They even had a problem with the first Jaguar E-Type. They had built 2 and one was to debut at the 1961 for the Geneva show. There was a problem with it so they drove the other one 24/7 overnight from the factory to get it to the show in time to replace the one they couldn't fix.

And the day after that...... because of the speeds it took to get it there in time, Speed limits on the M1 were born. lol. (true statement) So the rest of Britain can thank Jaguar for the first speed limits on their motorways.

 

We also can't complain about the motors there.... ^^^ where or when do you think our Inline 6's were born?... yep.. the 1960s originally.

 

I use lucas fuel treatment, transmission fluid, oil treatment, and gear oil. No complaints at all.
The oil additive seems to keep my sloppy timing chain quiet, at least for a few weeks at a time.
I have had great results after using their transmission fluid, and honestly wouldn't recommend anything else on a vehicle with high mileage and tranny issues.

 

fortunately I don't have a need for the other products.. but can verify that their fuel treatment - Upper cylinder lube and injector cleaner works as stated. I have the bigger bottle of the stuff in the cabinet..and every so many fill ups I give her a dose..and I see the difference as I always track my mileage in my vehicles.

 

Remember the Austin America? It was a late 1960s attempt by the Brits to take on VW in the American market with an Americanized version of their 1100/1300 model. On paper it was very advanced for the time - transverse engine with front drive, hydraulic suspension, and an available 4-speed fully automatic transmission. Under American conditions they rusted out quickly and the transmissions (which sat in the engine sump and shared oil) rarely made it through the warranty period. That was when you could get them to start and run. I remember these cars being offered for like $50 used when just a few years old with few takers, while people would line up to buy reliable 1930s-engineered VW bugs at a premium.

Rover actually bought the rights and tooling for the ex-Buick aluminum V8, they didn't copy it. From what I understand it was a decent enough engine, probably the least problematical part of the vehicle. I think though that engine was dropped from new Rover vehicles some years ago, probably for the same reasons the Jeep inline six was dropped - fuel economy and emission mandates.

There was a dark but funny scene in the AMC series Mad Men involving one of the characters and Jaguar's legendary unreliablity.

 

On the other hand, in 1970 an MGB would run you about $3000, which is less than $20K in today's dollars. Midgets and Triumph Spitfires were less expensive. The TR6 was a little more expensive. None of them were particularly fast in a straight line in stock form, but they were fun convertibles that actually handled as well off the lot as cars three times the cost and could outrun almost any muscle and pony car on the curves.

And they could be made fast with a proper build. You could buy an MGB and have it track ready for not a whole lot of money. Then you could take it out and run the hell out of it without worrying that you were risking crashing a Porsche. So what if you trashed it? You could just go buy another.

Can you buy a fun sports car with world class handling brand new for less than $20K? I can't think of one. Toyota is trying to develop a new small sports car based on this market, but even though they keep saying it will come in under $20K, I just don't see it happening.

TL;DR Because racecar.

 

Techron. I've never used the lucas so I can't compare which is better, but after seeing Techron cure many rough running engines very quickly I believe in the stuff.
In the marine world there's stuff called Yamaha Ring Free and guys who use it regularly seem to have less carbon issues and cleaner carbs than those who don't. After a bunch of research it appears that Ring Free is similar to Techron but more concentrated, they're both made by Oronite which is a division of Chevron. Normal use is 1oz./10gal. gas and a shock treatment is 1oz./3gallons. Many boat mechanics use it to cure carbon problems for customers and use it in all their own engines to keep them clean. Its effects are really noticeable in the Yamaha 2 strokes with O2 sensors. I inherited my dad's boat with one of these motors and when I pulled the O2 sensor I had to pry it out then use a drill to clear the passages to it, it had just over 500 hrs. He used the first bottle of Ring Free that came with the boat but didn't want to spend the money on this 'snake oil'. Other guys using Ring Free regularly have not had this accumulation. Oil types and operation are all different between different people so there's no way to absolutely prove Ring Free was the reason but I read enough (many hours of research) to be convinced to buy Ring Free. When I have a rough running car and can't find an obvious cause I have the customer run a tank with Techron and it's worked.

 

Sorry, can you elaborate on that?

 

The Jeep 4.0 is an evolution of the AMC inline six that debuted in 1964. Of course there were numerous engineering changes made over the decades, but a Jeep 4.0 will drop right into a Rambler (motor mounts are in the same place) and a "stroker" Jeep six is made by swapping in the crank from an earlier AMC motor.

That engine first saw the light of day in this car, the 1964 Rambler Typhoon:

 

lol... yeah, I knew that part. I think I was mis-reading his post. I thought he was trying to say that our motors were originally designed by (or were a borrowed design from) "jag-you-ahh". I didn't realize he was pointing out that the design was from the 1960s... not england.

Carry on.

 

Found another interesting article - er well... SERIES of articles on the oil for vintage motors. Includes a lot of interesting information including viscosity degradation matching modern industry standards implemented for higher MPG ratings that the EPA is pushing.

http://www.classiccarmotoroil.com/articles.html

You might find it interesting, Ross.

 

Good article...

 

I saw something from Blackstone labs a while back that was a compilation of analysis results from several different oils used in a few engines. The results of the comparison basically showed that it made very little difference which oil was used.

There are some cases where a particular engine type is 'harder' on oil and might need something special, but in most engines the oil type makes little difference.

 

Third one down ("And if you are still not convinced…") convinced me they're full of crap. They show pictures of a failed break in from someone not using break-in oil with a new camshaft and try to imply that you will get the same result from using modern oil in regular use after break in. Basically they show an improper use of the oil and blame the oil for it instead of the idiot who used it incorrectly.