I went to my local monthly car show, Machines and Macchiatos at Harbord which supports the Care Bears and Cure Brain Cancer charities which usually has a couple of lovely old Jaguars on display.
To show the old and the new together, I borrowed the latest F-Type Jaguar. We parked it next to a beautiful yellow E type owned by a bloke called Murray.
We sat in the F Type and had a chat. You may hear some cars go past in the background. I began by asking Murray what model his car was.
Some of the conversation about his car included the following:
DB: You’re six foot five inches tall. Can you get into your car easily?
MMcA: It is the convertible. The top down makes it really easy. I still am a bit large with it. If you look at the car it’s actually missing the sun visors. That was just impeding my vision while I was driving it so I took those off but when the roof’s up I basically had the seat further back. It’s like any short and low car to get into for someone of my size but it’s I can do that. It’s quite enough room for me to drive it.
The interesting thing with my car is that it’s a 72 [model] that’s when it was delivered to Australia … February 1972. It’s a little bit longer I think it’s something like eight or nine inches longer for someone of my size you need that in the cabin. The series one the series two, I can’t give in that is too tight for me.
DB: You can see that very much with the doors. Can’t you.
MMcA: Yeah. That’s why you notice the difference in size. The doors on those earlier models are much shorter
DB: You can see that very much with the doors. Can’t you?
MMcA: Yeah. That’s where you notice the difference in size. The doors on those earlier models are much shorter. You can see that, if you parked my next door as well. There’s also some other things you’ll notice when you see the series three and that’s the flared guards they’re actually popped the guards a little bit more as well. [00:02:42][14.3]
DB: The early the E-Type Jaguars, and I believe Sir William Lyons even regretted this, was that the tyres didn’t fill the wheel wells and they tended to look a little bit gawky in that regard. I think in the later ones, it looks a more complete package.
MMcA: I think that’s right. Well of course the technology in the tyres has changed so much in time and even in 72 I think the tyres are very different to what you get in the 60s.
So it does very much fill the guards. If you look at mine it also doesn’t have the wires on it. I have the wires at home and I drive with the Prolites just because it’s so much simpler if you’re driving more often than I do. If you’re driving around the streets you don’t get the problems you get with wire wheels.
DB: Bumping and things?
MMcA: I found that if you hit a pothole or something they go out of balance and you’d have them worked on again.
DB: Have you had other Jaguars?
MMcA: No I haven’t actually. I’ve had lots of different cars but never a Jaguar. I never thought I’d get one of these. I think I was very fortunate to find it.
DB: What was the passion? Why?
MMcA: I wanted a nice car. A classic car of some sort. I actually was looking for an American car, Corvette in particular, but I don’t fit in the Corvette. And I never thought I’d be able to find or afford one of those.
I think the stars aligned for me and it just came up. It was a good car. The lady that was selling, she had actually knocked back a couple of people that came to look at it because she didn’t like the people and she wouldn’t let them buy her husband’s car because her husband had passed away.
And we clicked. We got on very, very well and she allowed me to buy it.
DB: Was this a car of your youth? Did you lust after this car when you were young?
MMcA: Oh I don’t think any one of my age didn’t last after an e-type.
DB: Murray Lovely to talk to you.
MMcA: Thank you a fantastic time.
