Well I've been a bit 'occupied' for the last few weeks, so a catch up blog is definitely required.
Back in October, I started to get the itch. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and it's not easily communicable, but every once in a while it needs scratching. The time had come to change the car.
Now our main 'workhorse' car is a comfortable though fundamentally boring Mondeo, but a few years ago I promised myself that before I died I would enjoy the delights of at least a couple of more 'exotic' rides even if only for a year or two (calm down ladies I'm still talking about cars).
I used to ride a bike, this one in fact:
and after that it takes a certain kind of car to generate the same 'excitement', so I decided to get one of these (this one in fact):
Its a Maserati 4200 GT and to say it was quite quick is like saying ZZ Top are quite hairy.
Handles like a dream and tops out at 170+ if you dare. It was a really fun car to drive, to polish and just to stare at, but it did have one drawback. It's a manual. For our American friends a 'stick shift'. Not only that but the gearbox was built out of bricks and the clutch springs were stronger than the suspension. Putting it simply it was hard work - rewarding when you got it right, punishing when you didn't. So after 2 1/2 years of hairy chested, latin machismo, I decided something more refined was called for. My left arm was getting tired, my clutch foot was starting to ache, and my spine was gradually crumbling from the punishingly hard ride.
So I got one of these (this one in fact) :-)
Its a Jaguar. In the US this is often incorrectly pronounced 'JagYooArr', in the UK it's simply pronounced 'Jaaaaaag', which rhymes with Shag, but lasts longer.
It's a supercharged V8 with quite a bit more 'oomph' than the Mas (510 Oomphs to be precise), and it goes like the beast it is. But its also refined. It is comfortable. It is an automatic (but with flappy paddle gearshift if you want to play).
I can't say in writing how fast I have been in it because I would be open to arrest and a good beating with a policeman's truncheon, but I can confirm that at over twice the national speed limit it is still accelerating ;-)
But it is also 'green'. No really. The engine is so efficient that despite its huge power output it still does 50% more miles to the gallon than the Mas did. OK 13 mpg round town isn't green by some standards but its a lot better than 8!
So that's my new ride. She sounds gorgeous too :-)
