1965 E Type Road Test
Discussion
I was looking at a a Motor Sport magazine this evening, January 1965.
It includes an E Type road test on what was the fledgling motorway network. A couple of the sentences that made me smile:
"The A4(M) is a 2 lane motorway, crowded at 10am with trucks so that our speed fell repeatedly from 130 mph to 40 mph."
"The M6 to Preston is a fine 3 lane motorway reminiscent of such roads on the Continent. We paused at the first service area to drink tea and buy Aspro. This enabled us to discover another very comprehensive and well-planned building containing a grille and griddle restaurant, snack bar with carry-away meals service, a party catering room, a Post Office and naturally automatic machines serving cigarettes and chocolate."
Those were the days!
It includes an E Type road test on what was the fledgling motorway network. A couple of the sentences that made me smile:
"The A4(M) is a 2 lane motorway, crowded at 10am with trucks so that our speed fell repeatedly from 130 mph to 40 mph."
"The M6 to Preston is a fine 3 lane motorway reminiscent of such roads on the Continent. We paused at the first service area to drink tea and buy Aspro. This enabled us to discover another very comprehensive and well-planned building containing a grille and griddle restaurant, snack bar with carry-away meals service, a party catering room, a Post Office and naturally automatic machines serving cigarettes and chocolate."
Those were the days!
Similar nostalgia-fest here: https://youtu.be/YIgskqk5PB4
London to Bath in a Mk2 Jaguar with commentary thrown in.
London to Bath in a Mk2 Jaguar with commentary thrown in.
The first stretch of Motorway in Britain was the Preston bypass, (later the M6) opened in 1958. There used to be a commemorative sign on the verge a few years back, but it seems to have disappeared.
The early 3.8 "E"s were good for a genuine 140mph, at a time when the average saloon would reach about 75/80.
The early 3.8 "E"s were good for a genuine 140mph, at a time when the average saloon would reach about 75/80.
The150 mph E-type story is and always has been a myth. When the car was prepared for the test it purportedly had alloy doors, boot lid and bonnet, plus dear Norman changed the engine three times to get the loosest one. Standard cars were probably capable of 135 at best. I have seen an indicated (not true)135 mph on mine, but declined to keep the right foot planted at that precise moment. As regards in the days, I must dig out dear Jenks run from the south of France to Calais overnight, and his stories of doing an oil change at the side of the road. And Ken, don't forget that the cars sent to the USA ended up as gasping strangled wrecks with but two Strombergs.
Lowdrag - You might have been going faster. With Sir William's frugal attitude, Jaguar paid much less than other manufacturers for components. As a consequence, their speedometers often read slow especially in the higher range. The situation applied as long as they used the old type Smiths' instrument.
lowdrag said:
... And Ken, don't forget that the cars sent to the USA ended up as gasping strangled wrecks with but two Strombergs.
I'd not forgotten them, how could one forget their suffering and their humiliation, the poor benighted things. But that was long after the claims of 150MPH.Peter3442 said:
Lowdrag - You might have been going faster. With Sir William's frugal attitude, Jaguar paid much less than other manufacturers for components. As a consequence, their speedometers often read slow especially in the higher range. The situation applied as long as they used the old type Smiths' instrument.
This was certainly the case on my XK, above about 110 the speed hardly moved even though the rev counter continues to climb nicely. It also went through periods where the speedo couldn't accelerate as fast as the car.Edited by a8hex on Sunday 29th September 00:11
I'd heard the story about Jaguar speedometers, but not taken them seriously. Then, I noticed that other cars seemed to go more slowly on the motorway when I was driving an old Jaguar, even my relatively modern DD6. According to my satnav, the 1986 DD6 reads 3 or 4 mph slow around 80 mph, but is close to accurate at 40 mph.
Now I understand why in 2008 everyone was giving me hell. I was in the Lynx D-type and had an indicated 100 mph on the speedo, with six cars following me. We'd gone to the Hotel de France during the Classic for a meal and we were heading home. On arriving, I was b
ked up hill and down dale for driving at 120 mph which I vehemently denied, and did so for years. I now suppose it was true. But what the hell, it was a great run. 
ked up hill and down dale for driving at 120 mph which I vehemently denied, and did so for years. I now suppose it was true. But what the hell, it was a great run. Keep it stiff said:
I was looking at a a Motor Sport magazine this evening, January 1965.
It includes an E Type road test on what was the fledgling motorway network. A couple of the sentences that made me smile:
"The A4(M) is a 2 lane motorway, crowded at 10am with trucks so that our speed fell repeatedly from 130 mph to 40 mph."
"The M6 to Preston is a fine 3 lane motorway reminiscent of such roads on the Continent. We paused at the first service area to drink tea and buy Aspro. This enabled us to discover another very comprehensive and well-planned building containing a grille and griddle restaurant, snack bar with carry-away meals service, a party catering room, a Post Office and naturally automatic machines serving cigarettes and chocolate."
Those were the days!
It includes an E Type road test on what was the fledgling motorway network. A couple of the sentences that made me smile:
"The A4(M) is a 2 lane motorway, crowded at 10am with trucks so that our speed fell repeatedly from 130 mph to 40 mph."
"The M6 to Preston is a fine 3 lane motorway reminiscent of such roads on the Continent. We paused at the first service area to drink tea and buy Aspro. This enabled us to discover another very comprehensive and well-planned building containing a grille and griddle restaurant, snack bar with carry-away meals service, a party catering room, a Post Office and naturally automatic machines serving cigarettes and chocolate."
Those were the days!
Thanks for the clipping from the mag - amazed to see the Ross M50 branch was there amongst the earliest m-ways.
I still remember the 'odd' stretch of the A40M up to Tring (now all part of the A40), and the 'forgotten' M20 Ashford by-pass as it was until the network expanded down towards the newfangled chunnel development.
Surely this thread needs additions from those who can remember the exploits of Newport Pagnells' finest when testing on the new M1...
I still remember the 'odd' stretch of the A40M up to Tring (now all part of the A40), and the 'forgotten' M20 Ashford by-pass as it was until the network expanded down towards the newfangled chunnel development.
Surely this thread needs additions from those who can remember the exploits of Newport Pagnells' finest when testing on the new M1...
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