When an XKE pulled up on the right

[kozmic]

My first karate instructor's dad had a large used car lot that I worked at on and off when I was a teen. Due to my stellar work performance, I was told I could take any car on the lot to the prom.

I narrowed it to a 1967 British Racing Green with buckskin leather XKE roadster or a 1967 green with white leather and rag top Cadillac Eldorado convertible. Both cars were magnificent.

I picked the Caddie because I thought the gear shifter of the Jag might get in the way at some point later in the evening....I chose wisely!

 

[old bear]

I like mine.

Steve, R.H.D. no less. Way Cool

 

[Straightshooter2]

Back when I was young and stupid (as opposed to now old and stupid) I drove a 1973 Roadrunner with the engine rebuilt to 1968 specs and then tweaked to around 500 horsepower. Added to that was a custom transmission built by a friend, Paul Forte owner of Turbo Action Transmissions. So one day I'm merging onto I-295 North in Jacksonville and in my case, the XKE pulled up on my left instead of my right. I pulled him by three or four car lengths through the power band of my 440 (up to around 105 or so) and even though I was still accelerating, it was Bye Bye Birdie as I watched the Jag start to disappear.

CW

 

[jag312]

Back when I was in college, I could have bought a Ferrari Testa Rossa. Not the 80s car, but the real late 1950s racing car. It was $3,000. Ferrari racing cars, and any old racing cars were not being collected. You couldn't drive it on the street. What good was it? The last I heard, they are now $5 million plus. Of course, when I was in college, I didn't have $3,000.

 

[turnerriver]

I'm two years older than my friend Duff. His mother had a red XKE in 1968, I was 16 and could drive and Duff couldn't. I drove her car for about 6 months before an old lady, drunk at 3 in the afternoon, rear ended me. No more XKE for me.
Regards,
turnerriver

 

[RonJ]

I always suspected that curved up rear end would be easily damaged.

 

[H Richard]

In 1963 I was in the USAF stationed in England. While visiting London, I saw the new XKE in a showroom and fell in love. After returning to the states, and getting married I was in no financial position to buy one, but the closest I came was my wife gave me a 1:10 scale model to assemble. It was really intricate, including working shocks, hinged doors, hood, etc. There were over several hundred parts. I spent probably a month in the evenings putting it together, then when I got transferred the moving company crushed it in a packing box. Hadn't thought about that in a long time.

 

[LVSteve]

Steve, R.H.D. no less. Way Cool

Optical illusion. It is a US spec LHD car.

 

[raljr1]

I had a beautiful white XJ-6 for 4 years....a buddy of mine pulled up beside me on day and said, "Rob, you driving a Jaguar, aren't they expensive to maintain?". To which I replied, "This car is like a beautiful woman who empties your wallet every weekend, and you can't wait for Friday to get here!" I loved that car....never got my hands on an XKE, maybe there's still time...

 

[Cyrano]

I understand Lucas has the patent on the short circuit.

Lucas light switches: off and dim.

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

once of my favorite tunes! cool car too

 

[Maddog 521]

I wasn't lucky like ya'll with the XKE's. I had to settle for a Jaguar Mark 2. It was a medium sized saloon car that was built in 1962. I drove it for a couple of years and had a lot of fun with it.

 

[XD40inTX]

Why do the British drink their beer warm?

Because Lucas makes their refrigerators.

That's wisdom from a former MGB owner...

 

[LVSteve]

I understand Lucas has the patent on the short circuit.

Lucas light switches: off and dim.

That's incorrect. Lucas switches have three positions: off, dim, and flicker.

It's not just Lucas. One of my British GM cars had an AC Delco light switch that was so poorly made that the heat from the bad joints would distort the plastic enough that the thing would hang up and not move past the parking light setting. Happened late one night in a country lane with a girl I did not know too well. I used the high beam flasher to get nearer civilisation so I could disassemble the console and kludge something together with spare bits in the glove box. Neither her friends or mine believed us when I said we were delayed by a car problem until I made them all go to the car and look.

 

[dcxplant]

Back when I was in college, I could have bought a Ferrari Testa Rossa. Not the 80s car, but the real late 1950s racing car. It was $3,000. Ferrari racing cars, and any old racing cars were not being collected. You couldn't drive it on the street. What good was it? The last I heard, they are now $5 million plus. Of course, when I was in college, I didn't have $3,000.

Those old racing Testa Rossa's are my favorite. What a story!

 

[perrazi]

you are showing your age if you were around when that song was a hit. me too, jan & dean and the beach boys forever.

 

[R. G. Amos]

Gents. If you are in the know, you are supposed to refer to these cars as "E-Types". I bought a new one in '67 and it was a disaster. The one I had was the most unreliable auto I ever owned - the electrics were a joke and the car did not handle all that well. But it certainly was a beautiful (for the time) car.

 

[tork'd]

That's incorrect. Lucas switches have three positions: off, dim, and flicker.

It's not just Lucas. One of my British GM cars had an AC Delco light switch that was so poorly made that the heat from the bad joints would distort the plastic enough that the thing would hang up and not move past the parking light setting. Happened late one night in a country lane with a girl I did not know too well. I used the high beam flasher to get nearer civilisation so I could disassemble the console and kludge something together with spare bits in the glove box. Neither her friends or mine believed us when I said we were delayed by a car problem until I made them all go to the car and look.

and don't even get me started on the window switches!!!!
LVSteve... very nice, but we enjoy the older body styles.