“I helped a buddy adjust the clutch on his bosses early 1970s XKE. It literally took us ALL day.
Those 12 cylinder Jags sure were pretty, BUT they were a nightmare to repair and keep running. Like all of those British Leyland products. They were all mechanical nightmares.”
i have a friend who was a professional auto mechanic who owned one of those ... it had three carburetors, all connected up with a whole series of finicky little wire-like rods ... he was constantly tinkering with them to get the damn thing to run ... he finally sold it ... i think he drives an Element now ...
I had a friend who always said the British sports cars like MG & Triumph were the number one reason why the Mazda Miata was such a great seller. Same size, similar performance, fun to drive and they ALWAYS STARTED.
An even better car was the second version of the Toyota MR2. The mid/rear engine Turbo 1.8 liter MR2 they came out with in the 1990s was a great little car. They are highly sought after today. There is a guy who works in the office next to mine that has one. He constantly gets people asking IF he will sell it.