This will not turn into a Mercedes-Benz versus BMW war. This is not some point/counterpoint concerning which large German sedan from the 1980s is a better – or worse – idea. I’m not going to get into a pissing contest with my blog mate over the fact that W126 Benzes will always be tubby cars best suited for extremely large German banker managers. Or, in the case of the 280SE, assistant bank managers. Continue reading
Like many of us, I was indoctrinated at a very young age into the Cult Of Car by my father. He probably didn’t even know he was force-feeding me the Kool-Aid. Regardless, I’m pretty sure my first word was ‘car.’ Which is good, because it could have been a lot of other things.
There is something utterly compelling about classic British cars. It was the Brits, after all, who really introduced America to the affordable sports car with the MGTD, Austin-Healey, MGA/B/C, Spridget, Lotus Elan, and a host of Triumphs. And those are just the regular production cars, never mind specialty cars from the likes of TVR, Morgan, and Ginetta. For many enthusiasts, however, the best British sports cars are unattainable due to price or rarity, while the affordable cars may not suit from a reliability or practicality standpoint. Enter the Jaguar XJ6. Taking the same basic venerable 4.2 liter XK inline-6 that dates back to the early XK120, the XJ6 represents an interesting bridge between the classic British sports car and a modern luxury sedan. Find this affordable example here at The New England Classic car Company in Stratford, Connecticut for just $3,500.
Continue reading
Once upon a time the term “sports sedan” referred to a four-door automobile whose driving characteristics engaged the driver in the actual act of driving through steering feedback, a taut suspension, and (gasp!) a manual transmission whereby the driver actually went through the process of selecting the appropriate cog and engaging it through a shifter and a clever foot pedal that released the gears. It is arguable whether BMW invented the concept of the sports sedan, but they worked hard through the late 1960s and te 1970s to hone it. By the time this car made the scene in 1983, BMW was at the top of the sports sedan heap. Find it here on eBay in Salem, New Hampshire with a starting bid of $200.
