Comments

Sir,

Every man’s relationship with his classic car is a delicate balance. There are occasions when it seems that everything is conspiring to keep the vehicle inactive in the garage, but this time Mr. Mathers has allowed his XK150 to get the better of him. One can sympathise with him for what was obviously a poor buy, but I can hardly concede that there were no good design features to relieve his story of perpetual deficiencies. It is easy to poke fun at.a 15-year-old car—anyone who has seen the harmless locking petrol cap which Mr. Mathers criticises can hardly take him seriously—but one must balance such personal opinions against the history that a fast sports car might have had.

No car can be really impressive in more than a few respects, but one might single out for the XK150 its seven-league boots 100 m.p.h. at 3,700 r.p.m. in overdrive, brakes to match Of course, and a smooth quiet ride which doesn’t vibrate the interior mirror and fuzz up the view behind. “Speed and controlled power” was how Motor Sport judged it in January 1960, and by the standards of the day the XK150 was an outstanding car. In 1971 mine covered the 30 miles of autostrada from Milan to the north of Como in 18.1/2 minutes, toll stop included, which can’t be bad, and it is a measure of the confidence with which the car can be driven 1,000 miles from home.

It is only fair to show Mr. Mathers the other side of the coin, and await from him an equally unrestrained report on his Ford Capri in 15 years’ time.

Radyr, Glam. R. Woodley