I did the shopping today, and as the weather was Gorgeous, and very soon it will start raining, maybe for Months, I took Nix to town. I can do that on a whim now, as reliable as she's become.

At the very first store, where I parked her sort of by herself for safety, and I came out to find an old guy looking her over with a smile on his face.

"Good Morning," I said.
"Good morning. Is this your car? It sure looks nice."
"Yes, thank you, it is."
"I was looking at that leather, it's in really good shape. What year is it?"
"1976. Series II Xj6."
"I had one once, got a 1998 Xj8 now with a V8 in it, I like it a lot."
"Really? where is it?"
"It's that green one over there.


My wife drives it most of the time now, but we take it to Minnesota every summer to get away from the heat here."

We talked for a little while and he told his name and I told mine.
About that time another old guy joined the conversation and soon they were talking between themselves about Nix.

I asked the first guy (red jacket), "Can I take a picture of your car?" Boy howdy did that light up his face!
"Oh, yeah, sure you can," he said, "Do you mind if I get a picture of yours?"
"No, not at all."

So we got pictures of each others cars.


Then I got a picture of the guys admiring Nix,


then a picture of his and mine in the same frame.


We both went away feeling good about our cars!
(';')

 

Nice one Elinor. Always a great pleasure admiring obviously loved cars, and a bonus when our own gets admired!! To me, the marque becomes irrelevant if it's someone's passion, and appreciating it is to show real respect.

 

Thank you, Tony (and Jim, and Doug, and Grant, and Clarke),

Once in a while we see some Very Much loved cars from Decades gone by (I post them here:https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/o...-yours-120554/), and if the driver/owner is anywhere near, we Always stop to complement him (I've never seen another woman with such a car) or otherwise show appreciation for the work (not to mention money) they've lavished on their cars, no matter the brand.

They always stand a little straighter and light right up that someone else notices their efforts.
(';')

 

Great story. Interesting that 22 years separate the two cars, yet they share the same body shell. A great design is timeless.


Those old guys could be me. except, I wear my shirttails in. Why, I dunno.


Way back when, I investigated a case involving an errant auto gate
and a green Jaguar of similar vintage. A young couple of modest means.
The Jaguar then of more recent vintage. Her dad gave t to them when he decided
it was time to surrender his keys. She loved it, he not so much. In my opinion, he had more than he deserved....


Side bar. "Mutual Admiration Society" is oft used in a negative manner.
Not here, completely opposite, positive.


Carl

 

I had not noticed LnrB's car has the "Teardrop" wheels which I also have, I love the Teardrop wheels, but mine are not the chromed ones, they are the silver painted ones, with a chromed center hubcap.

in my opinion, the Teardrops are the most "Jaguar" wheels I have ever seen, I never liked the original "Kent" wheels of the Series 3, they are similar to the Volvo 1800-E wheels of the 1970's.

 

Each of those wheels look great. My car came to me with the Kents it left brownslane with. Not pristine, but presentable. True enough, there are similar designs hwere and there.


Then, a Kiwi from another forum offered a set of pristine lattice XJS wheels.
he was upgrading his pristine XJS. Perfect timing. My tires, although still with plenty of tread had "timed out". Worked the deal and they look great, ride great and handle great.


Not unusual, but, I've messed with wheels and tires on y critters from the beginning. My first car, a 23 T Ford roadster pickup came sans tires and rims.
Wood spoke wheels only. Got a set of wheels and tires from a kid that totaled his "T" added one from a junk yard. 30 x 31/2 clinchers. Flats and blow outs galore.
Upgraded to cast off 6:00 x 16' tires and wheels from a lot of places.


Wheels and tires do a lot for most any car. well, mebbe not so much for the Asian beetles....


Carl

 

Thank you, Carl,
The story of the young couple makes me a bit sad. He probably got his way, most men of that sort do, but he had no idea what it will cost him down the road.

A girl's father is the first man who loved her no matter how many others come along, and his memory, unless he was a jerk, will always have a warm spot in her heart. How long before a disagreement erupts and she fires back, "YOU GOT RID OF MY DAD'S CAR!!" And downhill from there it goes.


Thank you, Jose,
The wheels were one of the things that caught my notice when I saw the car for real the first time. Well, aside from its being BLACK, that is. The PO was pretty definite in his opinion that these wheels Made the car, and he got no arguments from me! We couldn't find a donut spare, so husband picked up a Kent rim, mounted a skinny tire on it so it would fit under the trunk floor. It too will be a Glaring reminder to GET THE TIRE FIXED!!
(';')