Unusual GP comparason.
I have a 130 mile round trip to my offices every week day. Whilst that is probably a trip to the local shops for those of you in the USA or Australia, it's a fair old trip in the UK.
It has meant that I have been able to run in my GP relatively quickly (three weeks from pick up to 2,100 miles). I finally managed to put it down last Friday and use my usual commuters, a T reg (2000) Golf TD
I & an 04 MB 320CDI estate. It was a sunny day on Tuesday so the trip was done in my 40 year old Jag e type roadster.
A fair old mixture, perhaps giving me an opportunity to make this unusual comparason.
My route is A30 from Stockbridge joining the A303 at Micheldever which joins the M3 a few miles later. I am on the M3 until it ends at Sunbury.
Those of you who know it will probably agree that the A30 is a fast road on this stretch. It's quite challenging with varied road surface conditions and no dual carriageway sections. Being very straight there are multiple overtaking opportunities. I have concentrated my report on this road.
MCS JCW GP
Ordered on a whim after having such huge fun in a hired MINI One!
Without doubt the most exciting of the foursome which is not unexpected. On the A30 it needs concentration to drive it swiftly. Surprisingly little torque steer so it takes off like a rocket at any speed. Perfect for overtaking.
It needs concentration because it tramlines on some of the poorer road surfaces. I am getting to know the places where it's going to wander but that's not the point. I shouldn't have to! It can catch you out if you have one hand occupied on the gear shift whilst accelerating hard and hitting one of the bad areas of road.
In
very wet weather it continues to hold the road like a magnet. I have had no aquaplaning experiences which includes a day of torrential rain where rivers of water were pouring over the road. In these conditions where perhaps the average speed is reduced to suit, the rear spoiler and heater element are ineffective in keeping the rear screen clear.
There are few bends on this section of road so the GP is perhaps not in its element. The uneven road surfaces not withstanding it is the best handling machine I have ever driven. The suspension set up is totally in tune with the car.
The comparison: MB 320CDI Estate
An unemotional purchase purely to suit the requirements of an expanding family, two dogs and associated kit! Purchase choice driven by my personal dislike of the design of the new shape BMW.5 series.
One of the most suprising cars I have owned. Not at all the dowdy old mans car I had perceived it to be. It is a high speed cruiser par excellance. It can be anything you like! Fill it with screaming kids and drive it gently or take it to work and blast down the A 30 with aplomb! It does not have the Adrenalin injected excitement that the GP has, but it absorbs the uneven parts of this stretch of road without noticing them! As much fun, of course not!
I accept that with a more accomplished driver, or even when I am more experienced with the GP my conclusions would differ ... but at the moment the MB is the fastest of the four from A to B!!!!
The road surface being a big factor here.
VW Golf TDI Old faithfull which does exactly what it says on the box! 75K miles and going strong, fast enough to keep you awake ...just! Does not compete with any of the others except to say that the cruise speed seems to settle within 10 mph of the GP in a much more relaxed fashion. All that and an average of 46 Diesel miles per gallon. Handles like a slug compared to the GP ... the one I should use everyday?? ... Absolutely not! 
Jaguar 'E' Type Series 1 Roadster
Very difficult for me to be objective here, I love this car and it's been with me a long time! How can I compare a 40 year old sports car with a modern state of the art go Kart?
For those of you who know about 'E' Types I should explain that this is Eagle 2 from the Henry Pearman stable. Jeremy Clarkson drove this car for one of his video's voting it the best car of all time some years back ... of course he has since driven many more heavily modified Pearman Eagle Jags for Top Gear. Mine however is a bog standard matching numbers car. Rebuild completed in 1989 with the concession (I was persuaded) of uprated brakes, cooling and a blueprinted engine .... so just a well sorted 'e' type then. That's all.
The GP is quicker in every way, of course it is. However even by todays standards, the Jag is fast, very fast. The excitement and adrenalin rush comes from getting the performance down onto the road! Unlike modern sports cars, the Jag doesn't have ABS, LSD,
DSC, electric windows, power steering, turbo charger, cruise control, mini-bar, diaper changing table or anything else!
What it does have is the ability to give you absolute satisfaction when driven well at
any speed. It does need a certain amount of technique to get it right but when you do .. the wow factor is up there with the best ! Hanging the rear end out on an 'E' type is like nothing else on earth!
The GP screams and pops, the Jag snarls. Both are great sound tracks in very different ways but for me anyway, nothing beats a second gear slow cruise through a built up area in the 'E' Type, pure magic.
No the Jag doesn't have a radio!
Conclusions
I have to admit to being a one time Porsche 911 owner
I still maintain that all petrolheads should own or drive one once in their lives .... but the 911 will never hold a candle against either the GP or 'E' type. It's not about top speed, it's about fun!
The GP is totally impractical compared with a
JCW, especially if like me you have a family!
I had the choice and bought it anyway .... !
That having being said both
JCW cars have such an excellent cash for fun exchange rate there is no contest! You can smile smugly to yourself with that thought next time medallion man in his new supercar passes you at 200 mph!!!!
1st equal (For very different reasons, they are very different cars)
JCW GP and Jag 'E' Type Series 1.
These are my opinions only.
What's your comparison?
