The fact that everything on it- it owns, and it has given things to other cars, not received.

 

He really loves his car, and I think it is deserved. I've just sat in a vantage, and not yet driven one; but it has a very special feel to it.

The transaxel setup makes for a handling package that I really love, a Corvette rental I had in a group of 'Vette rentals for a wedding yesterday, my 944, etc. Add a lower CG dry sump engine, and it should be a fun vehicle to drive.

 

This is typical of many car manufacturers. Do you remember when Lamborghini used the Nissan 300ZX head lights?

 

Yes its almost expected for exotic car manufacturers, especially the mom&pop ones to smartly use parts from other cars, especially if they are owned by huge 'run of the mill' companies, who see these exotic marquees as a parts bin, for all the other brands they own. Nothing else would make commercial sense.

However, the point being that fiercely independent Jaguar (and Saab was this way too) fought that tooth&nail to preserve their identity. This is truly what Jaguar and Saab stood for, they did it their way to their dying breath. RIP Saab.

 

Its quite shocking to see this. I didnt think AM would dip into the parts bin, especially on something like a key fob remote which was weakly camouflaged and so easily exposed.

I guess theres nothing really wrong with doing this especially if the parts they are using are well made and reliable. However I would be a little upset if I bought the car new for $130K and this wasnt disclosed in advance.

Nice to see Jaguar parts in the AM though!

 

Do you realize that you come off a complete boob when you constantly regurgitate this drivel? There are an absolute ton of non Jaguar parts in the XK. If anything the XK is a car built around a pile of cheaper spare parts from other models like the dreaded cheap X and S types and non Jaguar brands including Lincoln and Ford. I have a hard time thinking Jaguar has been 'fiercely independent' since the X150 design is an obvious Austin Martin copy that was used by Ian Callum to get in the door at Jaguar.

I think there's something strange in your tea.

 

It's a good thing that AM dipped into the parts bin in my opinion, imagine how much more expensive if every single component was bespoke for AM?

Yeah there's heaps of Jaguar, Ford and Volvo parts in them, that's not a bad thing.

One of the reasons I got into Jags (and Land Rovers, and Aston's) in the first place was the Ford connection. The FoMoCo logo's are reasssuring. As you said the parts are well made and reliable.

If these brands had to develop every single part or system in house, they would be out of business.

 

I see nothing wrong with what Aston does; common throughout the auto industry. At least there's no sticky parts on an Aston like there are on a Ferrari... Even worse parts bin than what Aston went with.

 

Even companies like Koenigsegg do it. I'm pretty sure it was one of theirs that used a LCD panel from a cheap UK hatchback.

There's a website somewhere with pics of the parts in different cars.

 

Even the major manufacturers do this. I think it is good rather than bad thing, though usually not something one thinks about when considering a vehicle purchase. It just comes down to economics.

 

I agree 100%. I felt really good about reliability issues knowing those brands were originally owned by Ford. I am a big fan of Ford and currently am on my 5th F-150.

I've also looked at the AM Vantage very seriously and came very close to buying one only because I couldn't find an XKR for sale in my area. One finally popped up for sale and I jumped on it with no regrets whatsoever!

 

You must have a clue what you are talking about to speak in such ugly manner.
I'll prove it

"X150 design is an obvious Austin Martin copy" offensively ignorant.

Name one designer you have heard of from Aston Martin or we may find in history books.

At Jaguar, Sir William Lyons, Sir Malcom Sayer, Walter Hassan, Ian Callum.

In fact, historically Aston Martin has never designed its own cars- Its been the ITALIANS!

And those cars have only been notable in fantasy movies.

But I can see how blissfully naïve folks who learn of AM history through movies would call people like me "a boob regurgitating drivel"


When you ask the Italian designers like Pininfarina or Superleggera(folks who know a thing or two about proportions) They say Jaguars are the most beautiful designs.

Manufacturers like Ford, Ferrari, Aston, Volvo, GM, all have to use the Italians to get ahead. current popular Ford Focus for example- Pininfarina. Guess who has never used the Italians for production cars. Yes! So its foolhardy to think a company that has to rely on other companies for design can design a car for Jaguar who is saluted even by the best designers in the world! Besides Jaguar owned Aston when it was bought back from the dead by giving it Jaguar's best design

Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pininfarina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroz...g_Superleggera
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruppo_Bertone

 

My point was missed folks.
As I mentioned its brilliant economics and sensibility for AM to use Volvo interior design. Its a superior design. One of the best in my opinion.

I care not about the other cars.

What we have to celebrate and appreciate is the authenticity of Jaguar DNA and what an incredible feat that is for any car company to pull off in these days.

Next time you feel your key fob- it may be humble, but its decidedly and miraculously Jaguar.

 

I just love to feel my key fob...

 

There is beauty here if look beneath the surface.

The oil filter cap has FoMoCo cast on to it. But you wont find this design on any Ford or at a Ford parts counter. Ford allows the use of a smaller wrench to turn the same size cap. Jaguar did it their way, using Ford tooling and facilities.

The most poignant fact overlooked when we think of Ford manufacturing for Jaguar is: Jaguar had their own engine plant inside the Ford plant at great resentment of Ford. Think of it as a small coffee company having a shop inside a Starbucks paying them rent. And insisting on it.

I have nothing against Ford parts. I wish my car was Ford parts. I don't need to have inefficient boutique parts. And that's just it, Jaguar pulled a real coup de ta. That I am trying to point out. Its easier to dismiss Jaguar's engineering by thinking of it as Ford. They seem to still be making reliable cars without Ford.

 

The attached image shows who supplied the components for the 4.2 XK. Like pretty much every car, it's a combination of off-the-shelf components and custom design - why create a custom component when you can buy one off the shelf that does the job, especially if it can't be seen.





Of course, small-volume makers like AM have to buy even more off-the-shelf stuff and modify it, or their prices spiral out of 'expensive' into 'ludicrous'. I think the Volvo stuff may stem from the time when AM and Volvo were Ford stablemates.

 

I remember when during the gasoline embargo, many decades back, I left my Lamboghini at my local gas station so that the owner could gas it up when the station closed, avoiding the huge lines of cars waiting.

He did gas my car up but, locked the key inside. After much hand wrangling, we called one of his customers who owned a Maserati. He drove over and his key opened my door. A bit of research showed that both Maserati and Lamboghini were using Fiat locks and keys.... :-)

 

Arent we incredibly fortuitous that just about everything on our Jaguar was made for it and not some other car...

Depends on your perspective.
If you bought an exotic car cheap, you better hope those window switches and ac vents came out of a cheaper car.
If you bought a $200k car you have different expectations- at least on the tings you can feel and touch.

But we get that in our lowly $110k car.

 

How about Ian Callum? He was designing for Aston Martin long before he had any design influence at Jaguar.

 

Ian never worked for Aston Martin. Its understandable confusion.

But the real eye-opener I will let you read for yourself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin_DB7