After getting our dipmloma(e) we moved back to Seattle and I began to work for Boeing. More cars followed. We share the brit-car hobby together, and look forward to the many restorations that await us.
Our most recent project is a 1976 XJ-12 Coupe:
When Dianne and I decided to get married (3 weeks after meeting in 1993), we needed to generate cash for the wedding, so we turned to British cars. Here's Dianne posing with a 1965 MGB which we restored. We sold it to an enthusiast friend of ours who still drives it daily. Interestingly enough, Dianne's father collects and restores English cars also. Here's a picture of one of his projects, a 1968 TR-250 It was unfortunately destroyed in the family's house fire, March 1996.
I've owned several spitfires, but have never been very satisfied with the 4-cylinder powerplant. After performing the 4 to 6 conversion in a friend's 78 Spit, I considered it as a viable option for my daily driver spitfire. So over Spring Break 1994, Dianne (wifey) and I installed a GT-6 2.0 litre and 4-speed OD transmission into the 67 Spit we drive. The car is BRG with black leather interior, and here are a few pictures. This is a rear 3/4 shot of the body, and there's also a picture of the 2.0 engine. That engine helped out a lot, but still I yearned for more. So last year I (with the help of Dianne's younger brother) built a hopped-up 2.5 TR-6 engine. Now the car does better -- we'll see how long the transmission and diff hold out!
In late 1994 Dianne and I found out that we were going to become
parents, so we thought it was time to find a 4-door sedan. Of course,
being cheapo college students, we'd have to take a loan out to buy one. I
called my old boss at the brit-car junkyard, and he happened to have an 85 XJ-12 Series III H.E. sedan which we
made quite a good deal on! Now we've got a fine ride, but astute readers
will know that owning a Jag requires either a lot of money or a good bit
of mechanical motivation. We fit into the latter category. Here is a
picture of me gleefully delving into the top of the engine .
For Spring Break 1995, Dianne
and I re-dyed the interior of the Jag and of course we took detailed pictures.
Since then we've bought a 72 TR-6 for restoration. Unfortunately it's been sitting inside our shop now for 2 years with a new interior and engine waiting to go in. We've just had so many other things to do that the TR gets left alone.
We owned a 1976 XJ-12 Coupe for awhile in 1997. What a wonderful car! It handled better and accelerated quicker than the SIII, while not being much more cramped in the interior. Certainly it was roomier and more comfortable than an XJ-S. Plus we're just smitten with the coupe lines. Unfortunately we had to sell it, and so we've been keeping our eyes open for another ever since. 1999 has been good to us so far, as the coupe that we just bought is in better shape and cost less. Now we just have to finish the engine, redye the interior and get it ready for the summer shows!
