A great retrospective on the XK engine, which lasted 42 years + built the Jaguar brand ... at least until its relaunch as an independent company after the BL disaster.
(Didn't last as long as the BMC A-Series, from 1951 to 2000, but who's counting?)
GIFT LINK!
Well, damn. I have not seen the name Qvale in a very, very long time.
Jeff Qvale's dad Kjell birthed the Jensen-Healey. It wasn't particularly stellar. So 4 decades later, here we are ...
Tom explains the weird, wonderful + quintessentially Italian nature of ... a cigarette lighter from an Alfa Romeo Montreal.
Hint: It's not your usual push-the-button operation. It's something far more special.
(2 of 2) Those assets—complete factory archive + huge parts inventory for all models, 1920-’67—were later joined by the marque itself. That allowed Red Triangle to start production of new-build continuation cars.
Sigh. If ONLY Lagonda (in + out of the Aston Martin firmament) had such a thing ...
Restorations, NOS parts, vehicle sales + servicing at Red Triangle.
That business is the time-warp base in Kenilworth, England, of the Alvis marque. It originated via a management buyout of the automotive assets from British Leyland ... way back in 1967. (1 of 2)
The 2002 ... errrrmmmm ... WHAT?
Oh, wait. You mean the BMW 2002.
Never mind.
I rather prefer our Champagne Beige. So much more UPPER-middle-class, don't you think? [sniff]
(This car actually has a long UK/US media history: rescued + covered by R Bremner, bought by + covered by J Kitman, driven through NYC's Times Sq by Ike Kitman as covered in Practical Classics, etc ...)
Video short: If you'd rather ride in an old(-ish) British car with us than work, join John + Tom + Jack The Dog as we take the 1981 Austin Mini Metro out for a drive.
"If you can't get to Olde England, go to New England ..."
Mod cons: First-gear synchro, even ... silly bourgeois affectations!
Our next video short: Why Jack The Dog isn't fond of our 1981 Austin Mini Metro ... which we take on a road test through a small, quaint, picturesque New England town.
Tom drives the RHD car; John gets portentous in his voiceover. (He probably meant "pretentious" ...)
And here's our next video, from last weekend's adventures with the Austin Mini Metro, after we had to stop the '53 Morris Minor project for ... reasons.
We weren't worried that it wouldn't start. Well, I mean, not REALLY. Much. Sort of.
If you've not been following us on Instagram, we'll dupe all the video shorts from there onto our YouTube channel.
Here's what happened last weekend ...
From the days when a chalk-stripe suit, a properly furled brolly + a double-barreled name really COUNTED for something.
"Mr. Nixon died 'after a blazing show, a raging night, closing the bar, taking no prisoners' ..."
... aboard a country music cruise. Which he hosted.
Search this explainer (originally published 12 years ago) for "Just four reasons" + you'll see the rules John enforced.
I'd argue that what's really required for car clubs, as for ANY online community site, is a group of moderators who spell out the rules, police the people who are being disruptive + otherwise watch, warn + where necessary, delete or ban.
The Isuzu community on FB is wonderful. But it has the above.
THIS !!!
An auto-parts store blister pack in blue with orange stripes, containing a Sixties-style window winder handle. In top orange stripe, company name is Kalecoauto. Part no is 4-60, part name is "Air Conditioner". In bottom orange stripe, these words appear: "Incl. 1 Manual Air Conditioner." Three bullet points list the benefits: - Natural Breeze Technology - Maximum cooling at 60 MPH. - 100% Freon-Free.
The traditional way endures.
OK, so we're not all that big on Churman cars. Some of us have some, some of us have had some, and obviously they're inescapable on the roads today.
[INSERT JOKE ABOUT BMW DRIVERS DISABLING TURN SIGNALS ON DELIVERY]
But this is undeniably cool. I wasn't the only one imagining a 4WD 1959 Type 2 ...
Errrrr ... right ... the post says it's the Dodge Challenger that has the Hemi. (Specifically the 'Hellcat' model.)
The photo comes from the top of the linked article. The post / blurb is different.
For almost three decades, Adam Bernard has enjoyed driving a classic Mini in the land of Cadillac Eldorados, Ford F-150 full-size pickup trucks, and Dodge Challengers with 700-hp Hemi V8s.
Now he's written about his adventures with a Mini in the Motor City.
Also have to lower them back to pre-'75 height, IIRC.
Tsk, tsk, tsk! Stiff upper lip, young man!
The Empah wasn't built on attitudes like THAT, now, was it?
Agreed.
You know we like British cars, of course.
Ze eeeeevillllll plan is to get you to like them too.
Here's one easy, CHEAP way to start.
"No Cheese, Baguettes, or Wine Left in Vehicle Overnight"
[chef's kiss]
