Month: March 2006

“No Rust!!!” Yeah… right.

A classic catches your eye at the local “Show & Shine” or curvy highway and you think… “I’d like to have one of those.” Then you decide you can’t afford a restored car so you’ll get a “runner” and fix it up. Before you even think about that, watch all of these.

I just finished watching them. You’ll burn away an hour of your life doing so, but if you have any interest in old cars, and ESPECIALLY if you are contemplating “fixing up a runner” that hour will NOT be wasted.

I’m inspired, and discouraged at the same time, aren’t you? Editing makes the movie as they say and this guy has injected his labor of love with inspired fun, but don’t let it fool you…. this is MONTHS of hard work condensed into an hour or so. With a long way remaining to go.

That said, thankfully there are people like this who take the time to restore old classics. They are in it for love, not money, as the value of a pristine 240Z can’t be anywhere NEAR the value of what this guy put into it. I know Jaguar people who have sunk six figures into an E-type restoration with no hope of EVER seeing that money back.

Hell, I bought an already restored E-type and I’m in the hole over $10k just to keep it running!

But, that feeling when you look at it, or better yet DRIVE it? Worth it.

OK, this is just too cool.

Roger Los (see Roger’s Rusty Heaps in the blogroll) sent this link to the Jag-lovers E-type list:

It is a film taken from the cockpit of a works D-type on a practice lap around Le Mans in 1956. As an added bonus, the narrator is Mike Hawthorn, the Jaguar factory driver who won the race the year before. The ’55 race was marred by a huge accident that killed over 80 spectators, which Hawthorn was slightly involved in. The pit signalling was right before pit lane, and Jaguar signaled Hawthorn in… he braked, a Healey swerved to avoid him, and a Mercedes 300SLR collided with the Healey and somersaulted into the grandstand.

Hawthorn points out where the relocated the signalling to, as well as the location of the tragic accident.

Mercedes withdrew from the race later, and all of racing for several decades shortly afterwards.

I love D-types. I had several toy D-types when I was little and have always been attracted to them (along with Jim Hall Chaparrals.. which I had the privilege to watch in person at Road America when I was a kid!) I have never seen a D-type or XK-SS in the flesh, being driven, until last year when I attended the Colorado Grand (see links on the right), where it seemed I was surrounded by them. Wonderful cars.