The stories are legion.

I was winding out a borrowed 120 Jag on the local country straightaway one night when the lights went out at 140 miles an hour. It was totally dark and the only thing I could do was crack open the door and move over to the centerline stripe so I could keep her on the pavement while I slowed down. At 70, the lights came back on again.

The Jag had a Lucas electric fuel pump as well, and it had the endearing habit of getting its points stuck, requiring manual intervevention. The owner left a hefty pipe wrench (or "spanner", as he called it) in the passenger seat for dealing with this emergency. On the road, the natural vibration of the stiff suspension kept the pump working, but when stopped at a light it was often necessary to pound vigourously on the bell housing with the wrench so the vibrations through the chassis would unstick the points. Needless to say, it caused great consternation to my fellow motorists.

That Jag was a real babe magnet.