Agreed: it was never my idea of a great time.
I drove my '46 Willys as a “convertible” (top OFF, windshield down) for a good number of years, plus motorbikes.
It wears on one.
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Cool!! What’s the skinny, on the salty Jag?
I seem to remember it’s an Aussie build, and MAYBE V8 powered…been a while since I’ve seen any detail on it.
That would likely be the answer to my next question about how it could possibly be that low and the huge XK oil sump not crash into the ground. I guess it could be dry sump though.
Needs more 200MPH tape…
Regards,
Ray L.
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I’ve seen plenty of race cars with A LOT more…
Yes, possibly dry sump. But then again, salt flats are, by nature and necessity, pretty flat…so those cars don’t rely on much suspension travel.
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Two hundred miles an hour on salt? The car doesn’t need much ground clearance. And I’ll bet the suspension is really stiff without much movement at speed. And there is likely some kind of protection for the sump.
I guess it depends on the car. I’ve had 6 convertibles and never felt I was getting battered with the top down in any of them.
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I’ve worked on pit crews, from USAC, to NASCAR, and SCCA, where cars wouldn’t have been able to finish without that magical stuff!!!
Ray’s ‘Bloviator’ does a great job of cutting down the battering and a ‘foreign legion’ style hat does wonders for the sun exposure. It’s all a matter of want one likes IMHO. I can’t recall who said it first “but I can fit in any car I want to drive” @ 6’4". Well, that’s fudging it a bit, when I was a bit younger I was 6’4", now closer to 6’3"…
Cheers,
LLynn
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I made one out of polycarb for the Miata and it worked nicely. The Mercedes has a mesh one that fits just behind the front seats and made a livable front seat just a bit calmer.
Window frames starting to take shape
The discussion on the posts confirmed it’s going to remain XK powered, and MAY retain the wire wheels into the final incarnation.
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Thanks for the update: will look forward to more progress reports.
Custom header flange CNC milled from 1” thick plate, to accommodate transition from rectangular ports to round header tubing…love it.
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How sweet is that? Very nice.
This project is progressing faster than I was expecting when I first stumbled across it. Their goal is to unveil it at SEMA 2020.
Rob Ida has made several comments on how they are striving to follow original Jaguar design and construction methods in assemblies like the doors and roof rails. Notice the doors use both the original E-type hinges and latches.
They shared out one partial concept sketch, so as not to give too much away. I love the additional windshield rake, and the swept back front fender-to-door line. The lack of a filler-panel between the fender and door changes the look of the car significantly. They also mentioned they are deepening the sills to hide some of the under-car “distractions” that E-types suffer from…I have to admit they have a good point there.
It looks like the side pipes are there to stay, so I guess we’ll all have to agree to be polarized on them…sometimes I think SEMA builds purposely incorporate a few design features that people either love or hate, just to ensure it gets people talking.
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That side view is intriguing!
I really don’t like the side pipes, but overall, this is going to be an interesting build.
Interesting observation, about the changing sensibilities of seeing undercarriage “naughty bits.”
I dig the sidepipes…
Until you roll the window down and inhale all the fumes coming into the cabin. Better keep the mixture exactly right too, or the side of the car will be black. Somebody really didn’t think this through.