Jaguar XKE or MG Midget?
If you’ve ever read my essay “Cars,” you know I’m not a car guy: I’ve never lusted for the hottest, latest, fastest version bursting from the automotive factories, but I must admit there were two vehicles which made my toes curl a little.
I recall vividly the first time I saw a Jaguar XKE. I was a sophomore in college out on the town for the evening---you know, driving around, dropping in to bars, looking…looking for someone or something exciting. The bright florescent lights captured my attention as I drove by the showroom. After circling the block, I stopped at the curb and saw there was only one vehicle in the brightly lit space…its hood open. Intrigued, I killed the old heap, got out, and slowly walked to the plateglass of the showroom. As I looked down into the engine compartment of the vehicle which was nudged against the plateglass, I counted the twelve cylinders…holy crap…twelve cylinders. The engine compartment was huge and overflowing with chrome. I repositioned to get a better look at the body. The body of the car was…well, spectacular---beauty and brawn wrapped into one gorgeous package. I was in love.
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John Schaeffer’s "In the Key of E" is an Jaguar XKE inspired by the fact that Big Ben in London strikes in the key of e. It is 18 x 24 acrylic on canvas.
To my eye, the Jaguar XKE, produced from 1962-1975, is the most beautiful automobile ever produced. Its aerodynamic lines puts it in a class by itself. Even the Metropolitan Museum said “yes” to the E.
I stood before the object of my adulation wondering if I would ever be able to possess the beauty. Remember, I was a sophomore in college who had just taken out my third National Defense Student Loan so I could afford to continue in college.
I never saw many XKE’s on the street; Hell, they were pretty pricey. I remember seeing my first XKE sedan, four-seater, while I was coming out of a movie theatre in Germany…nice, but the hump of the roof added to accommodate two extra passengers made it look pregnant. It was never meant to be a sedan.
It was the kind of car that I’d refuse to even sit in today if given a chance because it would make me want it even more than I already do.
I also suspected at the age of twenty that I was not and never would be an XKE kind of guy. It just would never match my personality; it was far too beautiful, far too powerful to share the road with me. No, it could never be. It was a love affair that cooled but was never forgotten.
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John Schaeffer’s 1947 MG TC named "Too Cool". 12 x 16 acrylic on canvas
My most enduring love is the MG Midget. I knew immediately that it fit my personality much better. It wasn’t as streamlined as the XKE and certainly not as powerful. It was handsome in its own way and a little quirky.
There were a lot of versions over its history from 1929 through 1955: M, C, D F, J, P, TA, TB, TC, TD, and TF. They were all basically the same. If any changes were apparent, it is that they became more attractive in my eyes. I grieved a little when it stopped production. I haven’t seen one in years; it’s my understanding that their value has gone up astronomically.
I always thought that this car fit my personality much more closely than the XKE. I could see myself behind the wheel of an MG wearing a pistol cap with elbow patches on my sports coat driving about the countryside looking for antiques. Well, that’s how I see myself even if you may not. Leave me my dreams.
Perhaps we are what we drive. However, I doubt it. I’m presently driving a Chrysler 300, good car, very dependable, very comfortable…. On second thought, perhaps we are what we drive.
enough