1998 Jaguar XK8 Convertible (#2)

 1998 Jaguar XK8 Convertible (#2)

My weird attraction to these old XK8's in the early part of the century continued with this one, I believe the 5th and final one I owned. This was probably the ugliest, but also the nicest of them all. Finished in the very cliché "British Racing Green", it just wasn't flattering. It sort of looked like flat green. Color aside, the car only had about 25K miles and was immaculate. 

The Jaguar V8 - a good motor but not a great motor. It didn't have the raw torque that an American V8 had, but it was smooth and handled the size of the car well. When supercharged (XKR) its claws really came out (get it?).

This is the "J" gated shifter that Jaguar insisted on putting in all their cars back in the day. I hated it myself. It felt clumsy and didn't look great either. The key thing to notice here is the tiny button with the S on it and the red light. That's the "Sport Mode" button. Most cars have these today, but it really made a big difference in this cars feel and performance.

Jaguar's power top was pretty simple. It's one button and about 20 seconds up or down. The cars came with a leather cover that snaps into place over the top when it's down that makes for a much smoother look.

I had to put this in here. This is Jaguar's answer to the drink holder issue, and it very well may be the worst ever designed. Even if it did work well, which it most certainly does not, they break so frequently that Jaguar dealers would just have the repair kit stocked on their parts counter like keychains at around $50.

I like these cars, even today. They're starting to become retro-cool, and they don't cost much at all now. They're modern enough to drive every day with only minimal repair concerns. As a fun and cheap weekender, I say why not?