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Nice! You'll want to use a 2-part epoxy like Gorilla Glue epoxy. Strong stuff. FYI the nozzles do not fit in the new covers so I disabled mine and tucked them in the bumper.
enjoyed reading your impressions on your first 1000 miles in a XJS. There is something about this car that makes a drive in it more of an event. As has been said before there really is not one thing the XJS does exceptionally well but as a whole it makes you feel exceptional.
I have tried to put my finger on what it is about the XJS that makes you feel this way and what I really think it is for me is the combination of heritage and English charm that draws me to this car. When I say heritage I mean you have the last Jaguar that both Lyons and Sayer were both involved with and even though my XJS' are '95 models you have styling that goes back into the early 70's. There is just nothing else on the road that looks like the XJS and that is a great thing when today it is hard to tell the difference between a Kia and a BMW.
When I think about old English charm I often think about the older Rolls Royce cars and I swear there are times when I am driving the '95 XJS and I think to myself that if Rolls Royce had built a sports car in this era this is what it would feel like. I mean we spend so much time comparing the XJS to the E-type which is unfortunate because they are truly two different types of cars. If the XJS had been produced by a company like Rolls Royce you would no longer compare it to a smaller car but allow it to stand on it's own merits. Maybe it is just me but when I sit down in my '95 surrounded by all the leather and wood I just think to myself what a great place to be. I also know that if Rolls had made the XJS we would not be looking at plastic dash vents but rather nice aluminum one piece vents-LOL!
Getting to own a XJS twenty years after the last one rolled off the assembly line is like going to your 20 year high school reunion. The hottest girl in school is not so hot anymore but the one that flew under the radar is now sophisticated, classy and aged really well just like the XJS has done.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. The XJS does have a certain charm that is missing in modern vehicles. As I get older, I find myself appreciating this charm more and more. It's those quirks and imperfections that make them so endearing to us. I myself would never compare the XJS to the E-type. They were both made by Jaguar, but that's where the similarity ends. It's just two different eras of vehicle design and production, and two different missions they were built for. It's foolish to compare the two. Each is distinct and great in their own ways.
My first and only real prior experience with a Jaguar and XJS goes back to my senior year in high school. I had become friends with a rowdy bunch of 10th graders at the time, as we all shared a certain affliction for Mary Jane, Metallica, and Mayhem. One of the guys came from a wealthy family, and his father bought him a brand new XJS V12 coupe in 10th grade. British Racing Green and oh so beautiful, exotic and impossibly out of reach for me. Now I had a nice sports car by teenage standards, but the Jag was just from another world. I remember we would pile into it, and to this day can remember that glorious smell of fine leather, wood and wool. I do know we made good use of those ashtrays. The interior was so exquisite.. chrome everywhere and just so nice compared to my car's interior which was made mostly of plastic. I never forgot it.
Now here we are 30 years later. I have my own BRG XJS and can't help but think of my friend's car in high school (the brat). Today, I'm proud to say I'm a self-made man and have found success and a wonderful family, etc. As for my friend, I believe his trust fund has run out, he lives alone and waits tables.
Great post! Just bought my 1996 XJS Celebration yesterday so your first impressions are very relevant! Hoping my wife enjoys the XJS more than she does the Morgan!
As requested - a couple of pics of the Morgan, and one of the new toy! The Morgan is great to drive if, as I do, you long for the old days of really driving a car - no ABS, no power steering, no traction control, no airbags or aircon, almost no storage, just a good motor (Rover 4 litre V8 - upgraded to 245bhp), noisy, impractical, not very comfortable but a real joy to drive!! driving seat on the wrong side for you, sadly!
The Jag is a total contrast - going to take some getting used to! may have to hang on to the Morgan for the adrenaline fix!