Chatting with Graham Jordan, the owner of our featured Jaguar XK120 Coupe, reinforced my admiration for the people who devote their time and fortunes to astounding restorations and are then able to maintain those cars, in far better than showroom condition.
Many years ago, during a more pedantic period of my life, I had the privilege of judging some of the nation's best Jaguars in State and National Concours d'Elegance events.
Around 10 years ago I stopped doing it, after realising there was no way a car like Graham's 70-year-old rarity could compete on equal terms with others that were virtually new and could be kept looking that way, with regular visits to the local Jag dealer's spares department None of those newer cars would have run on a salt-crusted British or North American winter road. Or been belted and bogged by a cut-price panel beater in the days when cheap repairs were the only chance an old Jag had of avoiding the wrecking yard.
Modern cars that cop a whack from a clumsy parker can be returned to pristine condition in the few minutes it takes to unclip one plastic panel and fit another. Plus painting of course.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2024-Ausgabe von Unique Cars.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2024-Ausgabe von Unique Cars.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Richard Barker 1988 MAZDA 626 TURBO
I acquired my 1988 GD Mazda 626 Turbo hatchback via an advert I saw on Gumtree. negotiated a sale price with the owner over the phone and transferred a deposit, sight unseen!
2005 VAUXHALL MONARO VXR500
BRASH, BLOWN AND BACK ON HOME SOIL, LINDA AND CHRIS DEUTER'S VAUXHALL MONARO VXR500 IS LUTON IN LABEL ONLY
THE NUMBERS GAME!
IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH IT'S A BIT LIKE A TATTSLOTTO DRAW IN ROB'S MIND, WITH ALL THOSE NUMBERS WHIZZING AROUND
GALLIC STAR
FROM BEING A ROPEY RUNNER, TO A WRITE OFF, TO A SHOW WINNER THIS CITROEN HAS HAD A DRAMATIC LIFE -
GADGET GRIPE
TECHNOLOGY CAN HAVE ITS ADVANTAGES IN THIS MODERN WORLD, AS LONG A ITS IN THE RIGHT HANDS
Fantastic FIXED HEAD
THE XK 120 WAS CREATED TO SHOWCASE ITS DOHC INLINE SIX-CYLINDER ENGINE THAT REMAINED IN SERVICE OVER FOUR DECADES
TRIPLE TREAT
Can anyone ever forget the 'man on a mission, Kowalski, in the original classic-car chase movie Vanishing Point as he fled the law in his pearl-white '70 R/T Dodge Challenger, leaving a trail of carnage, wounded cop egos and sadly, in the movie's final scene, an explosive fireball of Mopar car parts (or were they?).
MODERN CLASSICS - M 1000 R
BMW'S M-BRANDED NAKED BIKE SETS A NEW BENCHMARK FOR THE CLASS
MAZDA RX 1970-78
LOOKING MORE like something out of a washing machine, Mazda’s twinchamber rotary power unit, was an engine with performance to dwarf its compact size.
MAINTENANCE & PATIENCE
MAINTAINING OLD CLASSICS IS BOTH PAINSTAKING AND REWARDING. WILL ANYONE BOTHER WITH MORE MODERN MACHINERY?