[Leica] Jag. XK 140

[lrzeitlin at aol.com]

 Peter,?
Unless you have a of time and a fat wallet give a Jaguar XK 140 a pass. It may be a nice showpiece but it makes a very bad users car. I owned one of these, a bright red Jag convertible in the '50s. It may have been fast but it was one of the worst engineered cars I ever drove. The engine featured three SU carbs, one for each pair of cylinders, that were virtually impossible to tune simultaneously. The spoked racing wheels had a tendency to pop spokes on fast accelerations. Every time I tromped on the throttle pedal I could hear the ping of a spoke popping. The knock off hubs, while attractive, were almost impossible to remove. The steering wheel adjusted to variety of positions, none of them comfortable. The engine intruded on the footwell space requiring you to drive with one leg straight out, the other bent to a crouching position. Eventually one of the brakes failed and could not be repaired, even by the California Jag distributor. Thr=e steering became so terminally loose that the car could hardly be driven in a straight line. It was a great babe magnet but it was a car that I was afraid to drive. Eventually I traded the Jag for an Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce at a used car dealership. The Alfa had its own problems but was a joy to drive. Both the dealer and I were sure that we had cheated the other. On the other hand, if you can pick up a 3.8 liter Jag sedan,go for it. It is one of the best cars I ever owned. It's safer to collect old Leicas than old cars.
Larry Z