Hello

I have just watched Wheeler Dealers with Mike and Ed doing up a 73 Camaro and putting in a 383 stroker engine. It looked and sounded incredible, that V8 roar, I want it!. I remember the sound of the Bullit 68 Mustang fastback and read that McQueen insisted that it be a genuine sound in the film, no filtering. We don't get many US V8 muscle cars over here but they attract a lot of attention.

I never really heard the sound of my 99 XKR until I listened from my dashcam the other day. The V8 sounds just like a classic American V8 muscle car.

With that in mind can I ask what attracted you to the XK? Is it to be a bit different from the crowd and have the English styling whilst still having the V8?

Be interested to hear any thoughts.. cheers

 

The looks!
wj

 

Nice one 😀😀👍👍

 

The US muscle cars have a more masculine look and the Jaguar has a lovely feminine look with her curves 😍 😍😍

 

My wife fell in love with the looks and threw a tantrum to get one with a white exterior / tan interior. Took me about three months to find the right one, a 2006 Victory Edition that we found in Florida just before it was headed to auction. Had it shipped to us here in North Carolina in early February 2012. It had 36,000 miles at acquisition and now has 124,500 miles. It was her daily driver for nearly 7 years but is now just a toy....

 

XK has a classic design. Many US muscle cars are more, "In your Face". Good when aged 16-35yrs, but as I matured, do not like cops following me everywhere.

 

When you buy a Jaguar, you aren't just buying the car; you're buying into the culture and heritage, it's more about owning a Jaguar than owning a luxury car.

 

The wood, the leather, the carpet, the sound system, the DOHC, 32 valve, 4.2 V8, and the gorgeous, timeless style.

 

From early teenaged years, I had always loved the look of the 60's model XKE series convertibles. It was and has continued to be my dream car. The styling of the series of car is unmistakable and unmatched in my opinion. For many years, I have owned and driven the poor man's Jaguar. MGB. first a 1972, then a 1974 and now still have a 1980.
The XKE's are out of reach financially and logically speaking. BUT, the XK8 that I just purchased takes a lot of styling hints from the original and is much more affordable. I am in love with the look of my XK. I told the seller that I wanted the car and was fully aware of the issues that come with it. (not sure I was fully aware of the scarcity of parts and expense associated with the upkeep). The honeymoon is still on and it seems to be all I can talk about around the house.

 

Also, in the US, when you go to a car show, there can be 20 Mustangs, 20 Cameros, 10 55-57 Chevys lined up. Gets boring. You will typically only see a small handful of Jaguars (unless you are at a full British car show).

 

The Daughter of the owner at the Cancun Ritz Carlton had a white coupe, my wife and i fell in love with the design. Given i have always owned Range Rovers and also have a LR Defender that i imported from the UK, it was natural for me to purchase a Jaguar Xk8 to round out the fleet. I tell folks i have the trifecta of British vehicles.

 

My lust started with the xjs as a kid. Then when the xk8 came out, i drooled over it too! Definitely a styling thing. I had always said that if i ever got an xjs it had to be a convertible and it had to be green with a tan top. Then when the xk8 came out I said if i ever got one it had to be a coupe in green with tan interior! Now I own one of each and, while they are far from perfect, they are exactly what I wanted. One day i hope to be able to put some decent money into them, but in the same breath I still have my first car, a 1980 chevy malibu 2 door with a 355 and an auto trans, its got noisy gear drive timing. Talk about a great sound! I also have a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400 that I hope to get on the road too! Too many projects lol. Smh

 

growing up - had a cousin with as 67 XKE and have loved Jags since. Yeah American muscle cars are nice but all over the place so wanted something that would stand out from the rest of the pack

 

The unmistaken XKE styling incorporated into the XK8, plus the ride and performance of my N/A car suits my style of driving. The Coupe is dry, quite, and dependable. Considered MB, BMW, and some other, but was apparently destined to be a Jaguar Guy. Purchased with 117K miles and No Service History. Generally this is NO NO. Friend inspected car in Cincy, Oh. and suggested I look at it. Rest is history. A few trouble spots but great overall condition. Now I have a complete History record of last 45K miles and hope to continue my ownership. Automotive background enables my hobby to be a pleasure rather than a chore. Do my own work with younger nephew doing the heavy lifting. His son is being inducted into the auto hobby gradually now. Gotta keep bring younger members in to perpetuate hobby & love of autos. With the help and advise of the Forum Members; the Jaguar experience has been a pleasure and made friends worldwide. Thanks to ALL

 

Kelly,

This forum has indeed been a fantastic resource for all of us. Always great to meet like-minded folks willing to help each other out. Hard to top some of the true friendships made here during the past decade....

 

Looks and performance made me buy one, even though I had never even sat in one when I bought my BRG 2003 XKR convertible. I'm a car guy, and that made 6 cars. Another car that I had was a 73 Mustang convertible with an 87 crate motor, good for about 260 HP and AOD. Nice car to drive, but the XKR made the Mustang redundant, so I sold the Mustang on Bring A Trailer for a HUGE profit, and way more than I paid for the XKR, so it was a win-win situation all around. I used to get noticed in the Mustang, but rarely in the Jaguar, but that's okay with me.Unfortunately, the Jaguar is the same height and width as a Miata, but 2 feet longer, so maybe people don't realize it's a Jaguar, at least until I accelerate away from them. About 13,000 Mustang convertibles build, who knows how many are left on the roads. I rarely saw one. Production of the 2003 XKR convertible was like 1355 IIRC, worldwide. I don't see those often, although I saw a couple at the All-British Car Show in the spring.

The older muscle cars, especially the high horsepower cars, just aren't as nice to drive. Suspension isn't at the same level as the Jaguar, and with the mega-horsepower cars, you often have overheating issues. They are also a pain to drive in traffic, and where can you go without any traffic. I think part of the overheating problem is that they remove the radiator fan shroud, making the fan very ineffective, but that's another story.

Yes, that's a 1979 Lotus Esprit JPS. I have a 77 Esprit in the garage in pieces. If I really want to stand out in a crowd, I take the Lotus. Hell, even the Grand Ville gets compliments, even from the younger crowd.

 

Not sure if white is the right colour for an early XK8/R. But the lady is always right as my missus explains to me 🤣👍👍

 

I love US V8's. You do not see many in the UK. But I understand why the cops in the US would target a young guy in a Camero. I grew up watching Steve McQueen in the 68 Bulitt Mustang Fastback, the Starsky and Hutch Gran Torino and the Dukes of Hazard Dodge NASCAR. Used to dream of those cars as a boy. How many Chargers were destroyed in the stunts on that show!!? 😅😅

 

[QUOTE=73MustangBill;2559379]Looks and performance made me buy one, even though I had never even sat in one when I bought my BRG 2003 XKR convertible. I'm a car guy, and that made 6 cars. Another car that I had was a 73 Mustang convertible with an 87 crate motor, good for about 260 HP and AOD. Nice car to drive, but the XKR made the Mustang redundant, so I sold the Mustang on Bring A Trailer for a HUGE profit, and way more than I paid for the XKR, so it was a win-win situation all around. I used to get noticed in the Mustang, but rarely in the Jaguar, but that's okay with me.Unfortunately, the Jaguar is the same height and width as a Miata, but 2 feet longer, so maybe people don't realize it's a Jaguar, at least until I accelerate away from them. About 13,000 Mustang convertibles build, who knows how many are left on the roads. I rarely saw one. Production of the 2003 XKR convertible was like 1355 IIRC, worldwide. I don't see those often, although I saw a couple at the All-British Car Show in the spring.

The older muscle cars, especially the high horsepower cars, just aren't as nice to drive. Suspension isn't at the same level as the Jaguar, and with the mega-horsepower cars, you often have overheating issues. They are also a pain to drive in traffic, and where can you go without any traffic. I think part of the overheating problem is that they remove the radiator fan shroud, making the fan very ineffective, but that's another story.

Yes, that's a 1979 Lotus Esprit JPS. I have a 77 Esprit in the garage in pieces. If I really want to stand out in a crowd, I take the Lotus. Hell, even the Grand Ville gets compliments, even from the younger crowd.

[/QUOTE
You are SO right about the Lotus Esprite my friend. Chapman was a genuis, his motto was "add lightness'. If you have a light mid engine car then it does not need a huge engine. They drive and handle so beautifuly on bendy roads, I am jealous, they are proper drivers cars 😍😍👍👍

 

PS The late great Geoff Lawson was recruited by Mazda in the 80's to design the MX5 Miata. He based the design on the original Lotus Elan. Jaguar liked this and asked him to design the XK8, that is why there are so many styling similarities.
I am sure you knew this.
Take care dude
Smithy 😃👍👍