cazalea[Seiko Moderator]
16935
Driving the Jag XK140 roadster in the fast lane, Pt 1
Nov 02, 2020,10:12 AM
[Capt Scarlet - this is for you]
In 2002 my friend Steve proposed a trip to New Mexico for some kind of old car rally. We had plenty of cars to choose, but they had to be old to qualify. We took some time to review our options:
My old Lotus - too fragile, my new Lotus -- too new; my 2 Citroens -- too slow.
His Mini -- too uncomfortable; his Peugeot -- too unreliable; his Jaguar -- longest legs and was most recently upgraded, though limited for room, comfort and amenities.
As we both worked for the same auto repair publisher, we had intimate knowledge of our cars. No prep shop was involved - the preparation was on
our backs. BTW, Steve's dad bought the Jag in 1955, so he knew it well. This is no garage queen -- at the time it was 47 years old, had been ridden hard & put away wet, crashed a few times, repaired, overhauled, and upgraded with better cooling and new brakes (carried home from Coventry in suitcases...)
If you aren't familiar with the model, it followed the XK120, but preceded the XK150 and the XKE. There were 3 models - Roadster, Drop Head Coupe, and Coupe.
We had the roadster -- sportiest, fastest, smallest cockpit, least protection and equipped with the MC engine with the most power, recently rebuilt by our friend Jim and running well.
Notice the lack of cockpit space and no windows or top on our car!
Here we are packing - one limitation was the Jag's trunk must be opened to fill the tank, and any fuel splashed goes right onto the clothes (no hard suitcases would fit).
As we headed out, we discussed our relative lack of planning...
Our minimal technology support (it was 2002 so we did have a phone of sorts)
We hammered it across the desert at about 75-85 mph.
I can't recall the fuel economy but we stopped a lot.
We spent the first night in this motel in Arizona somewhere.
If you are not familiar with US geography, Taos is in New Mexico, about 1000 miles from San Diego. That's 40% of the way across the US. We took the darker northern route going East.
Sometimes the desert can be a bit boring, but not when you are IN it like we were.
We traded off every couple hours as the wind, sun and noise can get to be exhausting.
Notice the complete lack of room in the cabin.
Taos is at 7000 feet (2200M) elevation so there was some climbing involved.
More gasoline, please, said the Jag.
This is the Wild West that Europeans want to see on their vacations in the US
And this is the weather they often experience in September. We had several thunderstorms. Going faster does NOT stop you from getting wet -- believe me, we tried.
Wipers were pretty useless so we gave up on using them.
We made it to our rented condo and were ready to join the festivities! Stick around for part 2 please.
Cazalea