Hello from Akron, Ohio

[TimR]

Hi Jeff,welcome to the forum. That was a virtual resurrection of that smashed Celebrity! Hey, I too am into restoring old cars -particularly British sports cars. I noticed your avatar -an XJ-6 Jag and your username. That's not by any chance the Jag from the "Equalizer" Tv show, is it?

Tim

[equalizerjag]

Hi Tim,
You guessed it!
Dragged it home from New York City 5 years ago.
Still working on getting proper documentation.

[rog43win]

Great background, Jeff......welcome to the forum! ......Nice to have such a talented guy here......

Roger

[TimR]

That's cool! That was a good show -most people don't seem to remember it. Have you done other British cars?

I once did a '67 XKE roadster, but I've had a couple XJ-6's. Plus I've had about 50 Mosrites -the guitar version of the Jaguar.................

Tim

[equalizerjag]

Hi TimR,

Good to hear there's another Jaguar enthusiast out there. Yes, I've restored several Jaguars, MGs, and Triumphs. I'm currently repainting my '64 XKE Coupe, getting it ready for next year's 50th anniversary meet in Columbus. It's funny you say that about Mosrites being the Jaguar of guitars; I've always thought of the MK1 Mosrite as the XKE of electric guitars. Taking a Mosrite to a jam night seems to get the same response as driving an XKE to a local cruise-in. There's always somebody who says that they don't care for Mosrites, just like Jaguars get bum wrap. Doesn't bother me, I still think they're the coolest guitar/car!

[JimPage]

The Equalizer was a great show and, to me, the Jag XKE was the most beautiful car ever made, hands down.

The analogy of Mosrite to Jaguar seems apt. Beautiful, quirky, and scarce on the ground.

--Jim

[TimR]

Yeah, I've always thought of that comparison of a Ventures Mosrite (MK I), to the XK-E. It started with the steering wheel, when you first get in. The wheel was wood, with an aluminum core, but was unbelievably thin. It felt like if you pushed very hard it would bend. Yet there was something really elegant and classy about that. The series I models had these really cool toggle switches all over the dash -once again delicate, but classy. Kind of felt like an airplane cockpit. The shift lever also, felt somewhat thin and different than on any other car. But if you wanted to drive it hard, it would respond with unbelievable precision. The electrical system -well, there was a reason Lucas was known as "the prince of darkness." But the engine was a thing of beauty -dual overhead cam 6 cyl., with 3 SU carbs. Before the 70's and Ralph Nader came along, to bog everything down with emission controls, these engines were very powerful and reliable, but required a little occasional tweaking. But that engine was beautiful to look at, as was the whole car. I probably spent more time sitting and staring at the Jag than I did driving it. Come to think of it, I probably did with the Mosrite Ventures model as well (staring at it, as opposed to playing it.) The curves of the XKE were not designed in a computerized wind tunnel like today's cars -they were designed by a true artist- Sir William Lyons. Likewise with the Ventures Mosrite. It may have started with a flipped over Strat, but with Semie's artistic ability, it became a true work of art, with similar curves to match.
Fender actually used the XKE in an ad campaign with their "Jaguar". (I've got a copy of it hanging on my wall) I'm just glad to know there's someone else out there who noticed the similarities with Mosrite.

Tim