Saturday 21st January 2017

£100K Garage: Martin Joyce

PHer Martin spent 20 years at Jag, which has influenced his choices just a tad...

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Name: Martin Joyce
Previously owned: Ford Cortina, Vauxhall Cavalier SRi 1.8l and 2.0l, Vauxhall Astra GTE, Metro GTi, more Ford Escorts, Sierras, Fiestas and Mondeos than I can list, Ford Sapphire Cosworth 4x4, Ford Escort Cosworth, Ford Racing Puma, Jaguar XJ8, numerous Jaguar X Types, VW Golf GTI Mk5, Honda Accord, Seat Leon FR x 2 , Ford Ranger, Mazda B2500.

Bikes including SS50, CB125T, XL100, XL250, CD200, CM200, CG125, CBX250, CB400, RG500, GPz500, GPz550 x 2 , CBX550, GSX750, CBX750, VFR750 x 5, VFR800, VFR800 VTEC, ZZR100, CB1100R
Currently owned: Toyota Hilux, Ford Fiesta ST
On the shortlist: Honda CRX, Toyota MR2 Mk1, Toyota Celica GT4, Mazda MX-5 Mk1, BMW M5 (E39), Honda S2000, Honda CB1100R

"I had the pleasure of working at Jaguar from 1983 to 2002 and during that time had the chance to drive every contemporary Jaguar (excluding the XJ220, which isn't really a Jaguar!) and competitor cars from other OEMs. I had Ford/Jaguars as company cars from 1989 and whenever possible took the chance to have the interesting Fords of the day. As such I've driven almost everything on my shortlist but surprisingly only two of my choices are Jags."

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70s:Jaguar E-Type S2 Coupe
Cost: £33,450
Balance: £66,550
Why I chose it: "I've never driven one. I had nothing to do with them when I worked for Jaguar, but I still have my Corgi die-cast E-Type that I was given when I was about six. Any E-Type looks amazing. Very unfashionably I prefer the V12 Coupe (and then the S1 3.8 is 'undertyred') but frankly this one is selected as the only I can afford and still have some money left. Also everyone I knew at Jaguar told me that driving them is a disappointment so, as I am choosing it for the looks alone, the engine doesn't matter that much. I will miss not having the four tailpipes of the V12 though!"

80s:Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth
Cost: £17,995
Balance: £48,555
Why I chose it: "I had a 4x4 one of these as a company car. J237 VAC. May 19 to Nov 4 1992 - what a fantastic car. Yes, I have the dates and registrations of every car! Most of the Cosworths at Jaguar got nicked but I was lucky and at the age of 29 I was driving a Cosworth! It went, it handled, it seated five people, it had a good boot and it was comfortable. In black it was hard to spot it was a Cosworth (I love a Q-car!). Well I wore out the third gear synchro in 17K miles, the turbo was held on with 10 bolts (it had four left at one service) and the inlet manifold also shed bolts as well. But I forgave it all of these things as it was so great to drive. Given the choice though I fancy the RWD original Sapphire for its lighter weight. This example looks nice, again in black and with an interesting bit of history."

90s:Honda RVF750 RC45
Cost: £33,980
Balance: £14,575
Why I chose it: "I've never driven/ridden one of these either. I've had bikes from the age of 16 and most of them have been Hondas, the engineering of which generally sets them apart from the other Japanese manufacturers. My dream bike when I grew up was the CB1100R homologation special (1981 to 1983) and I managed to buy one in 1988 and then sold it in 2010 (now a much regretted sale!). However my daily road bike for the past 10 years has been either a Honda VFR-750 or 800. I just love the feel and sound of the V4 engine. Given my love of Honda's engineering, coupled with the sound of a V4 engine, the only bike to include had to be either an RC30 or RC45. Hard to choose between them but as there aren't any RC30s for sale on PistonHeads at the moment this beautiful, completely standard RC45 with less than 1,000 miles get the vote."

00s:Jaguar XJR 100
Cost: £9,995
Balance: £4,580
Why I chose it: "I worked at Jaguar for 20 years and in my time there I had a fairly big part to do with both the original 4.0-litre V8 engine and supercharging it. There is no doubt that the aluminium XJ8 (X350) from 2003 onwards with the 4.2-litre engine is a better car in every measurable way. But firstly, it's not 'my' version of the engine and, secondly, it's just not as pretty as the X308 (1997 to 2002). This limited edition 100 version to celebrate Sir William Lyon's centenary is just gorgeous. It's perfect with its black exterior, black interior and split rim 19" wheels. A great, great car to 'waft' along on a long journey, yet still with a surprising ability to handle a British B-road as well. An emotional choice for me! [Sadly Martin's choice of XJR has sold; the ad is still live but you can see the other cars for sale here].

[HLS30]

$45000 for a 20 year old bike? It would need a gold bar in the tools to make me even look at it. I was also a Ford minion for many years, but my preference was either Mustangs or Lincolns. Interesting commentary - thanks for the peek under the tent.