Re: Yet another XK8 sighting report

["Kirbert" <palmk@mailer.gadcomm.net>]

> From:          Victor Naumann <jagdoc@erols.com>
> Is the point that Jag could spend the money and develop a new,more
> efficient V 12.

No, the point is that they already HAVE an excellent V12, and with only minor 
upgrades it could still compete with the best the world has to offer, and 
without any significant change in cost.  With more significant upgrades -- 
i.e., 4-valve heads -- it could be a world-beater.  But rather than take 
one of these routes, either of which would be in keeping with the marque 
that William Lyons established, a Ford-like route was taken: abandon their 
showpiece powerplant, and design an ordinary car with an ordinary engine and 
tell us it gets "acceptable fuel economy."

> Sure they could, and it is possible that they will.

Don't count on it.  At least, not as long as Ford is in charge.

> It remains a fact that V 12 sales were only a very small part of Jag's
> worldwide sales, and the company must sell cars to generate
> profits,improve their products and stay in business.

Heard the argument before, and it still smacks of accountants in charge.  It 
doesn't matter if Jaguar NEVER sells a V-12, it's still the engine that 
brings the customers into the dealership.  Only after they are there do they 
decide that the V-12 is more than they really want, and agree to settle for 
the more practical six.  You get rid of the V-12, and there's gonna 
be a LOT less people coming in at all, and sales of the sixes will 
fall off.

> There are a lot of
> Mercedes in my area, but only one in 15 of the Sl models is a V12.

And Mercedes has decided to develop a newer V-12?  Guess what -- Ford doesn't 
own Mercedes!  Mercedes knows the value of a showpiece automobile, whether it 
sells well or not.

> Jag sold
> many more XJ S when they offered the AJ 6 engine.

Boy, that's news to me!  Every mag report I've seen on the car said it 
sucked, recommended people buy the V-12 instead.  I, personally, have never 
understood why they sold any at all.

> As for legendary Jaguar
> engines, I believe that most of Jag's legend is built on their XK series
> engines from the 120 to the C and D types and the E type.

That's where their legend began, that's true.  But, at the time, their XK 
engine was one of the most outstanding powerplants the world had ever seen -- 
on the track or on the street -- and Jaguar gained a reputation for offering 
such outstanding workmanship to the public while other companies' products 
were either not available at all or only at exhorbitant prices.

When the XK was no longer the epitome of engineering the world over, Lyons
didn't replace it with something with "acceptable fuel ecomony" -- he
designed ANOTHER engine that was better than anything else available at
twice the price.  It wasn't until the man was dead and buried that Jaguar
started losing sight of what made them what they once were.

> Most of the V 12
> racing was by independants with lots of modifications.

Well, one could argue that point.  The fact is, a "factory" entry doesn't 
look as much like a factory entry as it once did.  But what is the point?  
The V-12 won races, and was considered the ultimate endurance racing engine 
in terms of performance and durability up until fuel economy limits (yes, 
that damned "acceptable fuel economy" requirement made it into endurance 
racing) rendered it unusable.

> I was really sorry
> not to see the XJ 13 raced by the factory, I think it had lots of promise in
> it's time.

Well, first off, the XJ13 engine had very little to do with the V-12 we all 
know and love.  Second, the car DIDN'T have as much promise as was hoped, 
that's why it was withheld.

 -- Kirbert      |     If anything is to be accomplished,
                 |     some rules must be broken.
                 |          - Palm's Postulate

---

References:

• Re: Yet another XK8 sighting report
• From: Victor Naumann <jagdoc@erols.com>

---

• Prev by Date: Re: Winter Storage
• Next by Date: Re: (1) Rear Rotor Replacement XJ6 Series 3
• Prev by thread: Re: Yet another XK8 sighting report
• Next by thread: Re: Yet another XK8 sighting report
• Index(es):
  • Main
  • Thread