Powerful car

I went out today and had to laugh, there at the bread shop was parked a most powerful car, well once upon a time, it was a beast, the quickest production car in Britain (I think).

This powerful car had started life in 1968, it is a ghastly, mank pale blue, I won’t tell you its full number plate but is a ‘G’ reg. A 2 door coupe, the real coupe, an E-type Jaguar, with a sloping back, not the bulbous thing of the later e-types.

This powerful car was not well cared for, the rear was filled with gardening equipment, maybe even a chain-saw, the ash tray was full and more, probably not emptied since 1973, the leather seats were definitely original, a bit dull in their blackness, white showing through, worn very worn.

It was a lovely surprise to see this powerful car, normally they are pristine, loved yes, but not used for every day use, this mank pale blue sports coupe is, the twin exhausts pointing skywards, saying ‘Look at me, I am not like ordinary cars, I am a real car’.

Even where I live there are speed humps, how can this e-type with its proud exhausts survive, even on good roads they are known for crashing the exhaust, long, long things against poor road surfaces, this most powerful car would not try a speed hump. Surely?

But maybe if the driver goes quickly enough, the old war horse might have lift off and land unscathed on the other side. No, it would break up in no time, and as I a great advocate of driving safely, I can not think that way, but still how can those exhausts avoid the sleeping policemen?

The mank pale blue of this powerful car needs attention, it is faded and needs a polish, the only outcome from such tender loving care would still be pale blue, a most unsuitable colour for such a glorious machine.

When I was a boy at school (this dates me) as I ran I always pretended I was an e-type Jaguar, when older I always wanted one but promised myself I would never sit in one until I owned it, I have still never sat in this most powerful car.

Even I knew you had to push a button, not turn a key, to start it, funny how this has returned first to the powerful cars of today and is gradually spreading to all cars, fortunately the use of 3 windscreen wipers has not come back too!

It is odd to see how what was a huge powerful car of its day now looks so small against modern cars, but my goodness mank or not, it stands out, it cannot be mistaken for anything else, it holds onto its place in history and in many people’s hearts, the old hairdresser car indeed.

I will return with more thoughts and stories, of my cars and others, take care and whenever you drive, please, please, please wear a seat belt.