I’ve been focusing on getting my friend Mike’s cars ready for market, and some if it involved simply getting them cleaned up. Mike had a long dirt driveway that made it a challenge to keep his cars clean. He didn’t let it stop him from taking his car out unless of course there was snow on the ground! Unfortunately, I didn’t think a potential buyer would appreciate mud and dirt caked underneath the car, so I needed to be a little thorough with my cleaning. I could have dropped the car off at my local detailer, but I don’t know if I would have wanted them taking the knock off wheels off to get inside the wheel wells. Sometimes, it’s just easier to do it yourself!

After a good cleaning and light polish, the car hasn’t looked better.

Poking through some of the paperwork on this car, I found an old photograph of the original interior with green plaid cloth inserts! I remember when Mike bought this car over 15 years ago and immediately sent the car out for a new interior. The sheep skin seat covers hid the green plaid, and the front ones were far dirtier than what was in the back.

Mike had the interior redone in all leather, eliminating the plaid inserts. He told me he just couldn’t bring himself to preserving or recreating the look of the plaid. Today there seems to be a split of plaid, or no plaid. I’m split too!

Mike also had a SI 4.2 liter Jaguar Roadster, and I agreed to store it for the family over the winter, so I found a nice day to drive it over to my shop an hour away. I’ve always been a fan of the XK engine because of its smoothness, and torque, but I still can’t imagine driving any of these cars over 100 mph!

Winter is fast approaching in the Northeast, and even though it was sunny, it was pretty chilly with the top down. I dressed appropriately, and enjoyed the ride in memory of my friend Mike.