COOL CLASSIC CAR SPOTTERS POST! (Vol 3)
Discussion
I didn't speak to the owner I'm afraid, just deducing from the big brakes. I think it had LPG too, evidently a regularly used car. The open day was quite interesting in fact, a good mix of people and cars including many who are obviously good customers but not involved with the owners club.
tog said:
I didn't speak to the owner I'm afraid, just deducing from the big brakes. I think it had LPG too, evidently a regularly used car. The open day was quite interesting in fact, a good mix of people and cars including many who are obviously good customers but not involved with the owners club.
Nice to see one used, and rare enough to see one, let alone a couple of dozen! that must have been quite a sight 
lukeharding said:
Oh that is absolutely stonking!! Looks like its been off the road since at least 2005 sadly. Hopefully its still out there waiting to be saved, I'd love to own that!
It was a lovely car. The only major expense I had on it was after I went to have a drink with an old racing driver who asked if he could drive it. Long story short, he got it into reverse at sixty. It did the gearbox quite a lot of damage.
/bitofanunderstatement
DickyC said:
Long story short, he got it into reverse at sixty.
It did the gearbox quite a lot of damage.
/bitofanunderstatement
I'm not sure if it's an urban myth or not, but apparently the J-Gate "Randle Handle" was conceived after a development driver lunched the box of some prototype or another by inadvertently selecting reverse at speed. I think I read that in Car magazine when the XJ40 was launched that Randle scratched his chin and came up with the design. It did the gearbox quite a lot of damage.
/bitofanunderstatement
DickyC said:
It was a lovely car. The only major expense I had on it was after I went to have a drink with an old racing driver who asked if he could drive it. Long story short, he got it into reverse at sixty.
It did the gearbox quite a lot of damage.
/bitofanunderstatement
Yes its a bit too easy to do. I threw mine into reverse baby accident (trying to get neutral) at 1/2mph when it stalled and the jolt from that wasn't too pleasant but no damage luckilyIt did the gearbox quite a lot of damage.
/bitofanunderstatement
TCEvo said:
That brown XJ-S is superb.
Similar one that I saw in Witham, Essex back in 2016. Very late 1981 car & has a current MOT.
Tow hook's a bit unusual.
Thats quite a late pre HE too, very nice! I wonder if the tow bar was original fitment as thats very rare. Would look even nicer with the thinner pin stripe. Similar one that I saw in Witham, Essex back in 2016. Very late 1981 car & has a current MOT.
Tow hook's a bit unusual.
lukeharding said:
Yes its a bit too easy to do. I threw mine into reverse by accident (trying to get neutral) at 1/2mph when it stalled and the jolt from that wasn't too pleasant but no damage luckily
Off Topic - Because I'm old I'm allowed to tell the same story several times. I've told this before on PH.The old racing driver and I had met several times but when he retired to an old folks home near work I saw him more often. Naturally, when I bought the XJS I took it to show him. "Tell you what, old boy, you let me drive it and you can tell prospective buyers in the future that a former Jaguar Works driver has driven it and pronounced it okay." I could so easily have refused. I drove it round the lanes to the dual carriageway and pulled into a layby to swap seats. He settled in, took out a pair of specs that looked like they'd come from a joke shop and looked down at the gear lever. "Ah, it's automatic." He took the stick in hand and went very quickly up and down through the gears - brrrp! brrp! - selected 1, glanced over his shoulder and stood on the accelerator. This should be interesting, I said to myself. We came howling out of the layby, got to sixty and the acceleration faltered. "Oh," he said, "I thought it would be faster." "You're still in first, Jack." "Am I, old boy?" We both looked down and, I swear this is true, neither of us looked up until it was all over. "So I am." He took the stick and went, one, two, drive, neutral, reverse. An inexplicable calmness descended over me. "You've put it in reverse, Jack." "Have I? So I have." I could feel the gearbox doing its best to cope but knew it would soon capitulate. At the same instant the back wheels locked he pulled it into neutral. There was just the shortest bark from the tyres. We looked up. Luckily it was a straight road. We coasted a bit and then he selected drive, went round a roundabout, stopped in another layby and handed the car back. I drove him to the old folks home and neither of us ever mentioned it. I drove home and the next day it drove okay and I thought I'd got away with it. The following morning it wouldn't move and was collected on a low-loader.
So many lessons learned that evening.
DickyC said:
Off Topic - Because I'm old I'm allowed to tell the same story several times. I've told this before on PH.
The old racing driver and I had met several times but when he retired to an old folks home near work I saw him more often. Naturally, when I bought the XJS I took it to show him. "Tell you what, old boy, you let me drive it and you can tell prospective buyers in the future that a former Jaguar Works driver has driven it and pronounced it okay." I could so easily have refused. I drove it round the lanes to the dual carriageway and pulled into a layby to swap seats. He settled in, took out a pair of specs that looked like they'd come from a joke shop and looked down at the gear lever. "Ah, it's automatic." He took the stick in hand and went very quickly up and down through the gears - brrrp! brrp! - selected 1, glanced over his shoulder and stood on the accelerator. This should be interesting, I said to myself. We came howling out of the layby, got to sixty and the acceleration faltered. "Oh," he said, "I thought it would be faster." "You're still in first, Jack." "Am I, old boy?" We both looked down and, I swear this is true, neither of us looked up until it was all over. "So I am." He took the stick and went, one, two, drive, neutral, reverse. An inexplicable calmness descended over me. "You've put it in reverse, Jack." "Have I? So I have." I could feel the gearbox doing its best to cope but knew it would soon capitulate. At the same instant the back wheels locked he pulled it into neutral. There was just the shortest bark from the tyres. We looked up. Luckily it was a straight road. We coasted a bit and then he selected drive, went round a roundabout, stopped in another layby and handed the car back. I drove him to the old folks home and neither of us ever mentioned it. I drove home and the next day it drove okay and I thought I'd got away with it. The following morning it wouldn't move and was collected on a low-loader.
So many lessons learned that evening.
Ha, its an interesting story though! I'm not sure who I feel more sorry for... you, him or the car! The old racing driver and I had met several times but when he retired to an old folks home near work I saw him more often. Naturally, when I bought the XJS I took it to show him. "Tell you what, old boy, you let me drive it and you can tell prospective buyers in the future that a former Jaguar Works driver has driven it and pronounced it okay." I could so easily have refused. I drove it round the lanes to the dual carriageway and pulled into a layby to swap seats. He settled in, took out a pair of specs that looked like they'd come from a joke shop and looked down at the gear lever. "Ah, it's automatic." He took the stick in hand and went very quickly up and down through the gears - brrrp! brrp! - selected 1, glanced over his shoulder and stood on the accelerator. This should be interesting, I said to myself. We came howling out of the layby, got to sixty and the acceleration faltered. "Oh," he said, "I thought it would be faster." "You're still in first, Jack." "Am I, old boy?" We both looked down and, I swear this is true, neither of us looked up until it was all over. "So I am." He took the stick and went, one, two, drive, neutral, reverse. An inexplicable calmness descended over me. "You've put it in reverse, Jack." "Have I? So I have." I could feel the gearbox doing its best to cope but knew it would soon capitulate. At the same instant the back wheels locked he pulled it into neutral. There was just the shortest bark from the tyres. We looked up. Luckily it was a straight road. We coasted a bit and then he selected drive, went round a roundabout, stopped in another layby and handed the car back. I drove him to the old folks home and neither of us ever mentioned it. I drove home and the next day it drove okay and I thought I'd got away with it. The following morning it wouldn't move and was collected on a low-loader.
So many lessons learned that evening.
DickyC said:
lukeharding said:
Ha, its an interesting story though! I'm not sure who I feel more sorry for... you, him or the car!
The car. It was entirely innocent and the only one not being stupid 
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