Jaguar

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Sunday – Squeezed Out

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Jeremy 20-inch Vulcan wheels in gloss black – £550 each. That’s just the alloy wheel and doesn’t include the tyre. So you can imagine how irritated I was when I tried to go past a caravan on a roundabout near Chippenham tonight, then suddenly found myself being squeezed out by an oblivious woman at the helm.

I doubt I was travelling at more than 30mph but suddenly, the gap between the horrible caravan and the XKR-S  became very tight! I crushed the brake peddle as the woman cut directly across the two lanes and ignored my presence. How noisy, bright and wide do you want a supercar to be madam?

It’s one of the perils of owning a supercar with low profile tyres. A curb stone might as well be a sharp knife, waiting to slash a gaping hole in your wallet and empty the contents on a regular basis. Tonight there was a slight squeal from the rear off-side rubber but a quick check revealed no damage. Phew!

On a lighter note, this weekend we have also managed to cram two twentysomethings in the back seats of the Jaguar. Unless you have friends who are very bendy and don’t suffer from a neck disorder, don’t ever try it yourself. The backseats of the XK are for very small children or a pet pooch only….

 

 

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Saturday – No Clown

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Jeremy Apparently, when I was five-years-old, I wanted to run away to the circus. I became a journalist instead, so I got there in the end…

Tonight we drove the low-slung XKR-S across the bumps and mounds of Rodborough Common in Gloucestershire to attend Giffords Circus. Giffords is a traditional, family-run touring circus with clowns, horses and a goose.

All afternoon I had been scorching around the Cotswolds with the Jag in ‘sport’ mode and making a lot of noise. So I was worried it would be impossible to drive a supercar like this in to a circus car park and hope to avoid turning heads.

But that slow  meander across the common proved something else about the supercharged XKR-S – it can keep a low profile if it wants to. At low revs those four tailpipes aren’t outrageously loud, the gearchange is slippery smooth you don’t feel like a clown.

And with a car so screamingly blue as this, that is a very good thing. Believe me.

 

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Friday – Light The Blue Touch-paper And Retire…

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Jeremy The car park at Cheltenham Railway Station has probably been the location for many joyous reunions but none more welcome than the arrival of the XKR-S this afternoon.

I had spent last night at the Manchester City season launch – a musical and comedy extravaganza hosted by Jake Humphries which I don’t think any other team has ever tried to stage before. Catching the train up north, I arrived back in Cheltenham to find the Jaguar purring in the car park with the delivery driver.

Jessica and I were told the car was a rather restrained Italian racing red – in fact, it’s a remarkable shade of blue that almost matches Man City‘s sky blue strip. You wouldn’t want to have a bad hair day in a sports car this colour I can tell you.

So, first impressions of the XKR-S suggest it is going to be a week of high performance drama. Surprisingly, it’s remarkably comfortable too, much more civilised than a Porsche RS and quite usable as an everyday GT too. More tomorrow….

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Sunday-Huffkins Challenge

JessicaThe Jag has passed a girl challenge today……
Once the many seat buttons have been pressed, in house massage parlour engaged, music selected, mirror adjusted (yes the Chanel nude lipstick works for a weekend) , it is time for the car park challenge.

The prize for negotiating the spiral entry ramp and numerous pillars of the Cheltenham multi-storey with no scratches or dents, is a delicious cup of exquisite loose leaf Lapsang Souchong with cakes (mine an award winning fruit cake) from Huffkins.

The car was immaculate, it is a pleasure to drive, responsive, fast and smooth. There is a sense of power that is easy to manage with the fun of paddle gear shift and an excellent braking system.

……….arriving at the challenge point……. yes we made it onto the car park (slowly) around the very tight, long, narrow spiral car park ramp, then easily manoeuvred into a tight space beside a pillar. There was much bleeping and flashing from the car which clearly did not believe I could negotiate such a testing space.

All in all a lovely afternoon, cake all round and a spin home across country in the spring sunshine.

I will be sad to see this car go as it is a luxurious experience to drive, though I still don’t understand why the rear end of this lovely car looks like an old Ford Sierra!