I figured out why we make these cars fast....

[Arya Ebrahimi]

So that when you get somewhere you have time to answer all the random questions people ask about them

 

Drove frankn7 around for a bit tonight and whenever I stopped people would come up and say, "I just gotta ask, 'what is it!?!'."

 

The best part was passing a few guys walking home from the metro looking rather tired and down and seeing the instantaneous smiles when they heard me coming and looked up

[yellowss7]

:d :hurray: Arya, I agree. When I take mine out on the street, I feel like I'm doing a public service to the Neighborhood, Bringing smiles to all that I drive by. It's fun to watch people almost breaking their necks trying to figure out what just went by.

 

The waves, smiles and "nice Car" shouts are almost as good a feeling as using the loud pedal.

 

Tom

 

 

[DB6]

yeah, its a car that cut thru the BS, every one loves em, grannies think they are cute, well I did take a granny out up the road 3weeks ago, she said first "oh my God it's as cute as a bug, then after 2 miles curvey, she was "oh MY GOD, this takes my breath away, I LOVE it , she is 79, and stores my Autocross wheels.

 

PS, the Boys in Blue seem to love em too, even when I drive the limit in know speed traps I see em slow down ready to pounce!

[slngsht]

So that when you get somewhere you have time to answer all the random questions people ask about them

 

Drove frankn7 around for a bit tonight and whenever I stopped people would come up and say, "I just gotta ask, 'what is it!?!'."

 

The best part was passing a few guys walking home from the metro looking rather tired and down and seeing the instantaneous smiles when they heard me coming and looked up

 

Arya, I came to the realization today that the body has to finally go back on - as you have been saying.

 

People used to ask me "what kind of car is that?" all the time.

 

The last two times, the question is "did you make that yourself?"

 

It's a subtle but noticeable difference. :lol:

[JBH]

People ask me either (1) how fast will it go? or (2) what's your gas mileage? Sign of the times I guess.

 

It's really the best of both worlds

[Sean]

People ask me either (1) how fast will it go? or (2) what's your gas mileage? Sign of the times I guess.

 

It's really the best of both worlds

 

1) 30+

2) 30+

[Alaskossie]

Back in the June of 1958 (I know, the Paleozoic era..), Road & Track Magazine re-printed an article from the Brit humor (humour?) magazine Punch, by J. B Boothroyd, with wonderful illustrations by the great automotive cartoonist Russell Brockbank.

 

It was quintessential "British humour" and was titled, "How the XK-SS Solves the Traffic Problem." The basic premise was that a very fast car like the Jaguar XK-SS (a period Supercar if there ever was one) simply vacates the road just that much more quickly than most cars, thus leaving lots of available road space for the rest of the traffic.

 

It remains one of the most hilarious driving descriptions I have ever read. It certainly applies to the experience of driving a Seven, and to the public's reaction to that.

 

The lead-in paragraph states, "Speedier cars may be the answer to Britain's overcrowded highways. The faster the car, the sooner it vacates road space for others. With this in mind, Russell Brockbank and J. B. Boothroyd recently took out a Jaguar XK-SS and a flattering amount of short term life insurance...."

 

Forgive me for quoting the entire last paragraph of the piece:

 

"To sum up, the SS isn't everyone's car. Everyone couldn't get in it. It eats up an immense amount of road, converting a 10-mile stretch of straight into something the size of a bus ticket -- and thus detracting from the finer points of the scenery. But for the man who wants to leave as much road as empty as possible for other people, who likes to overtake a convoy of six sand-and-gravel trucks with trailers in a space which the ordinary motorist would regard as a tight squeeze for overtaking an elderly lady pushing a bicycle, who doesn't mind having his passenger's shoes on fire and a wife who sits by the telephone with palpitations as soon as the sound of his exhaust has died away, it may be said to exhibit certain points of advantage."

 

This great little 2-page article deserves to be re-circulated and remembered. For any USA7s-er who wants a scan of this article, please send me your e-mail address by PM, and I'll be happy to oblige.

 

[Alaskossie]

CLARIFICATION: Due to the difficulty (impossibility)?) of hooking an attachment to a PM, if you want a scan of the Punch article, send me your e-mail address by PM, and I'll attach the copy to an e-mail back to you.