I always fancied an E-type Jaguar, slung low to the ground and its long lines echoing a crouched animal.. The above is an 'F' type, not much movement in design though considering it was years ago I fancied such a car and the one above only came out in 2023.
Now of course I could not drive one, my sight would not play along and the roads are full of cars, and probably someone would come along and scratch along its side.
But the other reason? I would not want to be rich and drive round like an idiot. I would feel terrible rubbing other people's nose in the fact that I was rich and they poor. So elegant as this gleaming design is, there are many out in the world hunting it. Maybe it will be caught, boxed up in some discreet trailer and sold in a faraway country. They have become desirable items to steal.
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| Austin Healey Sprite |
So I bought myself an Austin Healey Sprite (the slightly cheaper version!) and me and the dog, Kim a stropping Labrador would go for rides in the Essex countryside with the hood down.
But marriage and motherhood intervened and when I found I could not fit the 'bump' behind the steering wheel it went, I think mine was cream and because Kim had knocked over some milk in the car always had this faint smell.
But on looking at the lines of the Sprite and the lines of the Jaguar, I can see why I wanted it.
Edit: for the diary. The siren has just gone off for flooding. Only the basement in this house floods so it will probably be fine. But my daughter getting back home on the train is having problems. Tree on the line at Mythomroyd so trains to Halifax aren't running. People getting worried as it is coming home time and water is flooding on roads as well. Hopefully as the cloud bursts have stopped surface flooding will soon go away. As for the trains that is in the hand of the gods.
Oh my. Look at the length of the Sprite's bonnet. I don't think I drove one but there were plenty here in Oz. Lol at why you had to give up the Sprite. Someone once spilt milk in the back of one of my cars, on the carpet. Did the smell ever go? I can't remember but it lingered for a long time.
ReplyDeleteYes it had a long bonnet Andrew, impractical but it had a real engine under the bonnet and not electronic. Old fashioned cars were easy to mend.
DeleteBack in the mid-80s my rowing partner friend had an Austin Healey. Certainly a head turner of a car. But when it came to motorway driving and transporting a rowing boat on the roof (we rowed a coxless pair together and competed all over southern England) my red company car Ford Escort was so much more practical and possibly turned just as many heads with a complete rowing boat on its roof! My uncle always drove Jaguars and I still remember the thrill of driving in one. After the Ford Escort I have always driven VWs starting with my black Scirocco in 1988 (I was given £9,000 and could choose my own car - my son always referred to it as a sports car which tickled me), then a black Golf GTi in 1994, a more practical Gunmetal grey Golf Estate in 2001 and then, as we were still carting stuff back and forth to universities, a second Silvery grey Golf Estate in 2015. The scirocco, the GTi and the first Golf estate are all still alive and well and being driven around by friends. We look after our cars, keep them for years and then find good homes for them. At 64 and now the sole driver (husband was told last week he should no longer drive) I am considering my options for the next car, except I loathe chunky 4x4 SUV-style cars and so I will probably stick with a tried and tested streamlined Golf - but maybe I should test drive a jaguar first! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteWell since I gave up my last car Sarah, it has been train, bus and walking, I do miss it though. I learnt to drive in a Ford Prefect, than had two minis one after the other, then A/H. Then I had a third Mini, Fiat and a couple of Renault estate cars after that and then my latest was a Kia. There I am thinking you had a lot of cars and I had just as many. The secondhand market was always there. I wouldn't go for a Jaguar though, I bet you only have to put your foot on the acceralator foot and you would be off at 60 mph ;)
DeleteAHH, the Jag 'E' Type - such a classic! The son of the owners of the farm that I lived on in the 1960s had one of the V12 versions and it was a joy to behold coming along the lane to the farm and 'big house'. Mind you, he would have fitted well that hooray Henry moniker as he was notorious with his cars, he managed to blow the engine of a Volvo 164 at around 80mph on the M1 along with various other mishaps.
ReplyDeleteThere was a time Will when restrictions on motorways was not so common and they were fairly empty but driving at high speed nowadays is caught pretty quickly on camera. I think it was the shape of the car, no sharp edges, just curves all around.
DeleteI wanted a 1963 Corvette but, of course, could never afford one. In our box of small Matchbox cars, my grandsons know that Grandma's favorite is the little 1963 Corvette!
ReplyDeleteYour Sprite looks fancy, Thelma, my cars were always "practical" not pretty!
Probably I was shallow Ellen wanting a jazzed up sports car but I'm glad I got older and wiser along the way. Gosh the Corvettes had even longer bonnets!
DeleteHad a ride in a Rolls Royce once - that was really smart and very quiet.
ReplyDeleteNever fancied a posh car myself - I'm much too untidy it would be a tip in no time
Yes cars have to be practical Sue. Shopping, children and animals, all have to be accommodated.
DeleteOnly a few days ago I watched a man (50s/60s) getting into his F-type Jaguar outside the village pharmacy and all I could think was that even he didn't look like he could get into it that easily. 48 years ago I was driven to our wedding in an E-type Jaguar by a family friend. I've never been bothered by the type of car I drive so long as it started every time but I did enjoy driving our old long wheel base Landrovers which gave me great cred with the children where I taught. Our current car is an old Peugeot 107 and the tax is only £20.
ReplyDeleteYes Ruta low slung cars are difficult to get in and out, especially when we had mini skirts. We all seem to have had a medley of cars and as long as they functioned when we turned the key we were happy.
ReplyDeleteLiving on a hillside in south west Sheffield, we never think about flooding but in your neck of the woods I am sure that many people get justifiably anxious when the heavens open. I hope that your daughter made it home safely.
ReplyDeleteYes she did a couple of hours late. Tram from Manchester to Rochdale and then an Uber. The old war time siren is pretty scary though. The flood wardens have been stood down ;) A lovely photo of two little boys outside the park with bare feet and holding brushes as people got rid of the water outside the park.
DeleteOh thelma. My dream car is the MGB Roadster.
ReplyDeleteI don't care how impractical it is. I think its so beautiful.
https://unsplash.com/photos/blue-coupe-near-gray-concrete-staircase-q6LFMQ6wVZ0
I suppose it is the big brother of those Sprites Liam. They look good but you would need a safe place in London to keep it.
ReplyDeleteNo dream car for me - I just need to get from A to B and fit antiques in the back!! I had a dream horse though, my lovely Fahly, so got my wish in that direction.
ReplyDeleteHope you aren't hit too badly by Storm Darragh. We have the West of Wales in a Red Alert area (that includes my kids) and I am in an Amber one. I am TRULY glad that tomorrow's Antiques Fair I was doing has been cancelled as I really didn't like the sound of the weather forecast and probably would have pulled out anyway.
No today everything was back to normal Jennie, though of course everyone was complaining about blocked drains. But 2015 floods really scared people. Many places have put in concrete floors so that the waters can be swept out and this house has a pump.
ReplyDeleteOh Thelma. I never pictured you as a woman with secret longings for a Jaguar. I really love that glimpse of you!
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