The last word
Brian Gower enthuses about a big old Jag.
Brian Gower enthuses about a big old Jag.
Let's be clear, my friends, I know very little about mechanisms in the accepted sense. I can just about grasp the workings of a windup watch and the most basic combustion engine, but only because I took an interest in them when I was young and appealing enough for grown-ups to explain things to me or give me books. Electricity I take on trust, the Internet is best treated with distrust - never put all your eggs in one insecure basket.
The mechanisms of which I speak are the sideways steps we sometimes take to deal with (or avoid) life's horrors. Distractions, diversions, hiding places or escape routes, tea and toast or head in a bottle, all are necessary and valid if they work for you in whatever unwelcome circumstance you find yourself. But I've not come across the following path to salvation before.
One of our notable motoring journalists, when assailed by grief, buys a car. He admits that his mother once predicted that her death would be marked by another shiny arrival in her son's garage. Judging by the number of his cars, he has experienced a considerable amount of misfortune so far.
I have wondered if there is any correlation between the size and splendour of each new acquisition and the scale of the tragic event - the gigantic American cruiser to mark the loss of a significant other, the small British sports car to indicate that his budgie has uttered its last profanity and fallen head first from its perch. Still, as I would have said to HM the Queen, given the chance, when she was dealing with the scandals generated by her offspring and the popular press: "Regrettably, Your Majesty, into each reign some life must fall."
The fact that I have recently bought a very large car does not mean that tragedy has struck nor that the various bits of disenchantment that life scatters in one's path are getting to me. No more than usual, anyway. No, pure and undying admiration for the Jaguar Mark Ten has prompted me to add it to my collection, not least because it is in 1/43 scale and produced by Ixo, a company that usually makes a good job of these things. I'm not sure how long this model has been around - I have a picture of a maroon version from a while back. I ordered this one from Keith Bradley and he casts his nets far and wide, so the model could be from three years ago or last week.
Given the size of today's fortified luxury vehicles, I'm not even sure that the Mark Ten still qualifies as large, but I was drooling over a 1973 Rover P5B Coupe and a Citroën DS21 the other day and they still felt nice and big.Wifey was very impressed by the Citroën; French, you see. Up until now, I have only had the Dinky and Corgi Mark Tens to go by, so the delivery of my new Jaguar has allowed me to compare it to other examples of 1/43 largesse. The real car was impressive at 16' 10" long with a substantial 6'4" of width - a proper six-seater and said to be quieter than a Rolls-Royce. Possessing all the comfort and refinement of far more expensive luxury cars, the big Jaguar would probably take the edge off most troubles. Of course, it's not essential to be down in the dumps to enjoy the Mark Ten, so why not buy one anyway? And please bear in mind - no-one has to die first. DC