26 November 2018

The Jaguar

It was so beautiful, I was thunderstruck the first time I saw one...
The Jaguar XKE.
Compared to this rolling work of art, everything else looked like a cardboard box.
Of course, I couldn't afford it.

Years pass.
In early 1968 I'm in primary flight school at Ft. Wolters, TX. One of my classmates owns a '66 Corvette convertible. He likes his car but itches for a change. That's when, in a parking lot, we saw the '64 Jaguar XKE.
Then we saw the owner...
A cute secretary working on the base. The Jag gave him a perfect way to approach her.
"How do you like your Jag?"

She liked the car just fine, but the maintenance and parts situation for the car were a constant hassle.
"I own a Corvette. Would you be interested in working a trade?"
She was. They did.
During the negotiations he started dating her.
Before we departed Ft. Wolters, they married.
And he got his 'Vette back.

Have you looked at the price of XKE's lately?
WOW!

5 comments:

Greybeard said...

Enzo Ferarri prounounced it "the most beautiful car ever built."
And he's produced some beauties.

The Old Man said...

That was a hella price to pay to get your car back - unless it worked out for both of them...

Well Seasoned Fool said...

but the maintenance and parts situation for the car were a constant hassle.

Helped a friend rebuild the rear suspension on one. Never, ever, again.

Ed Bonderenka said...

IIRC, changing the starter required pulling the motor.
Worth it.

Old NFO said...

Had a 63 for about 4 months, sold it for $400... Radiator was WAY too small to handle southern heat. And glad I never had to do the brakes on one...