Jaguar Mk2
An extended test drive sees Grant’s Mk2 in a convoy of Coventry cats
Until recently, the Jaguar Mk2 hadn’t travelled more than 20 miles this year – a situation that needed to be remedied following its recent service. Nothing – not bad weather or alternative commitments – was going to stop me from enjoying a long test drive, before taking it to the Jaguar Forums’ Convoy and Meet last month.
An early start some 40 miles from home ensured that the Jag would enjoy a traffic-free run to the initial gathering at Pease Pottage Service Station, just off the M23. After a gentle start, a stretch of dual carriageway allowed me to ease the throttle down and get up to the car’s comfortable 60mph cruising speed.
This was the seventh annual run organised by Steve Sheldon, who said that he was expecting just under 100 cars ranging from the 1960s to the latest offerings from the marque. Unsurprisingly, most enthusiasts had travelled from across the south, but one F-type had made a very early start from Solihull in the West Midlands, while an XKR came via Dover from its home near Hamburg in northern Germany. With minutes to departure, the service station car park was virtually full of Jaguars ready for the 20-mile jaunt across the South Downs and north to the showground within Denbies Vineyard near Dorking.
I looked to get ahead, with a plan to capture images of the convoy en route, which meant that the Mk2’s speedometer was flickering at around 70mph, something it rarely does. Unfazed, it took this urgency in its stride, but the petrol gauge needle took a nose dive as the twin Solex carburettors shovelled ultra-grade fuel into the cylinders.
I got the photos as the group wound its way through the country lanes and villages; while the Jag seemed pleased with its performance, I couldn’t help feeling a little guilty and worried if there was enough in the tank to get me home. Unwarranted concern as it turned out; the return journey proved faultless, the straight-six doubtless benefitting from a good run.
Just a flickering fuel warning light to remind me a classic Jaguar is rarely a budget option; especially when a heavy right foot gets as much exercise as the entire car!