The XJ, up close and personal

Posted on 07/10/2010 by Sam Skelton

I’ve written a fair amount about the new Jaguar XJ on these pages. So much that if I were paid for what I write I could almost buy a scale model of one. OK, a cheap one maybe. It’s been on sale for around a year, and yet I see none on the road. A few weeks ago, I grew bored of waiting and motored on across to my local Jaguar dealer, Hatfields of Sheffield. I wasn’t optimistic of my chances even to see it - a chap I knew a few years ago was ignored by the staff for arriving in paint-spattered Read more [...]

Retro Steeds

Posted on 24/09/2010 by Sam Skelton

Rover and Jaguar have always been a well-matched pairing - from the days of the 'S' Type-driving baddie being chased by a succession of police P6s and SD1s, right down to the Rover 800 which in Sterling guise served as a poor man's XJ in the 90s. Both are typically British too - the stereotypical Brit John Steed had both an SD1 and a super XJC in the New Avengers. So it's apt that both marques have created retro saloons in the same field. Sam Skelton compares the two to see which is best. Words: Read more [...]

Austin Montego 1.6HL

Posted on 23/09/2010 by Sam Skelton

Monte-No-Bad Despite the fact that it was in the nicest spec, the first Montego 1.6 I drove didn't make as good an impression as I had wished. To quote my original review, the steering was heavy, the gearbox didn't leave me overjoyed, and it just did not feel as good as I'd hoped. I've driven a few 1.6 Maestros since, and they were enough to convince me I'd been wrong. The heavy steering must just have been a defect on that - accident damaged - Mayfair, and the gearbox seemed far more pleasant Read more [...]

Rover 827 Coupé

Posted on 18/09/2010 by Sam Skelton

La Dolce (Ro)Vita A large part of the attraction with any car is how it makes you feel. The way a car looks, the softness or supportiveness of the seats, the materials used inside, they all serve to make a powerful impression upon an interested mind. The Rover 827 Coupé is an excellent example of this. A lot of people don't rate the driving experience - more on that later - but public opinion is almost unanimous in it's praise for the car upon an aesthetic level. Even now as a two decade Read more [...]

Continental cruiser

Posted on 07/09/2010 by Sam Skelton

I've just watched the live unveiling of Bentley's new Continental GT. A car that in it's original guise didn't really win me over. Sure, I liked the interior and the Flying Spur is still a car that I could get along with very easily, but there was something about the slightly boss-eyed nose and the Audi TT-esque rear end that didn't endear it to me. Not so with the new car. At first there are few differences to note, but the more you see it the more you see what's new. In fact, every panel on Read more [...]