Despite a great deal of enjoyment of my Little British Car, it's rare that I
get in any machine made in the UK other than the the notorious London taxis on
occasional visits to that city. So, my reference material is a bit dated. A
couple of days ago I had a chance to see how things have come along since the
sixties.
I had me partner in this week-end from New York. He drove up to Montreal in
the shiny new toy he bought last week. A deep blue Jaguar XJL supersport with
the 510+ Hp supercharged engine. Oh yeah...
Between sessions of machievellian business machinations we took some time for
a run on the road. He flipped me the dongle with the proximity transmitter in
it ("keys" sounded nicer, but they have gone the way of the dodo) and we
headed down some highways and byways so I could experience how this rather
stylish looking beast actually feels to drive.
I have to say that Jaguar mechanics in Britain have come a ways since the
de-fordisation. Montreal roads suck to put it politely, and yet the feel on
the ground was rock solid. We drove down the highway and I waggled the wheels
about a bit to get a feel for the suspension. Zig-zagging at highway speed
felt as tight as could be imagined. The car drives like it is on rails. Very
solid indeed, no sway or bump steer. Quiet and very much in contact with the
road without having any unwanted surface vibrations at all. The transmission
seems completely gearless.
As for power; frankly it's absurd. At one point I gave the throttle what I
thought was a normal push to move past another vehicle. Instantly, the jag did
it's level best to catapult me into the rear seat as the image on the guage
panel twitched rather violently and the whole highway shot backward. God alone
knows what would happen if you just floored it and held on. Anyway, with the
end of the road rushing at me it was comforting to halve the speed in about
zero time. I wouldn't want drive with a bag of groceries on the rear seat; the
sight of one's tomatoes shooting past and on into the windshield would be
rather gruesome.
So I'm impressed, there is still some real engineering going on over in the UK
(with some help from Indian money of course). Next time I will be better
prepared to appreciate the machine. We've agreed to exchange for the week-end
when he's back in August. He can pick up chicks in the old city while I try
some twisty turny roads in the countryside. I twitch at the thought. I still
love my TR6, the smile factor is unbeatable, but I want to try that toy again.
It's sort of Twiggy versus Viva La Voom. I don't feel guilty; I'm not fickle,
but a man can only take so much temptation...
Mark Hooper
1972 Tr6
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