9/12/13

Elkhart Lake Vintage Classic 2013 - Pt. 4. - Just for show.

In the comments for yesterday's post, SirFancyHottestarossas_2 asked "Any D or E Type Jags?" Funny you should ask, Sir 'Rossa. We saw this pristine French Blue example just lying around the lower paddock, like it was nothing. How dare! It was clearly there for display, and not to race, which is fine. Mostly, you'll see these things behind velvet ropes, if you see them at all. But at an event like a vintage race, amazing relics are everywhere, and you can walk up and stare into their headlights as close as you please. The owners are almost always sitting in a lawn chair or tuning up their race vehicle, glad to get the attention. I definitely recommend. Notable tracks in the greater Chicago area are Blackhawk Farms and Road America, where these photos were taken. Or visit the VSCDA (Vintage Sports Car Drivers Association) website for the season's schedule of events.


And E Type Jaaaaaaaag. The Jag D Type was a racing version of this car, usually with a distinctive fin behind the driver's head. Note the large-ish rubber American-spec bumper nubs on the front. I believe the British version got smaller, chromed bumper units. As always, America knows how to take a car and make it worse... if such a thing can even be said of an E Type, which Jeremy Clarkson described as "the most beautiful thing I've ever seen".





This jag was shot with an old CCTV lens, stuck on my camera. It's a cheap, primitive thing that has a very shallow depth of field (hence the blurry backgrounds) and tends to produce lens flare and funny glares like the bizarre streaks in this shot. That's part of the fun. It's probably the best fifteen bucks I've spent in a long time.


Another not-for racing display model not in any particular hurry was this Edsel wagon. I think this is a '59, or thereabouts. It was in perfect condition, and in the perfect color. Much attention was deserved.


I was using another old oddball lens (a 1986 Canon FD prime), which required an adapter to work on my camera, which always has the effect of magnifying the image a little bit, because the adapter pushes the lens away from the image sensor by a half inch or something. So, I had a really hard time fitting the whole car in the picture. here, I think I was backed up against a tent, and still chopped off the rear bumper. The car was a mile long. I have decided that I really really love coke-bottle green auto glass, which is obvious in the windshield in this shot.


Wonderful geegaws like this were featured in Ralph Nadir's lesser-known book "Unnecessary at Any Speed". No, not really.


Unfortunately, as dash boards became safer, they became less breathtaking. Imagine hitting this apple slicer with your upper person at 45 miles per hour. Jeez.



An Austin-Healey Sprite, the happiest car ever made, in one of the giddiest colors ever. It wasn't far from the Jag E. I think they were owned by the same guy, if I recall. Absolutely clean.






For MisterFancySirHottestarossasBalls, here's Clarkson doing a piece on the Eagle Speedster, which is a perfect reproduction/reinterpretation of an E Type, updated and modernized with modern brakes, suspension, and everything. They're a little spendy, though. About $800,000.



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sir AreGo,

Thanks! Great shots- too bad the bonnet was closed. Loved the Top Gear E-Type clip saw it before & gladly watched it again! The Evil Speedster is entirely bitchin', with all it's ALUMINIUM & carbon fiber majesty. I be lovin me some E-Type.

Sincerely,
SirFancyHottestarossas_2

Richard Mahler said...

Clarkson's clip on the E-Type Eagle Speedster has the most gut-splittingly hilarious finish ever! What a piece of satire! Thanks.

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