Rolls Royce cars only appeal to me in their vintage form; I have no real desire to own one any later than the late 50’s. Frankly, I don’t have any great desire to own one at all, they’re just not my style. But I’d readily make an exception for the “shooting brake” in the photo. This is the true definition of an “estate car,” back when estates were actually more than a split-level house on a third of an acre. (This was taken at the same show as the Jowett.)
Month: August 2006 (Page 2 of 2)
Chuck weighs in on my mental state, or rather, that I’m mental…what would he think if I told him I wouldn’t mind the car in the photo? I think this is the only marque to herald from “Herriot country.” One of the few cars I can think of named after a celestial body, too. Horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine. And apparently more than half of the production still exists, though it wasn’t really a success in its day.
Behold the Jowett Jupiter. It’s a rather homely device but unlike the Daimler SP-250, it wasn’t beaten until the ugly stick actually broke. (I took the photo at the Vancouver All British Field Meet in 2003, I think.)
One of my earliest memories of a “classic jag” was seeing a white Mk. II Jaguar turning into a gas station (probably on its way to the service bay, har har)…I thought it was the coolest car I’d ever seen. My father dismissed it as “something that would need a lot of work to maintain” and he also seemed to be of the impression that mere mortals couldn’t afford them. (Very smart man, my father.)
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My track record is so bad with “helping” people buy ye olde English cars that I wonder why people even consider having me along. My theory is that they want to buy the car in any case, despite any flaws we find, and know that they will meet no negatives when I weigh in with my studied opinion.
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This is just about the closest I have ever come to a new car or truck. This F150 four-wheeler was three years old when I bought it with 45,000 miles on the clock. It was a nice, comfortable truck, and when in four wheel drive was very good at dealing with snow, loose surfaces, etc.
I sold it when I realized I wasn’t using it much–it was a lot of money to leave sitting in the driveway. It was also a bit of a monster, as I don’t like full-size trucks without an eight-foot bed, and with the “supercab” that made this machine almost 22′ long. Perfect for our street-parking-only house in the city!
I believe Riley to be one of the more interesting marques of the pre-war period and some cars are especially lovely. Witness the Sprite, current from ’36 through ’38. An example:
You can see this and many Rileys at Rob’s Riley Pictures.
The ’63 MGB has yet another dead 6-volt battery, the third in six years. I think for drivability’s sake I’m going to put in a single twelve volt. I’ll considering going back to twin sixes when I get around to restoring the car. In the meantime, I have no desire to spend $100 for another sixer that will only last two or three years.
As many of my six regular readers know (can an irregularly published blog even have “regular readers?”), I created (and continue to maintain) XKE Data and XK Data, databases of surviving Jaguar sports cars. Overall, it’s been a positive experience–but since I have a podium here, you’re going to have to read about the pluses and minuses of this type of site.
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