The Jaguar X308 - Sapphire Blue Streak
Grand Journeys I & II
The High Desert & The Pacific Victory
Milo and I walked back through picturesque Downtown San Antonio through its eclectic mix of Spanish colonial architecture depicting rich Texas history interspersed with modern cafes and shops. We were relaxed under the warmth of the Texas sun. But ahead lay the daunting West Texas high desert, an unforgiving and lonely terrain - 600 miles westward sat Las Cruces, New Mexico. I turned on the ignition, the check engine light returned. I was more prepared; I plugged in my Bluetooth OBD scanner, cylinders 1 and 2 on the right bank had misfired earlier in the morning. The engine had neither been grumpy in the morning nor wanting for power so I knew this had to do with the “demon run” on the I-10E from Kerrville to San Antonio. At such velocities the cold, dense air intake was so much through those massive grills that the spark had potentially jumped failing to ignite briefly. Even more likely since these were specifically the front two cylinders. I deleted the codes and moved on. I reckoned I was unlikely to do anymore demon runs; I was lying to myself. This was quite a gamble but I wasn’t worried, Milo agreed and so did the V8.
We set out towards Las Cruces the next day for two nights to enjoy the magical New Mexico landscapes. The drive through West Texas was a virtual blur on the flattest loneliest roads in America. The car was so fast, yet all I heard at one point was the hum of the tires on the asphalt at 95mph. The engine harmonics seemed to cancel each other out and the V8 fell silent; I knew it existed only by the velocity at which we were leaving Texas behind. Remarkably, the gas mileage was climbing past 21mpg. The faster we traveled, the quieter and smoother the car became until it felt like a feline in full flight with all four legs off the ground. The F-150 and GMC trucks, the kings of the Texas roads were moving out of the way politely, without being asked twice. My strategy of maintaining the front tires at 32Psi and rear at 34Psi to combat cold conditions throughout the trip meant the X308 felt absolutely planted, low slung, predatory as we blasted towards the New Mexico border.
In Fort Stockton we went to a local BBQ - an important experience one cannot forego in the state. While it may not have been the fanciest BBQ, it was family owned and aligned with the specific ethos of the trip. Crossing EL Paso into New Mexico officially brought us into Mountain time and the Western United States. Being my first time in New Mexico I wanted to linger. At my wife’s suggestion, we visited the White Sands National Park, it was a treat for both Milo and I. Before leaving Las Cruces we had to do one more thing, I took the car to a local mechanic and had him top up a quart of the fully synthetic oil and add a can of the BG44K fuel additive. Total cost $ 63. We were ready to take off to California. The plan was to cover 500 miles to Blythe, CA via Phoenix. I expected the flat drudgery of the I-10W through Tucson but the GPS offered a charming alternative, Highway 70 to Globe, Arizona then West 60 into Phoenix. This is the “Old West Highway” and took us through the continental divide at almost 8000ft before descending through the Salt River Canyon in the White Mountains. Picturesque route with sharp winding turns and rapid changed in altitude. I was not prepared such a dramatic change but the Jaguar was; it was at its most natural sweeping through the curves. I must have been imagining the car sitting lower, snarling through those bends at an incredible 60mph. The journey now was just pure joy.
The X308 was proving its skills across vastly different terrains. Milo slept through it all, utterly unperturbed. We flew past Phoenix. The fuel additive with premium gas seemed to make the car even more responsive and the mileage climbed past the EPA ratings to 24mpg and beyond. I arrived at the California border exactly at sunset, making a strategic final gas stop at Quartzsite, AZ before higher California prices. My return to California was deeply emotional; I had left the state for Florida 14 months ago, this was my first time back. California remains one of the most beautiful and desirable places in the world. Having driven through every one of its counties, my connection to its landscape is deep and visceral. I looked forward to introducing my Sapphire Blue companion to the state’s every charm. I hoped they would take to each other.
The next morning, we left Blythe through the California desert, skirting Pasadena in the Northern LA area, towards Morro Bay. The drive through the California high desert was gentle and smooth, we were now gliding. We were to stop at Morro Bay for a well-earned rest before the final push. This was another 400-mile day following the 500-mile run to Blythe. Ahead of us lay the grand adventure up Big Sur and across the Golden Gate Bridge; we needed to catch our breath first. From West Texas to now it had been a blur but also visually stunning to see lands carved by ancient seas eons ago.
On the way to Morro Bay, Milo and I stopped at our favorite beach in California, near Padaro Lane. I felt at ease. Milo ran like the wind on the beach after being cooped up in the car and in motels for almost 10 days; he clearly remembered the shoreline from our many previous trips, his joy was palpable. We had now covered over 3,000 miles, crossing that threshold just after Pasadena. The check engine light in San Antonio was a distant ghost. We had started at the Atlantic coast 10 days ago and now stood at the Pacific. The X308 had carved a powerful path through the heart of America.
My anticipation of the CA-1 drive up Big Sur was intense. I wondered how my blue, roguish friend would take to that specific challenge. We reached Morro Bay after frolicking in Santa Barbara to our small boutique hotel. The next day brought rain but we took the car to the coast to photograph it near the raging ocean. The spirit of the X308 seemed to come alive against the savage background of the Pacific. It was time for one of the greatest drives on the planet.
Morning in Morro Bay brought heavy rain, checked the Caltrans site only to find, to my disappointment, that CA-1 was closed. I lingered at a café for a while resigned to taking the comparatively less picturesque US-101 through the wine country. It was past 10AM and the downpour was steady as I pulled into Shell for some expensive V-Power. On a sudden impulse, I checked the Caltrans site again and the CA-1 was back open. I knew this would be a challenging drive through heavy rain and potential mist with low visibility. This X308 had never faced these conditions, but it was built for the cold, rainy British Isles. It was settled; we were going up the 1 past Big Sur.
Within a few miles of the exit, the road narrowed and began to wind. There was now a sheer rock face on one side, prone to slides, and the steep plunge into the pacific on the other. The car took to the winding roads as if it had always been here. The rain strengthened and the wipers worked at full capacity; thankfully, the mist stayed away. The car simply shredded the winding roads with the confidence of the quality tires. I was finally at peace. Whatever happened beyond this, I had done what I set out to do. The greatest Houdini trick of the X308 is its nimble steering with minimal input to the point it feels sensory. Every moment of the drive fused me with the car and the untamed landscape as if my thoughts translated into the driving input. Perhaps, the car was virtually reading my mind. I wanted to take those bends like a rally driver and the X308 complied. It was born for these roads. The handling, the grip, the poise - everything was perfect. I had covered the 100 miles in just short of two and a half hours in the rain, a drive that under most normal conditions might take close to four. We kept going past Monterey Bay and Half Moon Bay until we merged into the 280 just before the Golden gate bridge. Crossing the bridge after that drive through Big Sur felt like nothing short of a victory parade for all of us. I had driven the car like I was possessed through the winding coast and for those few hours, the car’s nervous system and mine were indistinguishable. Even Milo had perked up to watch through the windshield.
After a night’s rest in Ukiah in Northern California, we headed further north to the ancient redwood forests, the lost coast of California and the rainy Oregon coast for the final movement of our odyssey; we had about 600 miles to go. First was a stop at the Redwoods, through the Avenue of the Giants and the Newton B. Drury scenic Parkway. When I turned off onto Cal-Barrel Road and parked the X308 amidst a canopy of ancient redwood trees, it was like I had brought it to some primeval cathedral. It was late afternoon, there was only the Jaguar, Milo and I. We spent 15 minutes in absolute solitude; even Milo was calm in that somber environment. We were awed by the moment and perhaps cowed by the unspoken power we felt amongst those trees as well. We were standing in a cathedral of mother nature that had watched over the world for thousands of years. The Jaguar looked perfectly in harmony there, as if it were meant to be brought to this place. No where had the car felt more at home than in California.
We had done it all. From 1989 to this moment - what an epic adventure. I wouldn’t have believed it a year ago if someone had told me this was in my future. Here we were, down to the last 300-odd miles in our epic odyssey. The car looked Sparkling, Vigorous and Powerful, years of neglect had fallen away. The V8 roared with passion at every acceleration, I had tuned the car the only way I knew how - by driving it. It was a strategy my father always believed in.
The next day we left our motel at Gold Beach, OR to continue our steady climb up the raw and natural southern Oregon coastline. We passed through Coos Bay and Florence before finally turning east towards the I-5, heading north into Portland. The last hour was again spent in cold, heavy rain as we reached our destination. The greenery of the Pacific Northwest and the giant moss-covered trees felt like another planet. The car was just as comfortable and smooth as it had been anywhere else. For almost a fortnight and over 4,000 miles we were always the car at pole, never No.2.
We had completed one of the grandest journeys of all time, very few people had ever done it and I don’t know if any other X308 has ever made this specific journey. Milo is mildly impressed too after all, maybe he will be more willing next time. If you do see a low-slung, cigar shaped, sparkling sapphire blue silhouette charging on a demon run in your rear-view mirror, please do move over, old chap. This is merely the second act of our planned grand tours. All those moments starting from 1989 have awakened new passions.
Until next time.