Coming off of over 25 years of owning Bristols, driving a Jag is an exercise in glorious anonymity. There were 55 known Bristols in the USA when I lived there and 38 in New Zealand, with 16 registered and on the road (as of 2008). However, when we had a summer house in Jamestown Rhode Island, there were 8 on the island and another two in Newport, across the bridge.

When driving, it got to the point where I made up a one-pager on the car and when the questions got too detailed, I would give them a copy. Most people had no idea what it was, with some funny guesses, a few had vaguely heard about them, and after we moved to New Zealand, every so often someone would tell how their dad owned one back in England after the War.

This is the LHD 410 I left in America. The best road tour in it was of the Olympic National Park, driving above the tree line amid curious elk that checked out the car. No compliments though, just a lot of snuffling.



The 409 was RHD so it came with me to New Zealand. It's now in a collector's barn who also bought my last Bristol a 411-S1.



Here it was being checked out by Hector Busby, the Maori Navigator who built ocean-going wakas and sailed them to Hawaii... using the stars, long tides and whales to navigate.




The other car I owned (and still have) is a 1969 red Alfa Spider boat tail, and it attracts the most attention. I was filling it up in Greenwich Connecticut and a guy pulled in with a Ferrari and struck up quite a conversation (mine had the roll bar and the Lyme Rock race track sticker on it). We talked racing mostly. His car was faster, but on the historic track at Lime Rock, my little 1750 engine could leave the Ferrari's in the dust on the curves where handling trumped power. On the straight, I just breathed their blue smoke as they would blow my doors in. Boy racer talk. After he left, my wife informed me he was Tommy Hilfiger, the clothes designer. I'm not up on branded clothes, but we did have a good car talk.

This was it on the front lawn before we moved from Conanicut Island USA to Waiheke Island NZ



Sadly the Alfa got damaged in shipping in 1997, and it is still in the garage awaiting my getting it back on the road.




I have two grand tour fantasies. One is to refurbish the Alfa, ship it to Italy and spend the summer driving the great roads of Europe.



The other is to fly to the UK, buy an X350 or an X150 and drive the Highlands and islands of Scotland. My grandson is named after a 12th century ancestor of his - who created the Kingdom of Argyll and the Isles, and I would love to steep myself in its history so when he is a little older I can tell him stories of his ancestors. We'll have to see if the world reopens and travel is still affordable.



Reading the comments, it must be different in the States, where the Jag is seen as a rich person's car. In NZ, post Millennial Jags do not get a lot of attention; indeed the newer ones look far too much like the Ford Mondeo and various Asian brands to attract attention on the streets. Over time the X350 will attract attention because it looks like a late 20th century car. But what I love about the Jag is not what others say to me, but the sheer pleasure of the drive. Normally, I drive with windows open, but in the Jag the sound of silence is glorious.

My first experience of a CATS post-Millennial Jag was buying an S-Type Sports model for my daughter, and bringing it back from Palmerston North on Highway 4 and 3. NZ has very few motorways, and the drive back was on these two-lane highways where the highway engineers pave the hills, rather than blast them into straight lines as they do in the States. The performance on the curves was amazing - smooth as silk, but no body roll at all when turning. It was that ride that prompted me to buy the XJ6 when the Bristol showroom and parts supply closed and was broken up by the auctioneer. A new chapter in grand touring:

 

X350, that is a wonderful story. Very cool that you have history with Bristol's. I learned a bunch just reading your post.
I had the good fortune to work for Skip Barber @ Lime Rock for a number of years when he owned both the track and the school that still bears his name. It is where my passion for cars was fueled and over the years I was fortunate to see many unique vehicles and understand the passion of their owners. I haven't been in the car biz for nearly 20 years now but your story brought back those feelings that shaped my passion for cars. Thanks for sharing!

 

I took the X330 to an Express Lube that did a decent job on my automobile. I went with Valvoline Full Synthetic 5w-40 for the big cat. I took her through the car wash and she shines like a silver dollar! I had to explain to the youngsters about the 4.0 Liter inline 6-cylinder engine. They looked at it as if it were an ancient relic. I tried to explain that the "big six" was built to run hard and fast. They needed to be told that these engines were engineered by Jaguar and Ford (I told them that with proper care, you can get 300,000 miles out of these engines). The man in the pit insisted on showing me the size of the AJ16's oil drain plug they were amazed at its diameter and the size of the socket required to remove the plug. They looked utterly astonished! (They work on little more than the "common as lawn grass" trucks and the ubiquitous "bubble cars" of today). With time, the young ones will come to understand.

 

Yes & yes. This is about the 2nd week I've been using my 04 xjr daily and am absolutely amazed by the reaction / attention I get from people. The parking lot at my work is filled with new mercedes / audis yet I had many people compliment and question my cat. On the highway I get thumbs up & at the mechanic shop everyone was admiring the condition. I've actually gotten more attention in this car the cayenne s and 997 s I had .

 

I nearly bought a Porsche 1984 944 for $3000.00 (USD) that needed a bit of work. While it may have been a fun "sports car" I'm glad I jumped on the 1997 (X330) Jaguar XJ6L. It is BIG, comfortable, and outstanding. (I know that I made a far better choice with the Jaguar).

Wouldn't you agree?

 

I get compliments all the time particularly from ladies and Gents of a more mature vintage.
I parked at my local store over the weekend and noticed a Gun Metal grey XJ8 '05, almost as mint as my '06 in Jag racing Green, parked a few meters away.
On my way out the other owner lowered his window, gave me the thumbs up and shouted 'Beautiful car, last of the proper Jags'

No idea why but his comment put a big smile on my face for the rest of the morning.

 

An Older Gentleman's Hot Rod, is what an old friend used to call this type of car.
He was into nice cars, & stereo equipment, a $20,000+ stereo in 1977.
It would draw enough power to dim the lights, when cranked up.
His brand of choice was Buick, with Wildcat, Rivera, & Grand National's, topping the list.

 

I had one of mine taken from me at gunpoint. Does that qualify as a compliment?

 

Tell us the story, Mr Crockett.
"Leave the tyres. Take the air bladders"

Of course we take it as a compliment. Those British police and fleeing crims didn't both choose a Mk2 Jag for nothing.

 

Live in rural, central Virginia. Get compliments all the time from folks 50 and older who appreciate fine automobiles. Just last week a 50+ woman stopped me in a store parking lot and said "nice wheels". Just like in the 60s and 70s. Cool. Very cool.