Jaguar MK2/XJ8 Mishmash: Do You Love It or Hate It?
Essentially a classic Jaguar MK2 body fitted over a modern XJ8, this Frankenstein-like ride has caused quite the stir.
The restomod movement is alive and well these days, churning out some pretty cool cars in the process. But even though we’ve seen plenty of tasteful and well-done restomods over the years, we’ve also seen our fair share of abominations. Which, well, might just include this unholy combination of a 1968 Jaguar MK2 and 1997 XJ8 that’s up for grabs on eBay. Jaguar Forums member Homersimpson originally spotted the Frankenstein-like creation and posted it here to see what everyone else thought about it.
“Usually, I’m fairly tolerant of people modifying cars. But I saw this on eBay and just thought ‘what on earth have they done to it?’ What do you think about this?
JeffR1 wastes no time pointing out everything that’s wrong with this unholy creation. At least what he can tell from the pictures.
“It’s been poorly done. Fit and finish is really rough. Bumpers are too modern and look too big. The front end looks like an SUV and the rear doesn’t work at all. The shape doesn’t fit the car well enough to look like it belongs. The front air scoops to allow the engine bay to breath are just terrible. Looks like they couldn’t get the fender to fit and some body work is missing. The worst are the rear wheel fenders to accommodate the modern drive train. Looks like some kid did it in high school. The rear axle should have been shortened to fit the width of the car. I wouldn’t be caught dead in this one!”
Perhaps the worst thing about this Jaguar, however, is that the MK2 is just about perfect as is. And tearing it up like this only ruins the value of a rather valuable car, as Fraser Mitchell points out.
“Essentially, the person who has done this rather misguided update has destroyed the value of the car. Just look at the bids, way below what an immaculate Mark 2 would normally fetch. All that effort and no value added. Now the owner has to find the one person in the world who likes it enough to buy it.”
Then again, CaptainQ is a firm believer in doing what you want. Even if it warrants extreme criticism from everyone else.
“Not my cup of tea, I must admit. I particularly dislike the way the front wings stick out at the rear. However, to each to their own – it’s not all about money. The owner has obviously spent a lot of time and energy producing something he believes looks good and performs well. We all have different tastes – it would be a very boring world if we all the same views and opinions.”
Fair enough. But still, we want to know what you think about this interesting Jaguar mashup. So head over here and tell us if you think that the idea has some potential, or if someone should just put it out of its misery!
Photos: eBay
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