A Jaguar Story From Santo Domingo

One of the joys I've experienced in sharing this blog is that my experiences have actually helped other Jaguar owners diagnose and solve a few of their vehicle's problems from time to time.  As it turns out, becoming my own Jaguar mechanic was the key to creating a second popular blog.

I was in touch with one reader earlier this week who contacted me about one of the sensors in his Jag.  I offered him a bit of advice on how to clean it and he was kind enough to send me this very entertaining response.  I asked, and he said he wouldn't mind if I shared it here.  As far as I'm concerned, stuff like this is what makes this site worth it.  Not only is it cool to talk to someone who is as passionate about their vehicle as I am, but it reminds me that I've learnt quite a bit from working on my vehicle too.  Here's what he wrote:

Hi Luke:        

I promised I'd get back to you. 1000000000000x Thanks for your economic fix!  Got the MAF off, brushed it for about 5 minutes with a very soft toothbrush, and nothing other than that.  Put it Back, deleted codes and we are ronroneando (ronronear = Spanish = to purr and that's what cats and Jags usually do when content) again. What also increased the ronronear was putting Mobile One 5W40 as the manual says. 

On your page you were so friendly to tell the story of how you got your XJ8, so here comes mine. I do live in Santo Domingo and totalled my 96 Lincoln town car on a bad, bad road and needed a "new car". Dominicans ask ludicrous prices for their (literally) pieces of junk (10000 USD upward for an SUV) and I was looking and looking and I found an ad for a 2000 XJ8L Vanden Plas. 

I called the guy and looked at the car, drove it and loved it and told the owner: Listen, today (August 15th) I don't have the money (320.000.- Dominican Pesos = +- 8 grant US), but if you still have the car by the end of the month I'll buy it.  By August 26th I called him.  Answer: I'm sorry, I've sold it.  Tears, crying, depression, etc. came over me (kidding). 

I went back to Switzerland (my home country) to spend two weeks on a house boat in Burgundy France with my dad and flew back to Santo Domingo by early October. The Lincoln was still under repair (for the fifth month since the crash) and my current car (Alfa Romo 95 = utter piece of shit) was no solution at all.  I had to rent a car, and got a Nissan Sentra.  It was a nice reliable car and I started to investigate about Sentras which trade in the DR (2006 Model) from 320k to 400k $RD which I wanted to get financing in the DR around that price. 

On a Saturday I got invited to a friends house in Boca Chica and upon arrival his two females (girlfriend and daughter) were only wearing towels. Females and Dominicans in particular, can become very "particular" about such things and I turned round for a spin in the Sentra and drove down the main street.  What does my eye see: a snow white XJ8 in front of a beauty parlor.  

I pulled ower and looked at the Jag a bit closer and it was the Jag I wanted to buy 45 days earlier.  I entered the saloon and asked whose Jag?  It's my husbands.  Tell me darling has your husband bought that car roughly two months ago from a certain "Omar"? No, no he bought it much longer ago. (Dominicans have a serious problem when it comes to time frames, not to mention time management. Forward and Backward unfortunately).  Anyway, if your husband wants to sell it, here's my number. It didn't take two hours and I got a call of an Austrian Pilot.  Five days later the RonRon was mine at 350.000.- $RD which is about 10k US. 

What I really like about the car's history is that it got sold in the DR.  First to a furniture-factory-owner, then to this Omar.  From Omar to the Austrian and now to me. Most cars, esp. Jags, Mercs etc. are 70% imported from the US or Canada. The Engine has 25k miles and the car 53k miles.  I still have a 6000 miles warranty. The resumé of this story is: If Caroline and Laura wouldn't have been wearing towels and made me leave, I'd still be driving that Sentra. 

Kind regards,
U. C. Weiermann

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1967 Jaguar 420G

A vintage brochure featuring an illustration of the '67 Jaguar 420G.

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150,000 km

Since starting this site I've documented the kilometres for my Jaguar XJ8 as a way of sharing a bit of the car's lifespan.  Yesterday I hit 150,000 km, which marks 40,000 km that I've personally put on the car since buying it in 2010.  It hasn't been cheap to maintain up to this point, but she's still a joy to drive.  Here's to the continued journey.  

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Beautiful XK-120 Illustrations

These beautiful illustrations come from a 1952 brochure for the Jaguar XK-120.  I especially love the first image showing the various angles of the vehicle.

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5 Superb Motor Cars

The following pages make up the 1955 USA brochure for the Jaguar lineup available at the time, including the XK-140 variations, Mark VII, and Mark 1.  Not bad at all.
 

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Anti-Theft Hood Ornament

After having my Jaguar leaper hood ornament stolen twice, about a year apart from one another, I realized it was going to be foolish to simply replace it again.  Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.  What I ended up doing was buying another hood ornament, but instead came up with a solution for removing it and putting it on.

My new leaper has two wires that can be squeezed to fit into the hole on my hood, and they create enough tension to hold it in place.  This means the leaper is easily removable for when I'm parked.  In its place my dad and I came up with this plug concept to make the car look more refined (and less vandalized).  It allows the hood to still look clean, but it's no where near as tempting to steal.  It's a simple fix, and actually blends quite well, while still allowing me to attach my leaper on special occasions.  The combination of the plug and removable leaper means having my hood ornament stolen will now be a thing of the past.  

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1952 Jaguar XK-120 Vintage Ad

Advertised as 'the fastest production sports car in the world' this vintage ad for the 1952 Jaguar XK-120 highlights notable Jaguar racing achievements alongside reasons you should want one. No question, it's still a beauty.

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Jaguar XK8 Key Ad

This 2001 print ad for the Jaguar XK8 decided to play up the supposed envy of Mercedes drivers for their latest sports coupe.  I'm not sure it's very accurate, but it's a fun ad nonetheless.

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Vintage Jaguar D-Type Promo Images

These excerpts come from an incredibly rare and valuable 1954 promotional folder for the Jaguar D-Type.  The illustrations are really well done and were also used on several Jaguar racing posters.  In fairness, these pages were from copies of the original folder, and the reason for the copies?  In the late 1980s some of these original promotional folders supposedly sold for up to 2000 UK pounds.  
 

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Mad Men: Jaguar Pitch

With so much focus on sharing classic Jaguar ads on this site, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed seeing Jaguar make an appearance on AMC's Mad Men.  This was the pitch that Don Draper (Jon Hamm) gives to the Jaguar execs in promotion of the famed E-Type.

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Lana Del Rey and the F-Type

As if she wasn't sexy enough, Lana Del Rey helped to promote the new Jaguar F-Type this fall. Her beauty and style seem to emulate that sixties vibe, which makes a lot of sense as the F-Type is (in an entirely modern way) a throwback to the roadsters that Jaguar used to make.  More on the recent endorsement can be read at The Hollywood Reporter, however, a few pictures of the eye-candy are posted below.  

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1954 Jaguar Mark VII

A few excerpts from a US brochure advertising the 1954 Jaguar Mark VII.

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