Actually I was looking for a 1955 Chevrolet, Bellaire, Hardtop, Glacier Blue and White; my first car. I found a few of the type but never the color. Once I did come across a ’55 with the correct color scheme but it was a restored convertible – and expensive. I kept looking.

Then in the summer of 2004 we went to Pennsylvania to attend the wedding for the middle child of a dear friend. On the eve of the wedding we stayed with the sister of another good friend whose significant other was a long time car nut and restoration expert. He had converted an old Amish limestone barn into his living quarters with shops below and a fabrication shop combination museum on the level above.

He was in the midst of restoring a 1953 Mercedes, but his specialty was thirties vintage Lincolns. In his stable of automobiles he also had a 1966 "E" Type OTS Jaguar which we took to dinner the evening of our arrival. I passed on the opportunity to drive to dinner. Driving a vintage car in a strange town didn’t seem to me to be a good idea. However I did enjoy the ride. My friend rode the right seat on the way home.

Once back in the barn, however, I took closer look at the car. The owner purchased the car with 2500 miles on it and owned it since prior to 1970. It was totally original with the exception with maybe the Weber carburetors and the soft top which he fabricated in his shop above the living area of the old barn.

Then I sat in the driver’s seat and it was all over – I had to have one.

I searched the trades, dealers, and on the internet for several months, watching the Series I "E"-Types seemingly disappear. I went to St Louis, Phoenix, and Tulsa looking for/at good E-Type candidates and an occasional XK model. My first choice was the 4.2 version of the series I, but when this ’64 showed up on one site I had been watching, I flew to Atlanta to see it.

It was the perfect color; all the pieces were there; and the engine and body had not been (appreciably) modified. The previous owner had retrofitted the original Moss Box with an early, fully synchromesh transmission, but the car was otherwise grossly original.

I thought I might drive the car back home but the seller, financial considerations, and better sense made me have the car shipped. That was a good move for more than one reason.

The car arrived some weeks later and it and I began getting acquainted. I had little knowledge of Jaguars and certainly not this model beforehand – not since coveting XKE’s as a teenager that is; now I owned one.

The engine had a tendency to run warm but I was told that was ‘normal’ for this Jag. I worked around it and kept trips pretty close to home while I got to know the car. I ordered all the parts to replace all the perishables; the belts fluids, hoses and I bought a new water pump.

Before I could get all the new parts installed the rear brakes began to overheat. On one short trip, I barely got home before they tried to melt down. I was hesitant to turn the hose on the discs fearing that they would warp till I visually measured the distance between the brakes and the fuel tank. I hosed the whole thing down.

The next few months I spent on the phone ordering parts, returning parts (This car is a transition car where a number of parts on the assembly line were actually for the follow-on model, the 4.2 series I).

When I first got the car I was not confident in its ability to make the trips to north Dallas. With its tendency to run hot, and with the brakes out, the car never made it to any club event for the longest time. Our membership committee quickly dubbed the car "The Phantom" – no one had seen the thing.

While I had the rear suspension unit out I replaced everything but the differential; brakes, springs, shocks, etc.

With the rear suspension back in the car and the brakes fine tuned I was ready to drive, if the car would cooperate. It was still running hot.

It would run pretty well for about 30 minutes then it would begin to heat up and finally threaten to boil over if not stopped. It was losing coolant and I could not detect a visible leak.

It had to be a leaking head gasket. I had an experience with a leaking head gasket with an old Toyota once and this was behaving identically. I jacked up the front end this time and disconnected the bonnet from the pivot point and set it vertical to get access to the engine.

The car had been restored in the late eighties and was pretty much original – or so it appeared.

With the head removed I also rebuilt the brake master cylinders; rebuilt the clutch main and slave cylinders; installed a high torque starter (The original had one mounting ear broken off); converted the oil filter assembly to spin on type; replaced the generator (Which was a generator for a Mark II I found out) with an alternator converting the electrical to negative earth; replaced the 4.2 radiator with aluminum type with an integral high efficiency fan; replaced the water pump; replaced the oil pump with high efficiency type and installed new seals at the intake and output of the pump; and had the headers coated by Jet Hot.

I also bought an electronic ignition, but haven’t installed it as yet. I wanted to make sure it would start and run before I replaced too many critical components. That may be next.

Well, "The Phantom" is finally on the road. At the end of a tough or even an easy day it is relaxing to climb in and tour the neighborhood and beyond. It never fails to turn a knowing head and encourages conversation almost everywhere.

Like most things old, it seems to always need something. I have some of the parts waiting for the time to deal with them, but in the meantime it comfortably makes club events. It’s no "Show Pony" as any Britt might observe, but it is more than a decent "driver" and a kick in the butt to drive.

I’m glad we are associated with this particular club. Member’s cars are on the road if at all possible. It is about showing the marque and letting the rest of the world see a tiny part of automotive history in our little rolling museums.