Category: Cars

What happens when you park a old Jaguar XK 120 FHC on the main street of Concrete, Washington on a grey October day? You draw a crowd.

This time in the Detroit News. Read it here. (Scroll to the very end of the article.)

Mind you it is a throwaway quote… I talked to the guy for a long time about Diesel technology, the cars I’ve owned, etc. Of all things he picked that one. Oh well.

I (try to) post a “car photo of the day” at least once a week 😉 through the year for all my car guy friends to guess, talk about, tell stories, whatever. I figured I’d use one of the last days of the year to post my favorite photo of 2007.

This is Philippe Reyns’ Jaguar XKSS.

Those of you that have followed along with my vintage rally stories over the years know that I am passionate about photographing cars, but I never really talk about HOW I do it. Here is a glimpse of what happens on the other side of the camera for a shot like this…

I took this photograph while hanging out the passenger door of the 65E on the fourth day of the Going To The Sun Rally last September. I have always had a serious attraction to D-type Jaguars and being in their presence is magical. I think I took a zillion photos of the two XKSS’ at the rally this year – most of them while sitting still. The morning we left Banff the light was just perfect and I prodded Shaun to drive fast and catch somebody so I could get some great pics. Shaun drives my car too slow. 😉 Thankfully Philippe & Francoise caught US as as we climbed a long grade out of Alberta and towards British Columbia. Through some frantic hand waving and gestures I made it clear that I wanted to “hopscotch” the cars… passing then re-passing each other while I took photos. Philippe instantly understood my intentions and performed wonderfully. In a series of two or three passes I was able to fire off a dozen or so shots. The light was better as we passed the XKSS, than when he passed us. I was really looking for a low & behind shot of the diminutive Jaguar, but in the end it was this close up frontal 3/4 view that provided the best image.

At no time was I able to look through the viewfinder when I took these photos. I set up the camera, and held onto it as best I could, and at full arm’s length operated the shutter while doing my best to point the lens at the subject… as we passed it. I knew the shots I was looking for even before a subject car arrived, so the camera was set up: wide-angle lens, set to auto-drive, strap wrapped around my wrist with enough slack to move the camera body around in my hand, but not enough for it to get away should i lose my grip. As we approached the subject from behind I would open the car door with my left hand, and slide my right hand and camera out the bottom, hold the door with my left hand and depress the shutter with my thumb as I craned the lens toward the car as we passed. As we slid back into our lane I’d pull my hand & cam back in the car and raise up to a kneeling position facing backwards. As the subject car passed us I’d shoot with my right arm held as high up as I could, with the camera pointing at the subject. I’d be holding onto the luggage rack with my left hand. I have the seatbelt wrapped around my legs and butt to keep me in the car. I’d sit back down then signal Shaun when I was ready for him to pass for the next shots.

I don’t have professional gear… just an old Olympus C-5050Z camera. I have a wide-angle adapter lens I bought that screws on the front. I’m not a gear snob really… I shot for years with a 1.3 megapixel little consumer camera. The primary reason I picked this one (back in 2003) is the ability to manually override the controls. I like a little blurring in my moving car images, and most digicams do their best to freeze the action rather than blur it. This image would be dull if that wheel were frozen in place like the car was parked! As it is, the knock-off is really spinning. The tire is a blur. With this camera I can slow it just a tad to get the look I want. Beyond that… who cares about the gear! Great images are about composition, light, and subject… the equipment used is irrelevant. The best photo I ever took in 1999 was with a cheapo, low quality 640×480 camera. (it has an almost impressionist painting look to it… I love that photo!) Your brain is the tool, not the camera. But I digress.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking these photos. I especially love this photo. Earlier this year I had an enlargement made of this and mailed it to Philippe & Francoise. This “webified” version is rife with compression artifacts, but trust me when I say, it looks great on paper.

It was a privilege to meet the Reyns’ and have them share this wonderful car with me. Truly a highlight of my life… a boyhood wish come true.

I can’t wait for 2008 an what photo opportunities await us all!

Have a look here.

Steve McQueen, the King of Cool, test drives eight of the best GT cars of the era at Riverside Raceway.

A Jaguar E-type 2+2 (now considered to be the ugly duckling of the series, but at the time a very popular car), an Aston-Martin DB6, a Ferrari 275 GTS, an Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider, a Porsche 911, a Mercedes 230sl, a Corvette Sting Ray, and a 427 Cobra.

It is an interesting read, and ironically not much has changed in 41 years! The Europeans still make better cars. Better handling, better looking, better driving cars… while America produces sloppy handling crap (with the sole exception of the Corvette.)

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose!

Note that he also talks quite a bit about his XK-SS. An enjoyable read, and a fascinating glimpse into the past!

I really don’t know what it is. I can tell that it is at the 2001 Amelia Island Concours though.

There is a discussion over on the Jag-Lovers.org E-type mailing lists about SUVs and how much damage they can do to small cars. I’ve always said that I’ll meet my death under a GMC Yukon being driven by a latte-sipping, cell-phone yakking soccer mom who runs a red light. SUV owners think that by driving some hulking monster of a vehicle that they are somehow “safe”… in reality they are just shoving the risk down everyone else’s throat. What would be minor fender-benders become dream-destroying disasters for those around them. You can not change the laws of physics. Your SUV can not stop as well as a car. Your SUV can not corner as well as a car. Your SUV can not handle as well as a car. Your SUV will do shocking damage to cars when you are an idiot and think that somehow the laws of physics do not apply to you.

I don’t relish >$3.00 a gallon gasoline but if it gets morons out of these road barges sooner rather than later then bring it on.

Continue reading “SUV drivers are Idiots”

OK, this is a completely crappy mashup, but I have to say the first part wonderfully mimics the crappy stuff that Microsoft produces out of their Marketing & Advertising groups (trust me, I know… I used to work for a Microsoft marketing vendor!)… but the second half, where it falls apart is video from a GREAT 80s sci-fi flick that I loved. It i now in my NetFlix queue.