Rare in the USA: 1984 Jaguar XJS Spyder by Lynx of England, $1995

This 1984 Jaguar XJS convertible is rarer than one might imagine, since this is the Lynx Spyder conversion not often seen in the USA, as opposed to the part T-top/part ragtop XJSC, the Hess & Eisenhardt convertible of the late 80s or the factory-built 2-seater XJS convertible made after the execrable XJSC and the Hess & Eisenhardt convertible ceased production. 

This car, #43 of roughly 65 made, is a restoration project needing paint, minor bodywork, upholstery and new top fabric, and (of course) electrical work, due to the pesky Lucas electrical system. It was kept in California for many years, and only recently arrived in Washington. It was last registered in 1999, and has spent the last few years outside, thus necessitating the top and upholstery replacements. All of the custom Lynx-only components are intact and usable, including the unique power-actuated rear quarter windows. 

There are some issues with the emissions-control devices being disconnected, although they are still present, the spare tire and jack are missing but readily available, and there is currently no title, although the owners are in the process of rectifying that problem at the time of writing. 

That said, this is an excellent project car for the right person, and it is located near Olympia, Washington. 

Find this rare and desirable project car here: 

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/1534899661.html

Quick Takes: Some Pictures Taken In The Summer of '09

1964 Chevrolet Impala two-door hardtop. It's not an SS, but it's still a desirable car and is very complete aside from much of the chrome trim and the engine.

1980s Jaguar XJ6. This car was in pretty sad shape all around, but as a Jaguar enthusiast, I felt obligated to take a picture.

1956 Chevrolet Delray. This is the "pretty" side, the other side of the car was grey primer and Bond-O with all the side trim removed.

Chop-top Volkswagen bug, circa 1965. Very tasteful job of modification, and one of the better full-custom bugs I've ever seen. Unfortunately, this car now has an ugly decal job reminiscent of tuner Hondas over much of the body. Hopefully the owner will have a change of heart and remove the decals, or will sell the car and the new owner will take the decals off.

1965 Ford Mustang, customized circa late-1980s. This has sat in the same place since at least the mid-1990s, and appears to have been a nice car at one time.

Mild custom Volkswagen bug, circa 1973. Very nicely done from what little I saw of it, although a set of T-bar bumperettes or even Mexican-market late-model bug bumpers painted the same color as the body would improve the appearance further.

1937 Graham. This is a very nice "resto-rod" car that is driven often, and it maintains much of the look of a restored '37 Graham with the reliability, ease of service and great parts availability of late-model Chevrolet components comprising much of the engine, drivetrain and chassis. The owner of this car also has a Model A Ford hot rod and a 1938 Pontiac, and is also something of a petrolhead.

Lavelle Vineyards European Sports Car Show: Set 2

1967 MGB-GT. Very nicely restored, correct silver enamel finish on wire wheels as opposed to the chrome plating seen all too often.

1966 Sunbeam Alpine. Probably the most authentic restoration of an Alpine I've ever seen, although the roll bar is not period-correct.
1958 Austin-Healey 100-6 two-seat roadster. The color scheme is original, but the chrome wire wheels are not correct.

Sunbeam "Alger" (Alpine converted to Tiger specification), the owner tried too hard here to make it similar to a Shelby Cobra.

Jaguar XK140 engine compartment. Notice that the spark-plug wiring is not correct, the caps on the carburetors are too highly polished and should be brass rather than chrome, the radiator-hose neck is also too highly polished, the coil wires are all wrong, and the air cleaners (one barely visible to the left of lower center) are incorrect. I pointed all of that out, and am very lucky that the owner was not around.

Lavelle Vineyards European Sports Car Show: Set 1

1955 Jaguar XK140 coupe. Inaccurate details abound under the bonnet (to be covered via text and a picture in another post), but otherwise very nice. I saw a small part of the restoration whilst visiting a local sports and exotic car repair shop/restoration facility/dealership.

Ferrari 400i. One of only two Ferraris at this show, and much nicer than the pimped-out 360 Modena that was the other representative of the Prancing Horse. 

1955 Austin-Healey 100-4. A very good and very authentic restoration, not to mention driven frequently- and in the rain too. I saw this very car being driven during a rainstorm several years back, with the top up and sidescreens on; obviously the owner uses his car as it was intended to be.

Replica of MG TD Midget, circa 1953. Inaccuracies include the screwed-on dashboard, everything about the seats, the gearshift and handbrake (wrong boots, handles and locations),the hollow black-painted fiberglass inside the doors, the black cut-pile carpeting (the original would have had loop-pile carpet or rubber mats) and the locking glovebox. Steering wheel and gauges wrong as well.

Same replica MG TD. Inaccuracies include the doors protruding farther from the body than original, chrome-plated hinges, chromed strips on running boards, vent pattern on bonnet and flat front on grille. (the original had a slight "V" shape to the front)