Petrolicious Video Shows Off Beautiful Vintage Jaguar
Classic Jaguar XK120 started its life at Le Mans. Now, it’s perfect for weekend trips to the cafe for coffee or tea.
Many of us got our love of cars from our fathers. A few of us are fortunate enough to inherit our father’s cars, too. William Foster‘s father left him his Jaguar.
Foster’s Jaguar isn’t just any old car, though. It’s an early-production, aluminum-bodied XK120. As if that’s not special enough, it’s a former race car, too.
In 1950, Jaguar specially prepared a trio of XK120s for the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Instead of entering the race themselves, Jaguar carefully selected three privateer teams to run their cars. In case you haven’t guessed it yet, Foster’s car is one of those three.
In the video, beautifully produced by Petrolicious, Foster explains what it’s like to drive the Jaguar. He describes the operation of the pedals and handbrake in such loving detail that you’d imagine he dreams of driving this Jaguar.
To Foster, this Jaguar is more than just a valuable vintage race car. It’s a link between him, his father, and their shared love of automobiles.
Like all of the best old race cars, the Jaguar is loud, smelly, and uncomfortable. To those uninitiated, take our word for it that this is the way cars are meant to be experienced. Simply put, it’s fun.
The XK120’s minimalist approach to just about everything is a far cry from modern sports cars. Its tiny windscreen is roughly the size of a visor on a motorcycle helmet, and you can forget about weather protection.
In the video, we see Foster stopping off at a cafe for a cup of tea, wearing his insulated motorcycle jacket and motorcycle helmet. We’re certain the tea tastes better than bugs would have if he had opted to leave the helmet at home.
