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Somewhere between six months and a year ago I saw the first example of what would become an obsession. In Boulder, Colorado, there are lots of "nice" cars, if nice means BMW, Audi, or Mercedes. I was outgrowing my well-worn Subaru Impreza (every other car here is a Subaru), but I didn't want to get the same boring 3-series that everyone else drove. And then one day I saw a black F-Type. My first reaction on seeing its classic lines was wonder: what is that car? I wasn't the least bit surprised when I got close enough to see the leaping cat. I don't think I've seen another one since.
I try to set myself apart from the stereotypes of Boulder. "Liberal", outdoorsy, and boring as hell. I've certainly spent my end on the sharp end of a climbing rope, and I hike regularly, run, cycle, all that junk. But I refuse to dress like a slob who thinks his office might experience a sudden orogeny leaving him to hike back to civilization. I've taken a liking to remarkable footwear often made by John Fluevog: beautiful, unusual, and less practical than hiking boots. I wanted my car to be like my shoes: something that stands out; an object of functional beauty.
It took quite a while to convince my practical brain that yes, I could afford the payments, and no, I wouldn't regret the purchase. I agonized over lease deals, considered the XK and XK-R (and even, briefly, wondered if I could swing an XK R-S in French Racing Blue), but for months I did nothing but ponder. I wondered whether I'd be satisfied in something lesser, like a new Miata or maybe even the Kia Stinger. And I crunched numbers some more. But finally on Tuesday I decided to grow a pair and go test drive the F-Type.
Sill-Terhar had a few, including a 2018 300 in British Racing Green (new) and a 2014 V6 S in Firesand Orange Metallic. I drove the green one first and it lived up to everything I thought it might be, but I liked the idea of a convertible. The Orange one had sustained hail damage and was offered at a substantial discount from book value and, with fewer than 15,000 miles, was otherwise pristine. And it was beautiful inside. Very well optioned for an S, it was more car than I'd dreamed I'd be able to drive. Where the 300 was fast, the S was blazing. And the exhaust note! Compared to the obnoxious WRX mufflers that represented performance exhaust systems to me, this one was less Shakespearean: although full of sound and fury, this was no tale told by an idiot: it signified something astonishing.
After a sleepless night full of excitement and anticipation, I sealed the deal on Wednesday. I've been taking regular tours out to view my beautiful piece of art since then. I had been worried that people might see me and my fancy car as just another entitled jerk congesting the roads here, which frankly describes so many of the children rolling around in their parents' Land Rovers. But either my enthusiasm is contagious, or the beauty of the big cat charms them, but people seem happy to see this car. And I think I understand why. It is a thing of beauty.
It's hard to drive this car slowly, but still I try. This is no 2002 M3 and I don't wear a reversed baseball cap. The lines of the car and the growl of the exhaust are self-evidently fast, and I don't need to risk my license to prove it. But when the road is empty and the visibility is good, I do let her stretch her legs. Every time I do a dorky laugh is forced out of me and my passenger gasps in delight. Although I might go fast, I hope to never be aggressive. I try to drive with a sense of tongue-in-cheek noblesse oblige, for more should be expected of a Jaguar than the lesser, more common brands. I seek to emulate the gentleman: stylish and calm, but still capable of astounding deeds should circumstances dictate.
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Every time I do a dorky laugh is forced out of me and my passenger gasps in delight. Although I might go fast, I hope to never be aggressive. I try to drive with a sense of tongue-in-cheek noblesse oblige, for more should be expected of a Jaguar than the lesser, more common brands. I seek to emulate the gentleman: stylish and calm, but still capable of astounding deeds should circumstances dictate
Welcome to the forums. Sounds like track days in my fairly "new" XJ6
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Congratulations on your new Really Nice Jaguar!
You're not the only one finding a smile creeping across your face when you get behind the wheel of your cat!
07-27-2018, 05:02 PM
Driving my dream car: 2014 F-Type S Convertible
