The E Type Jaguar Essay, Research Paper
The ‘E Type´ Jaguar. My feelings were a mixture of sadness and excitement to be looking round Uncle Jim´s farm so soon after his death. The main body of our family were in the house sorting out legal matters, and I went to search through the outbuildings. The farm was more run down than any place I had ever seen. Mum called it ‘Picturesque´. There were roof slates missing from almost every elevation, broken windows, and green slime running down walls where a drainpipe should have been. In his will, he left his possessions to the family. I inherited the surrounding fields of the farm and all the outbuildings. The reason why I inherited this much is because I am an only child. He knew I loved machines. To ride in his tractor or bailer when he was working or go for a drive in his Triumph, gave me such a thrill. Therefore he left me all the vehicles and machinery he owned. The main barns, with the exception of the grain store, were all open plan. Only the small single story barn at the very back of the pig sheds looked different. I was attracted to its heavy looking doors, covered in moss and fungus and locked securely with a large old rusty padlock and chain. The nearby tree had rooted itself through the bottom of the woodwork. Clearly this barn had not been opened for a very long time – and might hold a host of secrets. I looked through a gap in the wood about the size of my hand, and thought I saw something reflect a speck of sunlight coming through a hole in the roof. I had to see more- and eased my fingers carefully through the gap between the doors. The wood had lost all its strength over the years and snapped off in my hand. I now had a small but unobstructed view. Through the gloom of the barn, the sunlight picked out the metal of wheel. It looked like a car. I shook the great old door- but with the grass growing up the inside, this was going to be no easy task to open. I forced my shoulder at the panel that had already broken, and it fractured easily allowing me to squeeze through the gap. I was probably the first person to step in this barn in many years. The smell of damp air , made me stop in my tracks. I felt uncomfortable, slightly scared just as if I had opened the Pharaoh´s tomb. It was a car, now easier to see. The sunlight forced itself after me through the gap I had made. The car was long and flat looking, covered in a huge dark brown tarpaulin, which itself had years of grime and dust on top. I approached the area lit by the sunlight, and tried to lift the cover back. It was unexpectedly heavy as though it had been glued to the car. It took me all my strength to draw it back slowly. Never in my wildest dreams had I expected to see the famous ellipse grill of a Jaguar ‘E Type´. The two headlights on either side of the black and silver number plate were clouded with condensation. I yelled at the top of my voice for my father to come to the barn and see my discovery. I moved round the side of the car, lifting the heavy and damp tarpaulin cover off to view the whole car (which took some strong arms), and saw the preserved racing green paintwork and chrome bumper bars which glistened magnificently in the bright sunlight. The only specs of rust were on the bolts, which fastened the hood to the windscreen. I ran my hand carefully on the bright paintwork of the bonnet and over the leather hood. It was such a magnificent feeling to be standing next to one of the worlds rarest cars. I opened the passenger door and found it exactly as I had seen it in magazines and on the television. Cream leather seats and dashboard, instead of electronic buttons, which are standard today, all the controls for the radio and fans were all switches. This car had hardly been used as it showed only twenty-three miles on the clock. I also noticed a hole in the passenger seat where field mice had used it to shelter from the chilled air and snow, which cover the surrounding fields in winter.
“ I don´t believe it!” Said a voice, it was my father. “I really don´t believe it! I thought he sold it after she died.”
“ After who died?” I asked.
“ I thought it was all nonsense when the locals said that he kept it. She was the only woman in the world to him, and when she died, well he just couldn´t live anymore because he was so depressed.”
“ Who died?” I asked again.
“ His wife, Jenny. He bought that for her as a present on their 10th wedding anniversary. Two days later she died. He never drove it again, and it must have been in here ever since.”
We opened the large rotting doors to the barn, and saw the whole car in bright sunlight.
“ Only twenty-three miles.” I said.