Hey RivGuy--sounds like anyone interested in buying a future classic should be following you around to see what you pass on

Doug

 

If I had the money I would have made out. Sometimes it wasn't the lack of money, it was that I just wanted something else. Oh well, I've got my XJS.

 

"What happens when my 1998 XK8 becomes a classic?"


The Democrats will do another cash for clunkers deal and a load of them will get scrapped

 

I'm perhaps several years older . . . by 1974, I was married, had 3 kids, and was purchasing our Series 1 E-Type FHC. While respecting that we hail from different eras as well as countries, I must disagree with your comment that, by 1974, the E-Type was a "has been". On the contrary, over here, it never languished in any twilight. But also, we tend to value the maintenance of pristine cars . . . whether enthusiasts or collectors, we don't tend to jump in and out of our classic cars, so owners speak lovingly of the decades of each car's ownership. We tend to pass them on . . . 2 of my nicest were owned by my long departed Dad . . . my 3 beauties are destined for my kids.

Our E-Type Jag was (and still is) notable for several reasons -

• unlike the detuned, detoxed, strangled, and re-geared North American versions, our ROW rocketship was the real deal;
• it cost us precisely half that paid for our 3 bedroom home purchased in the same year;
• it came with all tools, accessories and documentation possible - even full Browns Lane docs and Aus import slips, delivery/history/photos by the previous/original owner which we added to as second owners;
• as a 10yo performance GT, one phrase summed up it's presentation when we bought it . . . "looks and smells brand new!"
• we owned and maintained it for the next 37yrs, until passing it on to a mate who pestered us for years . . . and, who is 1 year into a full ground-up restoration.

By way of replacement, I now have 4 Jaguars as per my sig, and of which, the XJ6, XK8 and the S-Type are in impeccable condition. With change still left, I have added a nice XJ-S with the aim of tinkering and turning it into a Spider "look alike". I rank all of these as current or future classics.


Cheers,

Ken

 

The "Has been" remark could have applied to almost ANY 1960's performance car that by 1974 was a shadow of its formal glory. E-types themselves weren't "has beens", the 1974 model was.


An analogy would be a 1974 454 Corvette, which is not in the same zipcode as a 1969 427 Corvette though basically the same car. The performance is night/day between the two cars. The '70s E-types were seen as a status symbol in the US and not as a sports car. A status symbol that sat in garages broke down from lack of proper use.