The Jaguar Compact Saloons were a highly successful range of cars that lasted from the mid 50s right through to the end of the 60s. They gave Jaguar the production volume to stay relevant and with their world beating sports cars of the same era are still somewhat responsible for the reputation Jaguar has today. Despite these being the cheapest cars in Jaguar’s range,...
This is a great ad for the 300SL roadster. It would probably be seen as Sexist today but it tries to cover the softer personality of the 300SL in roadster form but still the maintenance of the Gullwing’s performance. The Velvet Glove or Male Fist caption and some of the wording in the ad invokes powerful imagery. Unlike most of the...
The British car show has such a selection of cars that its hard to pick favorites, but these represent the standout cars for me on the day. Healey Elliott I found this to be a really striking car and not one I had seen before. Apparently it has the 2.5 liter Riley engine and was capable of 100mph, quite a feat at the...
In my view, the British car show is probably the pick of the Sydney car shows each year. It might not be as big as the Eastern Creek show, but it has a broader range of really interesting cars, and there is always something new you’ve never seen before. This year the new one for me was a 1948 Healey Elliott. Quite...
This weeks Ad is a Pennzoil ad that ties their engine oil to the high performance XK engine and its over inflated performance specs. Still the ad had a great cutaway of the engine and the triple carburettor setup. The Jaguar E-Type had a lot of suppliers trying to associate with it during the early 60s. This is the power plant built for...
Today I started troubleshooting a potential engine issue in my Traction Avant. When the engine is hot, it will sometimes smoke out of the valve cover and there is a single pulse of black exhaust like it is being caused by one cylinder. My first test was to check the compression of the engine, quite easy on a traction engine as the spark...
This weeks ad is interesting that it tries to take the biggest weakness of the DS – the engine and try and turn it into a strength. I prefer the other ads that focus on its real strengths like the economy, suspension etc. In sales trying to turn a weakness into a strength can work well, but not sure if this approach...
Late August means its time again for the 2016 Shannons Eastern Creek car show, which is organized by the CMC and sponsored by Shannons. It’s probably the biggest car show in Australia and has a small selection of cars from each club affiliated with the CMC. Normally the selection is more everyday enthusiast cars rather than high end, but it is nice...
I went to look at an 2006 E350 W211 Estate today and had learned on the Topklasse forum that the M272 engine manufactured from 2005-2007 suffers from a potential defect. From what I understand as this engine is a 90 degree V6, there were additional components required to make it run smoothly and these and the timing gear can suffer from premature wear....
I had the opportunity for a short visit to the Peterson Museum, after my flight out of Los Angeles was canceled. I had always wanted to go to see the museum after seeing a few of the cars featured on Jay Leno’s Garage (for example Steve McQueen’s XKSS). The museum has two parts, the public exhibits over three floors and three basements with...
This weeks ad is on the E-Type, this time 1964. Its not clear if it covers the then current 3.8 model or the upcoming 4.2. A different breed of Cat The 1964 Jaguar XK-E is unlike any other car on the road today. For one thing, it doesn’t look like any other car you have ever seen. And it is capable of phenomenal...
This weeks ad covers the launch of the DS21 – still on the 2nd nose. The introduction of the DS21 started to address the concerns about the lack of power in the DS, the main point of criticism over its 20 year life. The car was originally supposed to have an air cooled flat six, but that never panned out.
This weeks ad covers the 300SL Roadster after it was launched to replace the Gullwing. The Ad focuses mostly on performance – a strong point for these cars. Great Getaway Car: Mercedes-Benz Escape to the great green world of spring and summer. Motor to the mountains, drive down to the sea. Slip the surly tethers of the working day and learn that how...
Today was the 2016 French car day. As usual a good day out, including my Traction Avant taking out 1st place in the pre-1955 category. Attendance was down this year compared to last year as the weather was a bit iffy this morning. But it turned out nice enough in the end. A humorous side show was a member of...
As you go to car shows and car club events, you realize that there are many more big car collections out there than you would expect. Not just celebrities like Jay Leno, but people who live in the same city as you who have extensive and interesting car collections. Friends of mine think I am nuts owning 5 cars, but it is...
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