What was the last decent models of the marques you like?

Mk3? Are you having a laugh? Mk2 G60, and the mk5 and mk7 are just awesome too.

Good thread!

When it was at its zenith Jaguar coined the marketing catchphrase Grace, Pace & Space - which summed up the facts that their cars were handsome and had presence, that they were fast and they were comfortable. In 1968 Jaguar unveiled their new XJ6 and set the motoring world alight, it used the proven and capable XK6 engine and hosted a number of cutting edge automotive innovations. Motoring journalists were particularly complimentary about the ride quality and handling. From 1972 the XJ6 had a larger and more capable stablemate - the XJ12 which utilised Jaguar's 5.3 litre V12 engine which had been put into E-Types just the previous year.

Imagine in 1972 stepping into this mobile gentleman's club, cocooned within the burr walnut, Connolly hide and Wilton wool interior. The engine is started, only the revs counter betrays this fact, the car had a 0-60mph time of 7.4 seconds and a maximum speed approaching 150mph, all this in perfect silence. It was capable of conveying the driver and 4 passengers in comfort, silence and at great speed but with sports car handling. It had a number of contemporary competitors from other luxury car makers including Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, etc. The XJ12 was generally a more refined and capable motor car but it blew the competitors out of the water on price which was another Jaguar trademark. Contrast this with contemporary family cars of the Ford, Vauxhall, Triumph, etc. variety and you would have had a 0-60 time at least double that of the Jaguar, seeing 100mph on the speedometer would have been a dream and if you managed to squeeze 5 adults into the car it would have been a noisy and uncomfortable experience. When released it was THE fastest 4/5-seater car in the world, I have never heard the term Supercar applied to the XJ12 but it had to be a hair's breadth from being one, perhaps just a little too well-mannered? Also from the same stable; the Daimler Double-Six was, arguably, the better car as it had everything the XJ12 had but offered higher level trim options.


This particular example was owned by HRH Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and now resides with the Jaguar Heritage collection. The only clue from this angle that this car has the potent V12 is the V badge in the centre of the grille.

Why the series 1 XJ12? The series 1 XJ was of its time but now looks a bit slab-fronted, most would contend that later XJ saloons are prettier. It set the standard and set that bar high, the XJ saloon would endure in recognisable form for an incredible 41 years. The one thing that the series 1 cars had in spades was charisma and nowhere is this more evident that in the interior, it has the 'old Jaguar' ambience, a dashboard with the tidy rows of gauges and switches. By the time the series 2 came along ergonomics had interfered and the dash was an untidy mish-mash of gauges clustered around the steering wheel and switches scattered everywhere. It might have made for an easier driving experience but it just didn't look right. For a few decades in its heyday Jaguar was a world-leader in many instances, with the exception of low volume specialist models like the XJ220, the series 1 XJ12 was the last Jaguar model which was a game changer & a pace-setter which influenced and helped improve a later generation of BMWs, Mercs, Bentleys, etc. It was a bargain when new, it still is!


Jaguar XJ series 1 interior, this is an XJ6 which was Sir William Lyons' personal transport. Also with the Jaguar heritage Collection.

That's exactly my point. When I'm looking at cars now, I'm just wondering what was the best version of them and thought I would put it out here as there's a wealth of knowledge.

Last of the proper ford light commercial vehicles was the LWB mk3 transit, leaf springs all round and if you choose the diesel option no ECU.
SWB versions got IFS so don't count.

Last one 'ricer'.... Import

.... bean-counters specced the UK built 'E'



OVIMOR

Fantastic thread idea! Subjective, partisan, illogical - perfect. First 3 from me... all mine and had a range of later models and some earlier ones (so not really informed at all) but heartfelt all the same . . .

- for the looks


- for the uncomplicated fun



- for the embodiment of compact sports saloon

The last real cortina the mk2.


I’ve owned all the cortina range....ford lost it when they discarded the McPherson struts and leaf spring set up on the cortina

Looks and sporting low packaging were also hampered by the perceived need to add 4" in height for easy curtain-airbag packaging while the industry wide desire for greater crash-structure strength added weight.
Meanwhile the NSX, CR-X & Prelude passed on without replacement, despite the desirability of the new S2000 and K-series engines.

I wouldn't say they're the last decent Honda. The last decent "sporty" Honda yes, but for doing run of the mill car stuff, even upto present day models they are the best.