I've always loved driving my X308, even more so now they are rare. I can drive along the road here and each time I stop people are looking at the car. I leave her parked and people stare, take photos or video. There are young kids in my area who have never seen one and are in awe when they see mine. They look because they are impressed, Geoff Lawson's good work is still having an impact today.[/QUOTE]

Indeed, this is why we all enjoy our x308s and enjoy the mutual company of others that also do.

Being in the "tech" industry, I feel at least somewhat qualified to say that we are far off from universal adaptation of autonomous cars for the following reasons: Right now it would be impossible for a computer to be programmed to deal with absolutely every real world scenario and potential hazard that we fallible, yet thinking and adaptable people deal with everyday while driving. Yes, AI is gaining, but still must be built and programmed for every possible scenario? Consider all there is to consider: Inclement weather conditions, traction, mechanical issues and tolerances, roadway variations, flying or roadway debris, pedestrians, animals, etc, etc. Right now they are only able to show autonomous vehicles successful in relatively perfect conditions which we human drivers know seldom exists.

As a professional driver, I believe you will have a job for quite a while longer.

Cheers!

 

It is hyped in regards to it isn't that what it is supposed to be. I was able to drive a Serie I roadster. 3.8l blah blah. The owner was so impressed with its handling... The ride quality is about a crap as it can get and the car just looks like an oversized, erm, ****. Don't get me wrong. It is all taste. But the E is just hyped.

I don't care what Mr Ferrari said if it is the most beautiful car ever... His design got a little 'weird' over the years, so I don't really worry about that.

The worst part of the Hype is that no matter WHAT E, no matter what condition etc., it will go for high prices. And if you ask why ypu won't actually get an answer. 20 years ago people were happy if they would get a couple of hundred for an E. Loads were scrapped. I even know of someone here who ripped a perfectly good Series I apart - just for the engine to put in his MK II. The rest was scrapped.

You may happily take the opinion of an old, idiotic Italian business man, who wasn't capable of running a business long enough to stay independant, over mine. As said: Opinions!

Like bumholes. Everyone has one

And mine still is, that the XJ-S is the far superior car and the E is in a huge bubble which is not far from popping... And the hype is all fake too!

 

@Daim - I can understand the negative comments from a build perspective, they were always built to a price - Jaguar made 1 penny in each pound at the time, money was tight after the second world war, and they'd just got over a massive fire at Browns Lane.

Nevertheless, they still managed to produce a race car for the road that was a quantum leap 60 years ago - compared to the Humbers, Morris, Riley etc that were tootling around. When you compare the rides it's fair to compare the car to it's peers, not later cars - Jaguar managed to produce a car for a quarter of the money Ferrari/Aston Martin that could whoop their products. E-type £1,400, Aston DB5 £5,000 Ferrari 250GT £6,000.
Mercedes 230SL £6,500!!!
You think the E looks like a *****?? The New York Design Museum has one placed above their entrance escalator - the only car to feature. Important car style wise.

Dynamically it offered full independent suspension, full disc brakes, leather and a multiple Le Mans winning engine, some of the things that make it an Icon. Then the styling which appeals to many, I don't care if you don't like it but I'm making a case to show the car world appreciates Jaguar's efforts.
If you think they handle badly the example you drove probably wasn't setup correctly as they're a joy to drive, particularly the V12 manual

Which is why you are completely wrong,and make yourself sound like a bitter little man who can't afford one! it's not a piece of crap it's a legendary motor car produced in very difficult conditions at an incredible price that lived up to it's hype because it's a stunning piece of engineering for its time.

The End.

 

Sean, opinions. No need to call names...

I respect those who like them and have fun working on them... And yes, a manual V12 is a nice thing to drive, but heck, the S III E with a V12 is nothing like the S I. And no, I don't have enough money to own one but at the same time wouldn't want to own one. As said, I like the successor, which was also more successful and is to this day the most sold Jaguar 2 door model I wonder why? Even as the X100 was in sight, the sales kept on going... 15 years after introduction, the highest sales figures were achieve with more than 10.000 vehicles... 10 years after the E was introduced the sales were nowhere near what they were.

Oh, one final thing. End of story is something you say to a child. I am no child. Far from a child. And I don't expect to be treated like that by some body who calls 'names'.

 

Daim,
When you say a cars ride is 'crap'- what are you comparing it to? Do you think it is fair to compare the attributes of a classic 60s icon with its successor?


If you're to slag a car off, that's ok, its your opinion but without substantiating that opinion- eg ('compared to contemporary competitors of the time the E21 BMW had unpredictable handling characteristics at the limit' etc)- it can come off as flippant and obnoxious. Or is this a case of Germans trying to adopt british humour and failing (I lived in Germany for 4 years and came across that a lot).


One of my favourite cars is the E24 BMW M635CSi, and in a group a Russian Lada and Volvo aficionado said 'they were **** and crap cars' with no substantiation. Similar story...

 

@Daim - you haven't read my comments correctly, again you state the XJS is a better car and again you compare the E to the XJS, I guess that's because you own an XJS but not an E. They are not comparable and a generation apart.

Name calling? I only state how your comments look, comparing an E to a dick isn't really grown up is it? It also smacks of unfair comparison so you see my response is to challenge your views and educate.

If my comments have made you feel belittled in any way I can explain this - you make outrageous statements in order to create a reaction to your views, I am responding to these views with my own perspective on handling an internet troll, because that is exactly what you try to do.

Now before this thread is dragged down to Daim's internet flameing level, lets get back to what I did with my Jaguar today, I got a lot on new engine parts for a 4.2 V8 I'm currently building for a special project - I'll be starting a thread on this and the machining/engineering I plan on doing - it includes a flat plane crank! woohoo!

 

double post

 

Sean, I notice you got specially made emblems/badges for your X308 100 series. Where did you get those made? I have a vague plan to get emblems made that follow the old Jaguar script and perhaps will christen my XJR an XJR 550 or something.

 

I got them made up by a chap called Classic Capsule - I found them on eBay, but I think they may have a website. If you need the Jaguar font I'll send it over👍

 

Okay, because I live in Germany it makes it a weird German thing? Yeah... Must be, because I am as German as a Jaguar is Bolivian... Just to make this clear: I was born in Britain, I have British family. I have a British passport and am a very proud Brit. Yes, my written English isn't the best, but I'd like to challenge you to keep two languages separated for life, even if you speak and write both on a daily base but enough of that.

How can I compare an E to it's succesor? Easily! The XJ-S is based on the, bingo, XJ! Front axle and rear axle are the same. The XJ Series 1 was introduced in 1968. So basically the XJ-S is a 1968 XJ which was produced at the same time as the E was. So periodically it is still correct.

Okay, so, why am I not impressed with the E and why do I call it hyped? Well, first of all, in it's Series III form, it was a bloated vehicle, which lost loads of it's pretty parts. Like the split front bumper. The covered headlights. The slim and narrow rear lights. It's shorter wheelbase (aha! Have a look!). It's proportions changed badly. I'm not saying if is a fugly vehicle. It just turned ugly with age. It is overrated in the sense that it may have a useable handling, but the handling isn't that, as it is praised for. You won't be able to corner better than Lotus Elan. You won't be able to drive in utter comfort from A to B as the first ones were stiff and could corner. The last ones were soft but wallowed like a ship in a storm.

And no, I am NOT trolling around. I just prefer the successor and don't have sparkles in my eyes and start fapping when I see one. I will have a look, admire it, but then walk away. They are interesting pieces of British culture. But people here need to cool down regarding their opinions and flaming others for having a totally different opinion. Not everybody has the same opinion and not everybody will want to be told that they are wrong for having a different opinion and that the person telling them has the only correct opinion regarding the matter. And because someone DARES to express theor opinion, they are straight away a troll...

I am probably just as much or maybe even more a Jaguar fan than some here, investing loads of money and time and work and effort into some vehicles that others wouldn't even touch, but hey, that is a hobby and being a fan helps. If some people want to call names and say someone is a troll because they have a different opinion, well, sorry, for you that you have to but that is your problem.

Oh, and I couldn't care less about 'internet flame levels'. I have a life outside of the internet and guess what, I enjoy it and on top of that, I don't have to 'defend' myself for having an opinion!

Now THAT is for ME end of story. I am SOOOO sorry for having an opinion!

 

Well with that line of reasoning- why stop at comparing it to the XJ series 1 style? WHy not compare it to the XJ40 platform or X300- they have a similarly derived geometry. Is it still fair?



Erm, your post is very German, trying very hard to be contravercial and funny. Perhaps you're more German than you care to admit. Time to start looking for Mercedes Benz Stricht Achts! ;-)




The series 3 E types are the one variant that I DON'T think are over hyped- they are under rated. Let me be clear, I'm not a super aficionado of the E type- I like them a lot but not to the level perhaps of Sean B, so I'm not offended but your posts are quite humourous (but not intentionally I'm sure).





Its ok to express your opinion but a bit of reasonable substantiation would be nice- or else it comes off as a bit 'Jerremy Clarkson' or obnoxious.

 

Nein, deutsch wäre jetzt dein Hirnfurz zu kommentieren und zu korrigieren, Schlaumeier.

Strich Acht. Nicht Strichts Achts. S hat nichts mit zu tun. Alternativ geht auch W116, aber das ist dir sicherlich bekannt... Kleiner möchtegern Komiker.

Ist das deutsch genug? Oder soll ich noch weiter ins Detail gehen für die, die 4 Jahre lang hier angeblich gewohnt haben wollen.

Enough German for you? I expressed my opinion and what I base it upon in all my posts. I can even find sarcasm in them. Heck, should I dot it out for you? I'm no Jeremy Clarktwat. He is just one of those people other people like to base their own opinions upon... Like saying that BECAUSE Enzi said the car is the most beautiful car he had seen, it MUST mean that the car IS a beauty. Heck, Gerhard Schröder said the VW Phaeton is the most luxurious car he had even ridden in. So, let's all go buy a Phaeton! I mean, he is a politician and he is famous. And while we're at it, let's go and burn some TR7s. I mean, Bertone did say it was the ugliest car he had seen. I mean, sure, he is a designer. He knows what he is talking about!

Quoting a halffamous person for a sentence he is supposed to have said more than 50 years ago and still saying it is true is like saying that Liz Taylor is the most beautiful fat old cow the world had seen sorry, the most beautiful lady born around the same time as the first mammals emerged from eggs laid by some weird inbetween dinosaur-mammals... she was pretty then but today a hippo's **** has more beauty...

Enough of this ***** though. Flame me later. Of you want to, start a thread somewhere just to flame me as a troll, as I surely only troll around this board as it seems...

Tally-ho, old beans!

 

Threw a MAF code randomly last night, no idea why, so cleaned that. Getting things lined up to get in shape for The Dragon in two weeks. Wow, it's that close already? Getting anxious to hit those curves.

Time to find some touch-up paint too, for those couple dings that are visible after a fresh wash. Since I'll get some good pictures on the journey, don't wanna have to spend too long in Photoshop afterwards lol.

Oh, and I hit 181k miles this morning on the way to work.

 

Dieser Kommentar gab mir nur Alpträume. Erinnert mich, warum ich glücklich bin, in den USA zu leben. Als ich zum ersten Mal nach Deutschland übersiedelte, begann ich, Listen zu machen, warum ich dort lebte. Als ich in die USA gezogen bin (was jeder in Europa zu hassen scheint) fand ich, dass ich keine Listen mehr machen musste.

 

Sofern das nicht mittels Übersetzungsprogramm nicht, ist es beachtlich, dass noch Deutschkenntnisse vorhanden sind... Die Grammatik ist nicht perfekt, aber man weiß worauf du hinaus möchtest. Dafür ein Daumen Hoch.

Ich habe noch nie das Bedürfnis verspürt eine Liste zu erstellen warum ich überhaupt irgendwo wohnen sollte. Eher warum ich irgendwo NICHT wohnen sollte. Z.B. den USA mit der Riesenorange als Staatsoberhaupt. Oder meine absolut fremdenfeindliche Heimat. Nachdem ich zwei Drittel meines Lebeens in Deutschland bin, freue ich mich hier zu sein. In der führenden europäischen Wirtschaft. Im Land der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten in Europa. Dem Land mit offenen Grenzen und offene Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzungen auf Schnellstrassen. Dem Land, welches eine Weltwirtschaftskrise nicht ausbremste. Das Land der Mitte.

 

Thank you!


Despite all that, one of the most racist countries I've ever lived in. Despite open borders, if you're NOT from Germany you really ARE an outsider over there. Especially if you're of the 'wrong skin colour'.






The people were genuine and honest and nice, but I always felt like I wasn't really living but existing.

 

Some of the happiest hours of my misspent youth were when I was cleaning and refurbishing some part of my 1964 or 1966 E-types, which always felt remarkably well engineered and repairable, especially when considering the originally affordable pricepoint of the car. Even when I had just droppe
d the engine & trans into the car and was on the creeper under it when I turned my head and spotted the driveshaft on the floor (at my creeper-eye-level) under my workbench. As any E-type fan would know, my next step was to pull the engine again, etc. I still get warm fuzzies when I think of all those happy shop hours.
What did I do to my X308? Put it up on jack stands to creeper under it for a fuel filter exchange, prior to pulling the tank to exchange the fuel pump. It feels like I should be able to pull the Schraeder valve under the hood and blow the stale gas out of the fuel line with compressed air.
Anyone tried that before? Any reason not to?

 

For blowing the stale gas out, not sure is the fuel pressure regulator would appreciate that, the injection hose connects at the bulkhead to the reg'. How old is the fuel?

 

Tried to buy a pair of 255/40r18 tyres, as my rears were an MOT advisory, and one has developed a slow puncture.

Went to half a dozen different tyre specialists none had them in stock but could order them for sometime mid-week.

I've also found Avon no longer produce a tyre in the correct size anymore. I had ZZ3s all around and now will either have to buy four tyres or have mismatched brands front to rear.

 

An afternoon free and not raining, Huzzah!
I've been meaning to try a new compound a local pro paint shop swears by - Farecla G3 Fine, I tend to use 3M Autofina but ran out.
This car was detailed at the beginning of the summer by a good valeter but it needed some attention, bird strikes, road grime tar tree sap and bugs!

I used a DA and soft foam mops and managed to get all the crap off, the Farecla stuff is a quality product and way cheaper than 3M, a bit slower to cure but very little dust, I may use a harder set of mops next time to get it super flat.

Next was 2 light coats of Autoglym Super Resin Polish, and for the first time I'm happy with the way it went on, I've always waxed by hand with this stuff, but on this particular car it's been a bit of a nightmare with swirls and holograms. This time I used a fraction of the amount and got a lovely even finish. Final coat of Autglym Extra Gloss Protection and it's looking a bit better. Wheels next.

It's going to rain later, let it BEAD!