Nostalgia replica's

[vernon]

Hi, I have an xk120 replica built by nostalgia, the only part not jaguar is the chassis and grp body.
Every thing else is genuine jag. But it was called a fake by a J.E.C member when we went to the southern meet in 2012.
Has anyone had this reception at club meets?

[RoyC]

I've found that most JEC members take a keen interest on anything Jaguar-derived.

I had a good look at a Nostalgia XK replica at Goodwood (Soft Top Sunday) last year. I was really impressed by it.



Surely, unless they are dreadful caricatures of the original, replicas are an hommage to great design.

There are many "fake" C & D Types (very few originals), but would the world be a better place without them?

[raysearles]

Roy is right, within the JEC all the various "evocations" as they are known in the Bentley world are recognised, enjoyed, admired and more importantly welcome.

There is always going to be someone who unfortunately takes a narrow minded view but rest assured they are in a very small minority and that is certainly not the ethos of the club.

At Southern Day in 2013 we had all whole area dedicated to the various different "evocations" and they will certainly all be welcome at Thoresby Hall in June and our other events throughout the year...

[vernon]

I am very happy with my XK120, it is registered as a jaguar 120. It does turn heads and I always have to stop and chat when ever I park.
I believe some of the existing pre war Bentleys only have the chassis no plate but are still registered as original.

[lowebird]

Hello Vernon,
Welcome to our wonderful world of "evocations", replicas, sanction 2 etc etc . What ever we call them, we love them.
I visited the Nostalgia factory last year with a view to buying an XK140 and came away very impressed, however, as a long time Morgan owner, I still wanted that vintage feel but powered by the wonderful XK engine hence I bought a new Suffolk SS100.
I hope you will stay with us on the forum as we need as many replicas as we can to give us a real voice in the club.
As for uninformed people who say that our cars are not real Jaguars, I either ignore them, selective deafness works really well, or ask them to check the original build spec of an SS100 and tick off how many components came from the Standard Car Company.
The Suffolk is more Jaguar than the original car.
You will have seen from looking at our section that there are only 4 of us so far who tend to chat quite often so please become the 5th member and keep in touch.

Reg
SS100
"Here for a good time not a long time"

[NATONEIL]

Vernon

I have also had a similar comments at shows and events, but I do not mind. If by fake they mean it was not built at Browns lane, that is true, but neither are any of the wonderful full body restorations done by CNC in Bridgenorth nor was the original SS100. The chassis was shared with Alvis the engine was a standard and a company in Nottingham built the panels. Ultimately I look towards William Lyons, he always tried to use the best technology and reused things as much as possible. I could not imagine him using leaf springs and drums to support and stop an SS100 or XK120 if he had modern coil over suspension units or servo assisted disks. A good replica builds on a great design and brings it up to date and keeps great designs in the public eye. What is more it often uses part from an earlier Jaguar which might otherwise be now part of a washing machine. Remember a C type is just a XK120 special.

[vernon]

My 120 has the running gear, engine, gearbox from an 1985 XJ6. The car is very near a 1949 Xk120 in appearance, it even weights almost the same.
Since I purchased the car 4 years agog I had to replace the diff. As the bearings were worn beyond repair, so I had it replaced with a secondhand XJS diff with power lock, this reduced the ever present wheel spin. (Now both spin, but it is more controllable ).
I must confess that I am still a boy racer even though I am over 65.
I do not take to much notice of the negative comments, just watch the smile on my face when people admire the car as we drive past.
My other jag is a modern S type 2.7ltr diesel which I also drive hard, not the most reliable car, it is plagued by the common fault of rubbish wires in the main loom.
Still a very nice car to drive long distance.
Happy motoring

[Charlie196]

Hi, I too am a Nostalgia builder and owner. The car - an XK120 took two and a half years of my life to build, and I only outsourced the spraying and trimming. The car was finished and IVA approved in October 2010 (passed first time!). The build period was thoroughly enjoyable, Nostalgia were very helpful, always at the end of the phone or email to answer and advise on the silliest of questions. Suffice to say that I would do it again.

The finished car is beautiful to drive - all Jaguar with a 4.0 litre AJ6 engine, Getrag 5 speed gearbox and powerloc diff. Weighing in at only 1280kg, its performance is ... well, adequate!

I have had no negative comments from any Jaguar enthusiasts or dealers, only compliments and genuine interest.

[NATONEIL]

2 cars different power plants. A comparison of the MPG between them would be interesting

I have a XK 4.2 in my car and the fuel consumption is not good.

[lowebird]

Hello to Charlie196 and Vernon,
Great to read about your cars. As I said previously, I think the Nostalgia is a great car and both of you are a very welcome addition to our slowly growing band of replica enthusiasts on this site.
My personal take on the whole subject of replicas is that it allows us to enjoy everything we love about our chosen style of car without the worry of rust, old brakes, ponderous gearboxes etc.
As Neil has previously said, if Sir William had had access to more modern parts when he designed our cars then I'm certain he would have used them.
As for those who have an opposite view, well good luck to them they will never know the pleasure we gain from our experiences.
Reg

[RoyC]

Another Nostalgia XK replica

[vernon]

Thanks for the comments, we have just got back from a local shopping trip in the xk120, the wife loves the car as well, so we use it for every day use when the weather is good.
Just had a small coolant leak from the bottom hose, but application of a screwdriver to the hose clip stopped the problem, a small price to pay for all the pleasure the car gives.
In answer to Neil's question about fuel consumption , the best mpg I recorded with the old diff (1.33 to 1) ratio was 24mpg going to Rugby and back. Since the replacement diff is 1.13 to 1 I have not checked the mpg.
the engine rev's for 30 mph with the old diff gives 36mph with the replacement and approximately 15mph on the top speed, so should be more economical, but not checked.
I like to use the power of the car so my average fuel consumption is not very high, I have thought of changing to carbs from my fuel injection as i think carbs look neater, but that will have to wait for another time.

[NATONEIL]

Vernon

What type of carburettors do you have fitted 2" HS8 or something smaller?

[vernon]

No I've still got fuel injection, what is called open loop, that is no feed back from O2 censor etc. so runs ruff till it reaches normal working temp. Then it goes like a rocket. The ECU has been adjusted for peek power an normal temperature and the fuel mix is wrong till then. Fortunately it starts first time every time. The under bonnet appearance is poor with all the wire's and pipe work , so I am envious of the Xk engines with nice shiny carbs with simple inlet manifold etc. one day I might get it converted. It also still has the Xj6 3speed auto gear box. It runs fine cold till it gets 2000 rpm then coughs and splutters till hot.
My car was built by Nostalgia for its first owner in 1999 and the SVA was done early 2000. The chassis number says it is number 3.
Some modification has been done sine to improve the original build and make it look more like an original Xk120. The only thing visual not correct being the dash and the exhaust pipes, as I bought the car to drive I am not to bothered by the tail pipes and I don't think the work involved replacing the dash worth while.
Enough of my rambling the wife is dragging me out shopping
Happy motoring

[Charlie196]

Hi all,

Nostalgia fuel consumption.

I have achieved 32.2 mpg on a tankful of gas running home from west Wales to Norwich using A roads and an average speed of 45 mph. This is my best. I normally average 26-28 mpg. This with the AJ6 4.0 litre and Getrag manual box. I use the standard fuel injection system that came with the donor but with only the basic engine sensors conected. The engine has the standard catalytic convertor that came out of the donor (not sure if it still works!). What did seem to improve both the mpg and performance was a session with my local Terraclean dealer. Most noticable was a new crispness to the exhaust note and a more stable idle - worked for me anyway!