Test Drive Jaguar XJ since 2012 Sedan

Touch the beautiful

Each meeting with a truly great work of art leaves an indelible trace in the soul. By the end of the days I will remember that emotional shock, tested in the Sistine Chapel or the Orsay Museum. With great cars like a similar story. Moreover, when they are immediately three.
Two years ago, two legendary supercars of the mid-90s Ferrari 512 TR and Lamborghini Diablo Vt Roadster met on the pages of our magazine. Machines from my first game Need for Speed. Then it seemed that could not be cool. I did not go on those cars, but a person was sitting at the next table who managed to touch the beautiful. And I was listened to his stories, not even suggesting that fate was preparing for me.
F40. The most extreme and close to Motorsport Road Ferrari. The latter, in the creation of which Enzo Ferrari himself took part. The fastest car of the world is 19871991. The car, which on July 21 this year celebrates the 25th anniversary. I'm still a little bit, and it will begin to let the rally of Oldtimer, and she will still give odds to many. Since childhood, he was sure that she would never ride her. Only 1337 copies were released. F40 was a distant star from the lost galaxy, Mono Liza for the Bundle of Louvre, and here it is before me!
XJ220. The fastest and most expensive Jaguar in history. And one of the most exclusive. The fastest car of the world of 1992,1994. The child of those years when the prototypes of Jaguar XJR at a speed of 400 km / h side by side were fighting with Sauber-Mercedes and Porsche in the World Sport Plotype Championships. Car with a difficult, largely tragic fate. The car appeared is not on time. The car disappointed by many who were looking forward to it. The car is an order of magnitude more exclusive than F40. A total of 281 coupe left the walls of the plant. He also has an anniversary this year: the 20th anniversary of the start of mass production.
Viper. The generation of American maximalism, the bloodthirsty beast, firing not one driver. Ultimatimative, extreme and wild. The wildest of modern. But what does he do here, next to the great classics of the past? Viper Our reference car that will make it clear how brutal the supercars of the past were. In addition, this VIPER is not some dodge, but 1000-strong (for those who thought it is a mistake, in words of a thousand) Hennessey Viper Venom Twin Turbo. John Hennessy built only 24 such coupes, in Russia only one of them lives, under the sequence number 16. They do not have to miss!
Surrealism is me!
Imagine a picture: Monugea's roadside cafe comes to the roadside cafe. That is the most that Joconda. He comes and says: Instrue, cook me ristretto, yes, Signor Leonardo does not tolerate, when I have no long! Surrealism, what did not dream gave! But the appearance on the roadside Adygea car wash Ferrari F40 is no less surprising. Meanwhile, this reality. But the Italian arrived not alone, but accompanied by Jaguar and Viper. In addition to Mona, Lisa in the cafe went still, it turns out, and Dr. Gasha Vincent Van Gogh and a thousand Taitians with the canvas of the Gaugaen field.
As you understand, the calm and measured life of the car wash after the visit of such guests was replaced by noise and bustle, worthy of bee hive. Easy to understand the washer, who instead of the usual 15 minutes good time washed the dirt from these F40 places, which only its creators knew about. And how many people wiped a drop with long-dry bodies of unique supercars long ago! It seemed that the entire population of Adygea came from different ends of the republic, so that at least through the rags to touch the works of automotive art. But the last drops of water were already dried, and we leave the car wash, leaving behind the legend about how Adygei rubbed the back of Monet Lisa.
Smiling billion
F40 looked from what was, and it looks appropriate. That outside, what inside. Enzo wanted to correct as soon as possible with the release of Porsche 959 and Lamborghini Countach the image of the brand as a manufacturer of the most-sports cars in the world, so rushing his engineers. As if felt that he had to live a little more than a year. It is worth starting the engine, as you understand: Millions of boys of my generation are not in vain went crazy along this angular coupe. Engineers often complain that the engine with two turbines and a relatively small volume cannot sound well. F40 sings his love serenade of speed so beautiful that she is in order to act in La Scala! It is worth pressing the gas, and a little lazy roar instantly moves to a hysterical cry under the accompaniment of the whistle of the IHI turbines. Let's release the pedal and the silence of the century forest explodes the loud pencil of the bypass valve, and the burrowing hoarse bursts from the exhaust pipes.
F40 in Kuban in his element. She is fast and emotional and on the M4 Dong highway, which in the Krasnodar Territory looks more like American Highway, and on serpentine not far from a hot key. And in the city of Ferrari just explodes the space around himself only by its appearance. But do not think that riding on this car is easy and does not require tension. This beautiful requires a male hand, self-confidence and driving skill. She is like an experienced partner, which for passionate tango needs a class partner. Well, our F40, especially, after all, a week before the test, the Italian visited the track in Nizhny Novgorod, from where he returned with the conching clutch. It is like dancing on such a car that to dance with a partner who has a broken heel: you have to work for two. Clutch, gas, lever left and on yourself (where everyone has the second, the first is here), grip, and gas again, but much more than more. Throwing sharp, and all the power will go to the clutch slip. But if the clutch is new, the F40 would still not tolerate the familiarities in contact with the right pedal of the turboyama here as deep as Mariana Wpadina, and the turbo-hotspots is just as great as Everest.
F40 built on racing canons: carbon monoclies, around which machine built, fiberglass body panels, suspension on double transverse levers, compact high-speed V8 with a capacity of 478 liters. with. and a volume of only 2.9 liters. It is not surprising that Ferrari rides like racing cards. Not only are the front wheels are loaded much worse than the rear, so they are already 10 cm already! As a result, if you do not download them at the entrance, you will not turn. Damn, why the clutch is dropped, and why we are not on the track! Although, thank God that we are not on the track. F40 An dangerous girl, tortures and will look with a thinly stretched smile of the front bumper. Mysterious smile. Like Mona Lisa. Smile per billion.
Incomprehensible genius
Despite the fact that the F40 and the XJ220 appeared at about one time and are considered competitors, the philosophy of two cars are diametrically opposed. The Italian car is designed for the track, and British for ultra-speed travels on autobahn. It is lower, longer, wider, its entire form is subordinate to achieving the maximum speed. Even the wheels and those practically solid to reduce resistance. The extreme right-hand number on the speedometer demonstrates that they tried not in vain. 360 km / h. Three hundred sixty! 20 years have passed, and cars that are going faster, not more than one hand fingers: McLaren F1, a variety of Koenigsegg series CC, SSC Ultimate Aero TT, and a couple of Bugatti Veyron Normal and Super Sport. Not weak, yes?
And yet he failed. Everyone was waiting for the V12, a four-wheel drive and a lambo-door of the concept, and received a 3.5-liter Bi-turbo six from the MG METRO6R4 rally monster, which brought the rear wheels. Yes, and the doors were the most ordinary. And then there is also a recession in Europe, and in the United States on the world's largest Ultra-Luxury market, the car was not officially sold. The concept of 1989 eclipsed and Ferrari F40, and Porsche 959, and the 1992 serial car itself was in the shadow of McLaren F1 and Bugatti EB110. As a result, the British struggled to be sold to the supercup to the very end of the 1990s. Even the performances in the motor racing turned against the confusion. In Le Mana 1993, XJ220 C won. Let it be in its class GT, but with a solid advantage the nearest Porsche lag behind 2 times. Won, to be disqualified later! By the way, one of the pilots of that unfortunate crew was David Coulthard. I could not throw thoughts about the sad fate of the car. Jaguar did not let me tune in to a positive wave. The hoarse, the uneven sound of the motor at idle, the noises of the suspension on each Kuban Kochka, the heat in the cabin and covered in the covers of the covers the sad headlights were injured melancholy. I could not understand this car.
But do not think that Jaguar is a melancholic loser. It is not just very beautiful, but also an incredibly capable sports car. A few years ago, colleagues from the British magazine EVO were rushed at the XJ220 on the Western Bedford ring just 1.6 seconds slower than Lamborghini Murcielago LP640! But the Italian car is 90 liters. with. More powerful and equipped with all-wheel drive transmission. I will reveal the mystery: we also went to Jug on the track during last year's sports car of the year and even let the Roman Romanov. But the outstanding results of the XJ did not show. Unfortunately, the near Moscow track is too rolling for such a large and powerful car, and the old tires do not provide the desired clutch. As a result, insufficient turning is just a colossal you can go as if in the sand. Yes, and paint the heavy steering wheel on the slow highway, then even pleasure. Something tells me that we will still be sure to meet. It is necessary to reveal the mystery of the mysterious handsome man with sad eyes!
Home Reptile
After a pair of uncompromising classics, Viper makes the impression of an incredibly comfortable and friendly car. Incredible, but the words of Viper, comfort and friendliness really stand in one sentence! ABS, GUR, a vacuum brake amplifier is quite a road car. Skyrplay creak machine on each junction reminds that there is Silent blocks in the suspension. But in Ferrari and Jaguar only sleeves! Even more progress in super-strokes is noticeable in the Dodge salon: it is comfortable and spacious here, and the entire noise is generated by a monstrous engine. By and large, all the impracticality of the American coupe comes down to the low lip of the front bumper from Hennessey and to the location in the front bumper of the intercooler, which threatens the hydrowarder even when overcoming not the deepest puddles. There would be a standard bumper, and in dry weather you can ride throughout the Kuban. But it would be highly assume that a 1000-strong car could be harmless. You go to the maximum of a quarter of the pedals, press more and the back of the VIPER instantly comes in motion. Even the rear tires width 335 mm are not saved! Despite the fact that in the Atelier John Hennessi, not only the engine was subjected to changes (it was equipped with turbines and increased the volume from 8.3 to 8.5 liters), but also the suspension (clearance became lower, and the suspension stiffness can be configured) and the brake system, Venom Created for movement in a straight line. Viper Hero Drug Streap, and not at all serpentine. For maximum acceleration on the asphalt, special adhesive, increasing grip, should be applied. In Russia, only the White Arrow road in the Krasnodar Territory can boast such glue, but even there is a thin layer only the first 200 meters are sampled. It is worth a mighty American to leave the sticky zone as the rear wheels immediately fall into the UZ.
In history there were only two cases when Viper Venom Twin Turbo came into hand to journalists. Until us in 2007, such luck fell out to colleagues from the American Road & Track, and they dispersed the car from scratch to 200 miles per hour (320 km / h) for 20.3 seconds, which is 3.9 seconds faster than Bugatti Veyron! Nothing demonstrates the potential of the car better than these numbers. Well, we became the first to traveled to Viper Venom on ordinary roads.
See you!
F40, XJ220 and VIPER. It is still difficult to realize that all this was with me that it was all in our country. And indeed, it was, and these two roast from the sun, emotions and hot silencers of the day in the Kuban will forever remain in the heart. Meeting with wonderful never passes without a trace.
These cars turned all my ideas about cars about what power, beauty, handling, turbo-pickup, about how motor sound should be and what is an uncompromising supercar. It's just amazing what a huge way did the automotive industry for these 20 years. Modern soupavomotomobile is perfect for traveling young fashionistas in the tabletops of the alley or the Tretyakovsky passage. To control the same Ferrari 458, italia does not need any special skills, because the whole army of electronic systems is ready to stand up on your defense. Ferrari F40 and Jaguar XJ220 are blinded from another test. They require a lot, but also give no less. In modern, through the digital world, every touch to them, each second with them akin to the miracle. They wear analog, devoid of GMOs and taste amplifiers. These cars play on the strings of your soul so virtuoso as Yuri Bashmet envies. What to say if the Viper, which we used to consider the most wild of modern supercars, against the background of Ferrari and Jaguar classics seems quite civilized and obedient.
But, flown from Krasnodar, I thought not at all about cars, but about people. About Adygei washers who happened to touch the beautiful bodies of the greatest cars. About the guys from the hot key, which fate gave a meeting with the machines, whose uniqueness to them is not yet understood simply by way of young age. About the owner of these machines, thanks to which these works of automotive art settled in Kuban. About the mechanics for which the replacement of the clutch on the F40, eliminating the shortcomings of American tuning or removal of the Lamborghini motor is the most interesting thing everyday work. It's great that there are people who managed to touch the beautiful, because the beautiful makes thinking and raises the taste. Perfect, in the end, cleans the soul and makes us better. In any case, I believe it.
I really want one day in Krasnodar the museum opened and the beautiful has become publicly available. Well, Muscovites thanks to our magazine will receive a unique opportunity to see these masterpieces now. June 30 In Luzhniki, all three heroes of this test appear before the public as part of the first festival of the speed of the magazine cars. Come, the chance touch for something really great falls not every day!

 
 
 

A source: Cars