A Chapter of the Jaguar Clubs of North America Under The Bonnet

Newsletter of the WMJR Web Site: Wasatch Mountain Jaguar Register www.WMJR.org

January 2020 Follow Group WMJR On Facebook

WMJR News Group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/wmjr New Year’s Resolution: Pay Your 2020 WMJR Dues

Many of you remitted your $50 local and national dues at the Christmas Party last December.

If you have not paid yet it’s High Time to do so via a check payable WMJR to Treasurer Ken Borg, 3581 Hermes Dr., SLC, UT 84124-3257. Thank you, —Your Officers

Photo Courtesy of the Northern Jaguar Project, www.northernjaguarproject.org Page 2 Time To Find Out What’s More Exciting: 575 HP Or Drum Brakes And No Airbags By Kristen Lee, Jalopnik Reviews

The 2020 Jaguar F-Type SVR spectacularly so. It’s thunderously fast, incredibly AWD is not a brand- beautiful and painfully loud. So new car, despite what its model My first Jalopnik Review of the loud, in fact, that it will occa- year would have you believe. Jaguar F-Type R Coupe hardtop sionally scare you. Merely, it is a revision on a six- from 2016 was not kind. Furious year-old car. But, laden with the with claustrophobia, I declared it Yes, this is a thing that actually latest technology and safety fea- a cramped thing that was more happened. I floored the car under tures, it an overpass would proba- with the top bly be com- down and pletely alien the ensuing to people half scream that a century exploded ago. Yet, I’d from the wager they tailpipes would have scared the no issue driv- living shit ing it today. out of me. I And it would wasn’t be just as en- ready for joyable. how loud it is. I can’t That’s be- remember cause, despite the last time a 64-year a car did span between that to me. I it and a 1956 cannot be- Jaguar XK140 , the fun- for showing off than actual driv- lieve this is legal. (It may not damental idea and layout of a car ing enjoyment. I’m not walking be?) really haven’t changed. Both still back that review today, but I have four wheels, two seats, a will concede the convertible F- The Techie Stuff folding top, brakes, an engine and Type is clearly the superior a transmission. choice. From the front-mounted, super- charged, 5.0-liter V8 comes a (Full Disclosure: I wanted to take The F-Type SVR Convertible is claimed 575 HP and 516 lb-ft of another crack at an F-Type, so I Jaguar’s top model, boasting torque. All of that is hooked up asked Jaguar for one and it looks, power, noise and a hefty to the very excellent ZF eight- obliged. I was permitted to pick price tag of $126,700. It’s a speed automatic transmission. If this white one up from a garage in modern take on the idea of a you haven’t yet experienced the Manhattan and it came with a full British roadster, but it’s definite- snappy glory of the ZF eight- tank of gas.) ly not small, nor light and speed, you need to get on that. chuckable. Rather, at 3,792 No, it’s not as fun or engaging as Sure, today’s cars have more aids pounds, it’s a fat-engined, super- a manual, but as far as respon- and traction control systems than charged and all-wheel driven sive and quick automatics come, ever, but both are machines that thing whose mass you’ll always were designed to make driving feel no matter what you do. fun. They still pull it off, and —cont’d on p. 3 Page 3

F-type vs. XK140 —cont’d from p. 2 capable.

As you would expect, the trunk There is no learning curve to the this is one of the best. is tiny. True, I only used the SVR, unless you count exercising SVR as a weekend car for two some adult caution around the Aided by the all-wheel drive sys- people, but anything longer than accelerator. You can get in it and tem, the F-Type SVR can hit 60 that and we probably would drive it as easily as you would a mph from a standstill in a claimed have run into problems. It’s a Honda Civic. With its automatic 3.5 seconds and its top speed is very oddly shaped trunk, too. gearbox, all-wheel drive and elec- also a manufacturer-claimed 200 There’s a very narrow shelf bit tronically controlled-everything, mph. driving it takes little to And in a sea no effort. of turbo- You could charged units do it with and lag, it’s one finger. nice to see an engine that’s That being still super- said, though, charged, my the inherent preferred philosophy method of between the forced induc- modern SVR tion. Sure, it’s and the now- not as effi- antique cient as a tur- XK140 has bocharger, not changed, but the upside despite being is that there’s 64 years near-instant apart. Both power deliv- offer you a ery, a linear delightful, torque curve and unencumbered open-top driving experience in a sound. Superchargers are neat. that extends inwards and the very pretty machine. Both are The most powerful American deepest part isn’t particularly quick and torquey. (The XK140 muscle cars today have super- wide. is perfectly happy taking off in chargers. second gear; saves you the trou- Ditch the hard suitcases if you ble of futzing with first.) Tunnels, overpasses and walls are choose to travel with this car. no longer merely part of the scen- Ditch any sort of rigid container, And both are lovely, long- ery; behind the wheel of the SVR, honestly, and go for duffle bags distance grand tourers (despite or other soft, moldable or loose they become opportunities. others perhaps disagreeing and Chances to drop the car down two items. calling them sports cars instead), or three gears and stomp the loud so long as you have the tops Driving pedal to hear the thing scream. down. They’re comfortable and

With the top lowered, you’re to- have enough power to hang out in As I reported two years ago, tally present for the noise. You’re the low revs at highway speeds. driving the XK140 Roadster is not isolated by a fixed roof and The miles tick by, unnoticed. It’s as analog as it gets. Manual four closed windows, like someone just you, sitting in a seat of a -speed, no synchros, unassisted watching from across the street for the next three brakes, unassisted steering, no behind a thick pane of glass. hours. You can’t help it, you just traction control, no ABS. You

Can’t Escape The Teeny Tiny could spend an hour figuring it out; the learning curve is ines- —cont’d on p. 4 Page 4 call to Jaguar’s heritage arm to F-type vs. XK140 —cont’d from p. 3 ness. The car knocks on the ceil- ing of what’s legal and safe in no see if they could dig up this time. You start thinking about XK140’s original build sheet. feel cool. Particularly when that I’m always interested to see what seat is upholstered in leather the open drag strips or closed-circuit courses. That temptation alone old cars cost in their day and color of a hot pepper. The what sort of options they came XK140's trunk is more usable, makes driving it always a bit wistful. with. though.

This is where I am deeply con- The Jaguar spokesperson there Excess Is A Thing determined the car was, in fact, flicted. On one hand, I under- stand the draw of a big HP- the SE (Special Equipment) ver- Aesthetically, the two could not sion, meaning be further that it had apart. While been fitted the XK140 with the big- has very clas- ger-valve, C- sically flow- Type cylinder ing lines and head, which exaggerated bumped pow- fender arches, er up to 210 the F-Type HP. It was definitely has dispatched a bit of Nis- from the fac- san 350Z- tory on esque flavor March 3, to its profile. 1956, and Swoopy lines original are absent MSRP was here, and $3,910 plus whole thing shipping. In just looks today’s mon- meaner. Mean ey, that’s is the signa- roughly ture face of $37,000. the 21st century. touting car. It’s exciting on a Ne- anderthal level and appeals to the Conversely, the base price of the Modern safety standards have same part of me that likes fire- works displays and dumb action F-Type SVR Convertible starts at decreed the F-Type be far chunki- $126,700, but my loaner came er and thicker than the XK140. In flicks. On the other, the SVR’s added power and speed answer a with stuff like carbon ceramic the event of a crash, I don’t need brakes (a $12,240 option, what to tell you which car I’d prefer to question nobody really asked. the hell!!), so final MSRP arrived be riding in, but I will say the low at $151,510. window line of the XK140 is per- It’s a car that’s stylish, but the Big Mean speed edges danger- fect for resting your arm on while The average median income (of you drive. There’s something ously close to Too Scary To Ac- tually Use. The SVR will relax, men) in 1955 was $3,400. That very glamorous—and very lost— means the XK140 would have to that simple act. but you’re very aware it is relax- ing because you and the silly (to sold for a little more than the av- erage man’s annual salary, or And then there’s the matter of the the car) social construct of laws and safety told it to. about 15 percent more. power. A 600-HP car sounds de- sirable on paper, but in practice Money And Musings The average median income of a it’s a near-dud. The SVR is family in 2019 is $75,000. The F breathlessly fast and that makes it Out of curiosity, I also put in a incredibly fun, but it’s still mad- —cont’d on p. 5 Page 5

get a supercharged, V8 F-Type F-type vs. XK140 —cont’d from p. 4 you don’t think you’ll ever get from 2016 for about $55,000.) tired of that, then you’re all set. -Type SVR Convertible I had, with all its options, sells for double what Looking at the car’s window The XK140, though, is your an average family in America sticker begged the question of teacher. You learn with the car, or who, exactly, it was for. makes. The difference in price is else something’s going to grind in massive. It’s actually sad how ex- a nasty way. Your relationship pensive cars have gotten today. This is a very glaring piece in with it is born from trial and error. the F-Type SVR’s puzzle. Espe- That’s a relationship that lasts. The knowledge weighed heavily on cially, especially, especially af- me. I won’t even pretend to know ter you find out how much the Will an F-Type SVR be remem- how much you prioritize cars and XK140 was once priced out. The bered as fondly as an XK140? fun in your annual budget, but this overarching argument comes Will people talk about how they SVR cost far too much money for down to vintage analog versus saw one once and will never for- me. Undoubtedly, the interior leath- modern comfort and ease. But is get it? Will they remember the ers were nice and the engine is a that modern comfort and ease first time they drove one? Will the worth four times vintage analog? masterpiece and I felt like a movie cars sit patiently in garages as col- star driving around in it, but I could- lectors and enthusiasts scour the n’t justify an average household The SVR is a highly capable ma- world painstakingly for restora- spending twice its annual income on chine which few will ever tion parts? a car who’s price’ll drop faster than scratch beyond the surface, a buck during open season once de- though it’s very enjoyable to try. I guess we’ll find out in the next preciation hits. (By the way, you can Its power is its one trick, and if 64 years. Page 6 Page 7

Club Calendar 2020

Lots of fun activities coming! Stay tuned …

Ongoing

Third Sunday of Each Month 9am—noonish Park City Cars and Coffee Hugo Coffee 1794 Olympic Parkway, Kimball Junction Page 8 Club Officers President Jim Klekas, voice or text 801-971-6060 [email protected]

Vice President Barry Hanover, voice or text 801-671-9788 [email protected]

Past President Jerry Gill, voice or text 801-518-9829 [email protected]

Treasurer Ken Borg, voice 801-277-3313 [email protected]

Secretary / Membership JoAnn Borg, voice 801-277-3313 [email protected]

Activities Committee Susan Cady voice 801-731-1599, text 801-791-9378 [email protected] Kay Jennings, voice 801-274-2671 [email protected]

Newsletter Publisher / Webmaster Gary Lindstrom, voice or text 801-554-3823 [email protected]

If Harmony Is What You Crave Then Get a Tuba —Burma Shave, 1954