There should have been another blog between the last one and this, but I'm still working on it. (Get on with it, Ed.) So here's another stunning car for you, a 1952 Jaguar. (Mark 9?) I just love it. As we talked about last week, advertising was so much simpler and more to the point in the fifties. All they needed to say was 'Grace', 'Space' and 'Pace'. Which meant that it looked good, had lots of room and went like stink. What more did we want to know? One of the getaway cars-of-choice for Laarndun villains, the Jag had style in bucket seat loads. Except I think it had a bench front seat. And look at that logo for 'The Motor' too. Perfect.
Super driver, as they used to say. I believe the, Jaeger of course, dashboard dials were lit by blue-purple lights, which were described as 'Black Violet' by Jag.
Lovely. I sat in the back of a two-tone blue one a few years back, drinking champagne with the owner, resting the flute on one of the little walnut tables that let down from the back of the front seats.
Wonderful. Beats hands down the Japanese tin box I drive these days. If only I had more petrol money...
By the way: Further clicking and drooling on the internet reveals that this is I think a slightly earlier model than the Mark IX. Maybe the Mark VII? Jagficcionados will know.
More yumminess Mr.A. The Jag was a bit of a cad's car but nonetheless satisfied admirably the needs of the family man with sporting motoring aspirations. Again, the illustration only bears a passing resemblence to the real thing but delivers promises in spades. Tweed cap, sports jacket, string backed driving gloves and cavalry twills, all infused with the reassuring aroma of Manikin cigars (as endorsed by Jack Warner).
My old Dad used to refer to such Jags rather sniffily as "Wardour Street Bentleys".......but then he would ,wouldn't he, as he had a Hillman Minx.Didn't stop him from cramming his Lincoln Bennett{Best Bookmaker's Tweed ) flat 'at over his eyes and carving up everything in sight on the A3 from Guildford to Milford.When he said "Pass me The Cap,Boy " we knew it was just a matter of time before Little Sister would distance herself from her lunch.
What a lovely memory Bucks! I had a similar experience on the A1 at Norman Cross, passing through in my beloved BMW 323i. My nephew, in the back with his sister, said "Uncle Peter, I think Rachel is going to be sick". I slowed down to 80, but too late.
Surely this is the only car ever driven by the bad guys in the Famous Five books? Dirty Dave, Smelly Arthur, and all the suspicious foreign types didn't drive Hillmans.
I am a designer, writer and photographer who spends all his time looking at England, particularly buildings and the countryside. But I have a leaning towards the slightly odd and neglected, the unsung elements that make England such an interesting place to live in. I am the author and photographer of over 25 books, in particular Unmitigated England (Adelphi 2006), More from Unmitigated England (Adelphi 2007), Cross Country (Wiley 2011), The Cigarette Papers (Frances Lincoln 2012), Preposterous Erections (Frances Lincoln 2012) and English Allsorts (Adelphi 2015)
"Open this book with reverence. It is a hymn to England". Clive Aslet
Preposterous Erections
"Enchanting...delightful". The Bookseller "Cheekily named" We Love This Book
The Cigarette Papers
"Unexpectedly pleasing and engrossing...beautifully illustrated". The Bookseller
Cross Country
"Until the happy advent of Peter Ashley's Cross Country it has, ironically, been foreigners who have been best at celebrating Englishness". Christina Hardyment / The Independent
More from Unmitigated England
"Give this book to someone you know- if not everyone you know." Simon Heffer, Country Life. "When it comes to spotting the small but telling details of Englishness, Peter Ashley has no equal." Michael Prodger, Sunday Telegraph
14 comments:
Super driver, as they used to say. I believe the, Jaeger of course, dashboard dials were lit by blue-purple lights, which were described as 'Black Violet' by Jag.
Lovely. I sat in the back of a two-tone blue one a few years back, drinking champagne with the owner, resting the flute on one of the little walnut tables that let down from the back of the front seats.
Wonderful. Beats hands down the Japanese tin box I drive these days. If only I had more petrol money...
By the way: Further clicking and drooling on the internet reveals that this is I think a slightly earlier model than the Mark IX. Maybe the Mark VII? Jagficcionados will know.
More yumminess Mr.A. The Jag was a bit of a cad's car but nonetheless satisfied admirably the needs of the family man with sporting motoring aspirations. Again, the illustration only bears a passing resemblence to the real thing but delivers promises in spades. Tweed cap, sports jacket, string backed driving gloves and cavalry twills, all infused with the reassuring aroma of Manikin cigars (as endorsed by Jack Warner).
You ask Joyce & Vicky...... oh no that was a Cortina wasn't it - have I missed something ?
Yes Diplo, but you're doing very well.
the thought of a seasoned up hyaena like Nina fornicating in the back of Peter's Jaguar should never have crossed my mind - please forgive.
What are you two up to?
They're just a pair of Blockheads.
...maybe some old (rum &) Ribena ads are what's needed at this point....
But back to the Jag. These days, car advertising is about Race and In-yer-Face!
On the Jaguar theme the E-type is fifty years old today
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/feb/08/jaguar-etype-50-design-museum
Quite a contrast between two almost contemporary cars.
My old Dad used to refer to such Jags rather sniffily as "Wardour Street Bentleys".......but then he would ,wouldn't he, as he had a Hillman Minx.Didn't stop him from cramming his Lincoln Bennett{Best Bookmaker's Tweed ) flat 'at over his eyes and carving up everything in sight on the A3 from Guildford to Milford.When he said "Pass me The Cap,Boy " we knew it was just a matter of time before Little Sister would distance herself from her lunch.
What a lovely memory Bucks! I had a similar experience on the A1 at Norman Cross, passing through in my beloved BMW 323i. My nephew, in the back with his sister, said "Uncle Peter, I think Rachel is going to be sick". I slowed down to 80, but too late.
Surely this is the only car ever driven by the bad guys in the Famous Five books? Dirty Dave, Smelly Arthur, and all the suspicious foreign types didn't drive Hillmans.
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