When I was in my senior year of high school, the E type (or XK-E, as it was commonly known) was big news. Although first made in 1961, it had just begun to penetrate the American market in 1962-63. Its hefty six cylinder engine and monococque body were charismatic. I recall a trip to Sheppard's, Tampa's exotic car specialist, to retrieve my Sunbeam Alpine from one of its many visits to the service bay, when I encountered six mechanics working on one. They were squatting, three to a side of the engine (which had been lifted out of the car), and appeared to be engaged in some sort of religious ceremony (which they may well have confessed to have been their sense of the matter).
ah, if only british sports cars ran as well as they looked...
ReplyDeleteMy Dad, for fun, has rebuilt a couple MGs from mo(u)ldering heaps of rust. (Yeah, I know I should have mentioned this on the earlier one). Absolutely gorgeous cars to look at, and it's great to ride around with the top down, but they run like lawnmowers.
ReplyDeleteEven though the car bug didn't pass down, I still love the look of Jaguars, always have.
I still love the E! and the early MG's with the wire wheels.
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