Jaguar E-Type Series I (updates)

After a long hiatus and finally having the time and mood to sit down and do another article, I will be somewhat reviewing a car which I’ve reviewed before, but this time she has gone through some changes. Over the period, I’ve managed to ‘rub shoulders’ and take some shots with a number of very nice cars which were in car shows as well as in personal collections. But after pending for so long, I’ve decided to do this article first.

This article is about none other than the Jaguar E-Type Series I as per the title suggests. This Jaguar E-Type Series I has been reviewed before somewhere last year and after that it was sent in by the owner for some major changes and the most obvious one being it’s new colour. I will not be posting too many photos of the whole car as I’ll be only concentrating on the updates and upgrades that were done on this car.

Bell exhaust

The first major change as mentioned earlier is the colour. It was changed from white to a bright red. Compared to it’s earlier colour, this red will certainly get your head turning even when you notice the car from afar and when coupled with it’s equally attractive red interior, the car is definitely a ‘red’ head turner if you know what I mean :) You’d be surprised at the details the paintjob was done in. As one would expect is that the engine bay would have been emptied to enable the spraying to be done but this was not the case. As the engine bay photos show, the paintjob done in the engine bay is excellent. 

The other notable change the car has had was its brand new Bell exhaust system all the way for the United Kingdom. As for the rest, I will just let your eyes feast on it’s latest colour and it’s detail. The owner is still planning for further upgrades in the near future and I would definitely keep you guys posted. Till my next write up, which I hope will be soon.

A must have shot :)

 

Jaguar XJL 2.0 Ti (X351)

 
What is probably the first write-up of a ‘new’ Jaguar here and certainly the most eye-catching new Jaguar at least to my eyes, is the Jaguar XJ. The Jaguar XJ (codenamed X351) is one of the first models to be rolled out by Jaguar since the acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover by Tata Motors in 2008 (do check out an earlier write-up ‘The History of Jaguar’). Being a new model as well as being launched by the new owners, the XJ was certainly a car that had to impress its critics and its German competitors.

The new XJ came with a short wheel-base model as well as a long wheel-base model known as the XJL. The XJL, even in Malaysia is a more common sight when compared with its short wheel-base counterpart as it was launched before the shorter sibling. There are a number of engine variants available which include petrol as well as diesel. The smallest being the 2 litre petrol inline 4 turbo-charged up to the biggest which is the 5 litre V8 petrol super-charged. There were two transmission variants available which were the 6-speed automatic for the pre-2012 models and the 8-speed automatic for the post-2012 models.

The older XJ (left) and the newer XJ, more than 30 years apart

Design wise, it was the brainchild of renowned Jaguar designer Ian Callum. It was a totally new design away from all previous XJs with its curves and a swept-back rear. As the previous XJ, the new XJ also had a full aluminium body which kept the weight of the car low even though it was huge in size. The XJ also has an impressive interior which of course kept getting better with the higher specification models.

I personally was given an opportunity to feel this car thanks to a few good friends of mine. The model available to me was the 2014 XJL 2 litre petrol turbo-charged which featured the 8 speed automatic transmission. At first, I was a little sceptical about its power as though it was aluminium bodied, it was still a huge car with a relatively small 2 litre inline 4 engine in it. But after driving it and pushing it a little I had a different opinion almost immediately as it still possessed the roar in it being a Jaguar. All in it was a great car but I did miss one thing, which are its traditional gauges as this models comes with an LCD screen for its gauges. I’ve attached some pics below together with a video for you to have a closer look at it. 

The video

1959 MGA 1600 FHC

The MG Car Company back in the days were always known to have made fine automobiles which included the MG T-series model (I’ve done a write-up on the MG TD 1950), the Y-series models, the MGB as well as the car to be discussed today, the MGA. Somewhere late last year, I did a write up on the MGB of which I also mentioned that I will be doing a write up on the MGA.

Updated Section - Cars for sale

We've updated the 'Cars for sale' page with a few cars. Do check back from time to time for updates.

Bentley Continental GT 6.0

First of all, let me apologise for my inability to update as well as to do new write ups for some time due to my hectic schedule which includes getting myself into several new and interesting ventures including a new business venture. Without wasting time, today I will be reviewing a rather newer car which happens to be a Bentley Continental GT 6.0 (can’t run too much from the British element).

This will be the third Bentley on this site with previous write ups such as the sedan version of the GT, which is the Bentley Continental Flying Spur as well as a slight older one which also happens to be one of my favourites, the Bentley Turbo R. The Continental GT is a car which was first produced in 2003. It just seems like this model came out a few years back due to its rarity and design but in fact it has been around for more than a decade and is still in production. Being the first model to be produced since the acquisition of Bentley by German carmaker Volkswagen, this car was powered by the newly designed 6.0 litre W12 twin turbo engine which was later shared with the sedan Flying Spur models.

Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV Series 1

Well, the New Year is here and I’m hoping that everyone has had a good start as I certainly did. It’s been quite a busy one hence I could not update the blog or have any new write-ups. And so, to get the ball rolling for the year 2015 and away for the usual British and German automobiles, I’ll be doing a write-up on a 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV Series 1.