Had to put on a shirt and tie and suit for a business meeting with some potential clients, one of whom was in from out of town. They happened to set the location at one of our favourite venues which meant the XJR got a quick once over yesterday afternoon. And once again the valets left her front and centre to greet us as we left through the front entrance…

 

Nice to see you post some pictures without snow on the ground finally. Looks great.

 

A very interesting contrast to the lumpy Chrysler in the background. The Jaguar is a study in elegance.

 

That she is, inside and out. Perhaps that’s why she looks so at home parked in front of a Fairmont Hotel port cochiere (reminiscent of the very first photo in this thread) that the valets leave her there to look at?

On the other hand, we are off to visit some friends this afternoon who live on an acreage some 25 kilometres out of town at the end of a 100 meter unpaved driveway and I’m pretty sure she’ll look right at home there as well (and probably enjoy the exercise there and back even more).

 

Although it is fast disappearing with some lovely warmer weather and some sunshine and some longer days, we still have some snow on the ground.

These were taken this afternoon after visiting some friends who live about 25 km out of town. The XJR enjoyed the highway ride out and back (as did we) along with the opportunity to show she’s not just an urban cat.

 

With spring on the horizon (eternal optimist that I am), I thought I would do a quick check of all the fluids in the Series III VDP while doing the regular check on the XJR (who has still consumed nothing but gas and windshield washer fluid since the day we picked her up).

While neither needed any topping up, I was struck by how much easier it is to keep the V8 presentable than the V12 which I must admit didn't quite get all of the TLC due before being parked for the winter. For now, catching up will have to stay on the "things to do in the spring" list.

 

I just finished swapping the black wall Michelin X-Ice on their Pentas for the black wall Continentals on their Asteroids. Not that the tires care but I do prefer the more elegant look of the Asteroids to the more robust look of the Pentas.

I do this myself because I’m too cheap to pay someone to store them and swap them twice a year. I also must admit to feeling a bit guilty about apparently being the first person in 22 years to use the XJR’s jack and lug nut wrench but the exercise is also good for me - even if it is just twice a year - as it comes in between snow shovelling and grass cutting seasons.

For what it’s worth, the XJR’s jack is a nice improvement over the ones in the Series III’s I’m used to using. Inserting its bar into the jacking points is easier and seems more stable than the Series III’s jack with its “nipple” connection. The ratchet is also a bit easier to use, doesn’t need as much room as the Series III’s rotating swivel bar, and can be used with one hand from any angle.

The Series III lug wrench with its swivel feature however is better and easier to use - as well as providing better leverage - than the fixed angle of the X308’s (even using its handle extension, the angle seems to allow it to slip off the lug nut too readily, particularly with the locking nut’s extension). I may keep one of my extra ones in the XJR as additional insurance against its ever being needed on the road.

Just one picture until she gets a full spring clean as it’s not too often her wheels are tidier than she is:

 

And for those in the pool betting on how long I would be able to stand having the wheels tidier than the car, the winning time is 2 hours and 53 minutes…

 

Now that the long weekend is a wrap it’s back to life as normal (or as normal as it gets).

April showers and all that aside, the Michelin X-Ice didn’t seem all that noisy or intrusive over the last 6 months but having switched back to the Continentals they now seem almost eerily quite.

 

This popped up in my Facebook feed from 9 years ago. It’s the ‘92 Series III VDP that was written off last year that the XJR replaced:



And this is one of the comments that sharing it elicited:



I suppose we might as well show off in these beasts as it’s hard to drive them incognito either way.

 

I am constantly reminded - and somewhat amazed - at how efficient our cars are in the space segment of Sir William Lyons’ “grace, space and pace” slogan when placed next to much of what keeps us company today:

 

Careful going so far over the curb with the front overhang

 

You're braver than I parking in between cars like that. I dont trust anyone and hate door dings

 

Sometimes it’s a matter of knowing where you are when making that choice about where to park. Here both adjacent vehicles were pricey, clean and well cared for so presumably - hopefully - their drivers would pay attention to their cars as well as anyone parked beside them as they come and go. In this lot midmorning there was also a good chance these were full day parkers who were going to be there longer than I was (which turned out to be true - one of those photos was taken when I parked, the other when I got back two hours later).

The problem with parking beside empty stalls as an alternative is that you don’t know who’s going to be pulling in and out beside you after you’ve parked. Sometimes we just have make a best guess as to what the best option is. In this case I prefer to think that the two adjacent beasts were affording me some protection rather than being a direct threat.

As for deciding on that best guess, my own preferred ranking is:

1. valet where they'll leave her front and centre and not move her
2. single stall
3. single sided stall beside a landscaped island
4. effectively single sided beside a handicap stall
5. away from those stalls nearest the entrance in a retail location that everyone else considers prime
6. in those stalls adjacent to the vehicles whose owners are hopefully most likely to respect others

I'd be interested in anyone else's thoughts on this noting that, as was her predecessor, she is a daily driver that I try to keep reasonably clean and presentable most of the time (assuming that will also engender a modicum of additional respect from adjacent parkers) which means that not taking her out in public and not using public parking facilities is not an option.

 

I also drive my '06 daily and its hard to avoid this sometimes. Luckily at work there are only about 10 people in the office these days so have an entire parking lot to myself for the most part. When out and about, I just park all the way in the back and make the walk. If I need to park somewhere crowded (which isn't often) I'll do as you said - either look for a corner and hug the curb or find two cars that look well kept and have plenty of room in between.

 

Sometimes, the best laid plans are not enough. Once, I decided to stop by the grocery to pick
up a few things and parked out far away from all other cars, thinking it would be safe. I returned
to find this ugly unkempt car parked right next to the Duchess, even though there were many
closer spaces to the store where he could have parked. You never know what is going through
people's minds, I guess.

 

Maybe he/she was simply taken by the Duchess and wanted a closer look? Maybe a photo of the Duchess next to his/her ugly unkempt car as something to show to his/her friends as something to aspire to?

 

We have the added problem over here, that so many car parks were built and spaces allocated when everyone was driving around in Austin 1300's and the original minis. Big modern SUV's struggle to fit into spaces and my lovely old LWB Super V8 is often too close for comfort to the awful SUV or crossover next door.

I just try to avoid car parks or park in the deserted spaces and treat the long walks as a way of loosening up the joints... The car's in the shop having a few car park dents removed right now - I'm sure I'll be more nervous when it comes back.

 

A couple more parking lot photos from this morning for no particular reason, just because.

Kind of a dreary cool spring morning at +3C and overcast.

 

Another “for no particular reason” photograph other than she always seems to look so pretty even if a good clean is overdue.