No news!
03/10/2026
Well, that doesn't sound very exciting, downright boring. But if that means the breakdown statistics of my problem child, then that's good news! No-news-are-good-news, so to speak. Because after a few months of standstill, my diva from Browns Lane, the 1985 Jaguar XJ 12, has decided to start just like that, without any fuss, good coaxing or any other kind of handholding. Not after a long period of "starter-cranking" as we say in Switzerland, but with almost all of the dozen or so cylinders immediately starting to work - after just a few seconds. Since the gearbox was also able to immediately accept a gear, after it usually needs a little patience and a short warm-up phase in cold condition before the brake band is able to grab the gear, everything seemed to be in order.
But yes, the charge indicator was a bit of a bitch, it generally hangs at 12 rather than 13 volts, but this is due to the weak power supply to the instruments, not the alternator. However, the instrument also showed a tight 13 volts. With so many OKs, there seemed to be something wrong with my car and I immediately put it back in the shed after the first test run.
But now, after a lovely weekend and an enjoyable drive along the shores of Lake Lucerne, I can say: it runs! The Jaguar even did this on a steep gravel road in the Schächental valley in Uri, somewhere up the side of the mountain between Bürglen and the top of the Klausen Pass, where we tried to visit a mountain apiary. It was closed, but we were followed by an angry mountain farmer who pointed out the road tolls. These should have been paid by the beekeeper.
So if you turn off onto a side road somewhere in Switzerland, you should look out for a payment point. Often this is nothing more than a box with a slot where you have to insert a sum of money. I found the 15 francs a bit steep, and the stupid remarks of the mountain farmer - highly subsidized the whole thing - as I collected my small change from my pockets and the glove compartment: "drive a fat car but no money", I also found more than superfluous. But keep smiling. Obviously there's a reason why HE lives there and I don't. But anyway, the view was magnificent and everyone was happy in the end.
View of the mountains and my colleague's Jaguar Mk 10 - but beware, some mountain roads cost tolls!
The car runs, on gravel as on the well-developed main road number 2b along Lake Lucerne. Incidentally, this was built in the 1930s as a tourist attraction, as a "beautiful road". The picture from above Weggis with a view of the Vitznau basin, at the foot of mount Rigi, shows how this still manifests itself today.
