My brother had an XKE for a while, but he was long gone from home then, so I never even saw it. He said the engine was always needing tuning. I don't know if it was the 4.2 or what. But since I became the only mech in the family, and he couldn't keep taking it to the garage (surprised he could even find one, but he lived in Sacramento, CA at the time, so maybe there were some available) he got rid of it. Bought a Porsche 911, about a 52 vintage I think. But I'm not enough up on any of the foreign makes of those years to defend that statement. I did get to ride in the Porsche though (I was about 15 at the time) and in a TR3 he had at one point (5th grade, about 10 then). Nice cars. Too bad he couldn't work on his own. Might have made them a lot more affordable.

I understand collectible prices falling. Recession hits everything hard, and the first to go is the high dollar fun spending. After that, it gets to the low dollar fun. Then things like camping out see a rise in popularity, and the wisdom of parents who insisted their kids learn skills like shoe making, and auto (shade tree, backyard) mechanicing become more evident. After all, we all have to wear clothes, shoes, etc., and most of us don't live where we can NOT drive a car, at least to work or the Dr. or whatever.

Micah

Yes, British cars of that era required a lot of tinkering (ask me how I know) and the Lucas electronics (A.K.A. The Prince of Darkness) also had a reputation of plunging one into darkness (and no spark) at the most wonderful moments. However, that was just part of the charm.

If the Porsche was indeed a 1952 vintage, then it was the 356, not 911. The 356 looked like a VW Bug that was compressed vertically. It is also called the "Bathtub Porsche" because the body looks like an upside down bathtub. Although, not particularly fast, it is still considered a wonderful driver's car.

The 911 was introduced as a 1965 model and continues today looking very much like the original model.

Thank for the info. I will have to ask him exactly what it was, next time we talk. He lives in Washington state, USA, and I live in Virginia state, USA, so that doesn't happen as often as one might think. At least not to reminisce. He was largely out of my life between my ages of 6 and 25, when he visited me in Japan. So not a lot of intense shared memories. Just drop-ins, now and then.