OCTANE CARS OWNING + DRIVING + MAINTAINING
ABOUT A MONTH ago, I joined some 30 Jaguar XKs on a Raid to Bicester Heritage; always a great destination, even if the journey up the M40 is a tad dull. But, as with most XKs, my 140 is relaxed in overdrive top, cruising at 70mph-plus and just under 2500rpm. As noted in the past, I continually resist the temptation to fit noisy exhausts, high-lift cams and large carbs – my 3.8-litre pushes out a comfortable 210bhp and 230lb ft, the upshot being that it’s quiet, refined, relaxed and does over 23 to the gallon at speed.
This ‘Keeping the XK Legacy Alive’ meeting was arranged by the irrepressible Philip Porter, publisher, author, and creator of the International Jaguar XK Club. He invited XK owners, specialists and suppliers to enjoy their XKs on the test circuit as well as discussing how to keep Jaguar’s sporting image alive.
A number of things are going on in the classic car world: cars of the ’50s and ’60s are starting to slip out of focus now that more modern classics have become desirable. ‘Classic’ classic cars are expensive, while ‘modern’ classics now have cachet but are much easier to drive and more liveable with thanks to air-conditioning, power steering and auto ’boxes. Younger enthusiasts coming into the classic car world probably regard XKs as too much like hard work – wind-up windows!
Of course, they are not, as stated above. However, Jaguar Land Rover seems to have lost its way, unlike Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini and BMW with its M badges. With Jaguar’s headlong rush into becoming all-electric, when the car market is not buying into the expensive and impractical EV virtue-signalling, the brand has a problem.
The XK, launched in 1948, was one of Britain’s most significant motor cars. It was the fastest production car in the world and led to the famous C-type and D-type Jaguars that won Le Mans in 1951 and 1953, the legendary XK engine providing a total of five Le Mans wins overall. Some 86% of XKs were exported, mostly to America, where they earned Jaguar a sporting reputation as well as export dollars for the hard-up UK.
With many thanks to James Mitchell of Pendine Historic Cars, based at Bicester, for securing the test track for us, I took my XK out for a few laps and was told to calm down by the marshal at the end of it. Since I wanted to drive a few other XKs and see how they compared, James tossed me the keys to his Cotswold Blue XK120 FHC, ��
