '69 XKE Roadster, 4.2 six with Dual Strombergs. Really enjoyed that vehicle for all the reasons listed above, but it was not a particularly reliable car and required an incredible amount of maintenance. But....lord was it worth it!
lift that sexy forward-hinged hood
Shame on you! Jags do NOT have hoods. They have a 'Bonnet'.
Also, they (certain year models) actually came with a rudimentary tool kit (hammer for the knock off spoked wheels, various small hand tools) and an instruction manual. Had to laugh when reading it, things like: "Take the spanner (
we call it a wrench) and address the nut smartly".........
Mine was a used '68 Vette fastback customized with a 427 Offenhauser engine, a 4-barrel quadjet carb, and a radical cam that made it sound nastier than any Harley.
But it did get "the need for speed" out of my system. I stuck with manual transmissions for the next 20 years simply because I preferred the control it gave,