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Thursday, May 02, 2013
Automotif IX...
Yum.
Some cars will make me take a snapshot with the cell phone, and others will make me run and fetch a camera. The Jaguar XK140 roadster falls into the latter category...
I can't imagine the classic car wasteland 30 years from now.
I can't exactly see any car from the 80's or 90's apart from the odd Nissan Z, Camaro, or some niche car still running then.
Seems like an awful lot of the "classic" cars today were grocery getters, or convertible roadsters. My neighbor has a Duster, while the guy down the street has a Colt. Both those cars were kind of unremarkable at the time, but now are cool ass cars. I just don't see a 1992 Crown Vic, or the new Nova sitting in someone's driveway while they polish it for two hours.
Where are the $20k collectable cars? Does the Miata count?
I am lucky enough to have carved out a niche servicing and restoring old British cars. I have 3 E types, 1 MGA, !MGBGT, 2 sprites, and a TR 250 in here right now.Not only do I get to look at them all day, in the end I get PAID to drive them around after the work is done.Might not get rich, but at least I am not bored.
I knew a girl in College with a green Triumph TR3, I wanted to kiss her so badly... I was going to say that looks a bit like the Earl Scheibe Blue I had on my '60 Ghia, but the comparison is inadequate and unfair.
Show a photo of a classic British car and half the comments are about Joseph Lucas, unreliability, etc. Jaguar has produced some of the most beautiful automobiles ever designed. An E type is in permanent display at the Museum of Modern Art. The 120 was designed by ONE man, unlike virtually every other car in the world and particularly any production car. In the early 50's the 120 was capable of exceeding 120 mph. Faster than any production auto in the world. No less reliable than any other high performance car of its time. Most surviving examples are still capable of exceeding 120 mph. Mine sure is. http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p235/RogerS_photo/JagatTarponlodge003.jpg
My dad turned down an XK150 in great condition for $3500 in '74. He also passed on a chance at a couple of Gullwings for 7K-10K. Both in the James C. Leake collection in Muskogee. He kicked himself for years over not picking them up.
Then there was the Ferrari Daytona with 3700 miles I skipped over in '78. Sold at auction in Dallas for 6700. Sigh. I could have retired on holding and selling that one.
That would go well with your red hair, I think.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine the classic car wasteland 30 years from now.
ReplyDeleteI can't exactly see any car from the 80's or 90's apart from the odd Nissan Z, Camaro, or some niche car still running then.
Seems like an awful lot of the "classic" cars today were grocery getters, or convertible roadsters. My neighbor has a Duster, while the guy down the street has a Colt. Both those cars were kind of unremarkable at the time, but now are cool ass cars. I just don't see a 1992 Crown Vic, or the new Nova sitting in someone's driveway while they polish it for two hours.
Where are the $20k collectable cars? Does the Miata count?
Yum! Indeed.
ReplyDeleteSplit windshield, wire wheels and a handicapped card.
I am lucky enough to have carved out a niche servicing and restoring old British cars. I have 3 E types, 1 MGA, !MGBGT, 2 sprites, and a TR 250 in here right now.Not only do I get to look at them all day, in the end I get PAID to drive them around after the work is done.Might not get rich, but at least I am not bored.
ReplyDeleteBack when sports cars were classy.
ReplyDeleteSpace, Pace, Grace.
ReplyDeleteWell, two out of three.
My luck on spotting such things is they usually get gone before I have time to go fetch a camera.
ReplyDeleteI like that it's parked in a handicapped spot. All sort of directions you can take that.
ReplyDeleteZOMG!! LUCAS ELECTRICS!!! Run for your lives!!
ReplyDeleteAs a teen in the 60s, I had several lusts; cars such as this were one.
ReplyDeleteBruce
I knew a girl in College with a green Triumph TR3, I wanted to kiss her so badly... I was going to say that looks a bit like the Earl Scheibe Blue I had on my '60 Ghia, but the comparison is inadequate and unfair.
ReplyDeleteChas Clifton has a post over at Southern Rockies Nature Blog about a Jaguar Mark 2 burning down to the ground:
ReplyDeletehttp://natureblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-4-am-egg-run.html
Show a photo of a classic British car and half the comments are about Joseph Lucas, unreliability, etc.
ReplyDeleteJaguar has produced some of the most beautiful automobiles ever designed. An E type is in permanent display at the Museum of Modern Art.
The 120 was designed by ONE man, unlike virtually every other car in the world and particularly any production car.
In the early 50's the 120 was capable of exceeding 120 mph. Faster than any production auto in the world.
No less reliable than any other high performance car of its time.
Most surviving examples are still capable of exceeding 120 mph. Mine sure is.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p235/RogerS_photo/JagatTarponlodge003.jpg
How about a XK120 for £85k?
ReplyDeleteMy dad turned down an XK150 in great condition for $3500 in '74. He also passed on a chance at a couple of Gullwings for 7K-10K. Both in the James C. Leake collection in Muskogee. He kicked himself for years over not picking them up.
ReplyDeleteThen there was the Ferrari Daytona with 3700 miles I skipped over in '78. Sold at auction in Dallas for 6700. Sigh. I could have retired on holding and selling that one.
I love the proportions on these cars. "Headlights hood hood hood hood hood windshield seatstrunkrearbumper".
ReplyDelete:D
That is a sexy beast, but for the full effect it should be green.
ReplyDeleteMy first slot cars were that and a gull wing Benz.
ReplyDeleteGerry
Tam, did you see this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/vintage-speed/a-spot-of-luxury-jay-lenos-1955-bristol-403
I had never heard of these cars before.
I'd never heard of Bristol either. Look 'em up on Wiki, then do a search for Bristol Fighter. They shoehorned an uptuned Dodge Viper engine in it.
ReplyDeleteI was at a stop light next to one of these today. Sun was shining, and the top was down.....and the steering wheel was on the wrong side of the car.
ReplyDelete