My Bucket List Car ; I was 15 years old...Dad had passed away the winter before. Mom and I were driving to Altoona PA to do some shopping when we passed a gas station about half way there. Unbelievably there parked out front was a gorgeous sports car a 1965 Jaguar XKE.! As we passed by I yelled to Mom "turn around quick turn around" and surprisingly she obeyed my command! Ahhh ,,a sight for sore eyes..I had never seen one in person buy as a enthusiastic model car builder since I was 6 I had managed to miraculously talk my parents into buying me a 1/8 scale model kit of a Jaguar XKE Coupe for Christmas ,,it was huge like 24: long and my pride and joy for years along side my 1/8 scale '63 Split Window Corvette! This "E Type" as it was generally called was a shimmering black with lipstick red leather interior,,,one of the best color combos! I drooled for a few moments then said to Mom as the service station attendant approached us..."hey Mom let's tell the guy we are interested in buying it and tell him we want to take it for a test drive" Mom was a bit of a dar nut and whole heartedly agreed..as when would we ever get another chance like this? If you know car history..you also know that generations of car collectors ,have agreed that the XKE was and still is the most beautiful car ever made! TAfter a bit of discussion the owner of the gas station brought us the keys and mom slid behind the beautiful spoked racing wheel of this "Cat" and I held the door for her, then closing it rushed to the passenger side and jumped in! Mom fired her up and the exhaust note was that of a growling Jaguar! WoW! just wow! I did not know if Mom had ever driven a stick shift before, being used to a big old Buick automatic, But she proved my hesitation wrong as she pit the Jag into gear and we sped off down the road. The next few miles I was burning her ear off saying "Let's buy it Let's buy it Mom"! I mean after all , Dad was gone and it as just me and her left,,my siblings were grown and gone so there was no real need for a 4 door tank of a car. Plus I said "we'd be trading a Wildcat for a Jaguar..it's destiny Mom..destiny" .After a 15 minute spin we eventually turned around and made oyr way back to the station. Mom had a gleam in her eye I had not seen since Dad passed away just months earlier. She at least had the courage to ask the selling price which needless to say was simply beyond reach for a newly widowed mother and I understood that. But that say still is forever burned in my memory,,,a shining moment with my classy mother who shifted thru the gears of a classic sports car...the best of the best at the time..and drove like a champ! I was indeed to proud of her and all she had endured so far after the loss of her beloved husband/ So you see,,,I have been wanting a Jaguar XKE since I was a kid. Finally found one with only 8k miles! This is the 2004 XK8 and was influenced by Ford when they bought British Leyland..so its much more reliable and practical being a 4 seater with a real trunk--big enough to carry a guitar and some other music gear! Would I buy a cat that could not handle that payload? Doubt it! But id I ever came upon the deal of a life time or won the lottery..I would definitely be in the market for the real deal ..my all time fave bucket list car ..a 1965 Jaguar XKE! Till then I will pout the top down today on my birthday and take a wind in my face drive thru the country and breath some fresh air ..and talk to Mom and thank her again for that memorablke day some 55 years ago...we are now both in "Heaven"... ...

T.D. Bash

 

man that was a great story indeed. Glad youve accomplished one of many of your childhood dreams! Keep on pushing brother.

 

That was indeed one great story. Yes, dreams do come true once in a while. Back then many mom's could drive a stick as they were more common. My mom included, looked at home behind the wheel of an MG that started the path to my '67 XKE eventually. Sure wish I still had that one, but that's another story.
Today my XK8 is the closest thing. Again, Loved The Story. TM

 

As an Army brat I grew up on Army posts all over around young soldiers. I never will forget the first XKE I saw at Ft. Hood Texas in 1964 that some lucky new 2nd Lt. had just bought, it was love at 1st sight!
In college at Penn State my roommate and I found a 1956 XK140 in a barn in rural Pennsylvania that we tried to resurrect but had a devil of a time finding parts for. The rear spline was stripped and when we finally found a replacement the wiring caught fire just as we had it all cleaned up to take to a dance to impress the ladies. Never got to put many miles on it but it was a true love affair.
After graduation I purchased my 1st XKE in 1972 ( a recovered 1966 insurance theft E type) and have owned an E type ever since. Also had a 1966 Mark X that I wish I never had sold. Now trying to maintain a 1966 XKE roadster, a 1996 XK8, a 1995 X300 and a 1983 XJ6 with a small block Chevy 306 motor and Transmission. These are all wonderful cars but the E type is the king!

 

I had one of those 1/8 scale model series 1 XKEs when I was a kid and my Dad helped me put it together - I think he was as excited about it as I was. It was a red coupe with black interior, and it had a bunch of moving parts. Wish I still had it now (60 years later). I never did get an "E", but I did get an "8". Probably better off in the long run.

 

^^ Yep, I agree that you are indeed better off. I have loved the XKE since I was a kid in the 1960s but they sell for crazy money and would be too much work and expense to maintain these days. I will continue to admire them from afar....

 

I love my XK8 but perhaps a F Type is the better E type replacement.

 

I don't think the F-Type bears any resemblance to the XKE at all. The 1996 to 2006 XK8 / XKR does -- you can see it in its lines....

 

Thanks Kara...I appreciate that !

 

Thanks I appreciate that. Your story is a grand one as well!

 

Thanks Piper! Yours story is awesome as well! I nearly attended Penn State...used to hang out at State College often as a teen ==Idrie my motorcycle over the Nittany Mountains -about an hour drive form my home in Clearfield...those were the days! Nice collection by the way!

 

Yepper...that 1/8 scale XKE model kit was fantastic-- red w.black interior..very detailed..you had to do the engine wiring battery cables hoses etc
PURE LABOR OF LOVE!

 

agree whole heartedly!

 

SWEET E !

 

Hey Jag8Guy--very nice story. Funny how most folks (I imagine guys especially) can remember the instant they fell in love with cars or a particular car. I can very clearly recall my experience when I was growing up back east and my dad used to take me to the New York City auto show in 1961 or 1962 (forget the exact year but I would have been maybe 12 or 13). I specifically recall seeing the recently introduced XKE and at that instant knew I wanted one of them. I was into assembling those plastic car model kits at the time and of course quickly got an XKE one which I painted red.

The closest I got to an XKE was a few years later after we had relocated to Los Angeles and my uncle had bought one of the later generations of XKE (I think it was dark green) and I remember lusting over it. Jump ahead about 30 years and I am now in my 40s when the XK8 is introduced. I recall ogling over that car at the LA Auto show. Of course the price was way beyond my budget and my consolation prize was getting a Corvette at the time (which my wife hated from the day I bought it). After 14 years when it came time to replace the Corvette as luck would have it there was a car dealer near my office that dealt with all sorts of semi-exotic cars. They had several used XK8's on the lot and I just figured given the high initial sticker price there was no way I could afford even a used one. I was stunned to find how affordable a used XK8 was and started my hunt (much to the chagrin of my wife). This was in 2008 and I had the good fortune to stumble on a private seller only a few miles from my house who was selling a 2005 XKR with only 16,000 miles at a price that was fantastic. So now 15 years later I still have my XKR now with about 60,000 miles and every time I look it still brings a smile to my face.

 

SeismicGuy =that's a great story as welll ! Coincidentally I had purchased a fully restored '85 C4 Corvette about 4 yrs ago. It was a real beauty
dark ruby red metallic with all new silver leather interior! I had a 63 Split Window Coupe Corvette 1/8 scale model that sat nose to nose with my XKE model.
So the Corvette was a bucket list car I found by accident much like the XK8 ... the Vette was a lot harder to get in an out of so after 2 yrs a sold it ...
The XK8 is a luxury car compared to the Vette!

 

So do you still have the 85? I think I have some photos of my 95 in my "garage" page in my profile--looked as good the day I sold it as the day I bought it. For a few months I was lucky enough to have both my newly purchased XKR and the Corvette that I was trying to sell. I would drive them on alternate days. It was a real toss up which one I enjoyed driving more. The Corvette was a much more "primitive" vehicle and definitely more of a sports car feel. The XKR was light years more refined and luxurious but did not feel at all sporty.

 

SeismicGuy
sold the Vette 2 yrs ago along with 2 other classic cars. I loved it and it was definitely a refined sports car over the C3...tho I liked the humpy lines on the C3 better but the targa / hatchback was more practical.
From experts online the Corvette is considered a true sports car...while the XK8 is considered a GT / Grand Touring ... where the original XKE was a true sports car as well.
love the Jag but admittedly miss the Vette...in 85 they were the affordable Ferrari!