Ever since my big brother spent his first pay cheque on a second-hand, or "pre-loved" Jaguar, a huge old Mark X tank, when I was a kid I've loved these cars.
A dozen of us would squeeze in and head for the garage where we'd throw in petrol - 25 cents' worth - before heading for the drive-in. It was a jol of note and we could stick our cold drinks on the folding trays attached to the back of the front seats.
Ahhh, those were the days
They don't make Jaguars like they used to but then they're no longer a pukkah British product, coming as they do from the Ford stable.
Nevertheless, they've managed to retain that undeniable blue-blooded class. That extraordinary British upper-crust breeding - and, yes, I close my ears when small-minded people tell me they're just "dressed-up Fords".
I don't care. I love them. And I particularly love the 2.7 S-Type with its twin-turbo diesel V6. Glorious dulcet beast that it is . . .
If you didn't know, you'd never guess it's powered by diesel not just any diesel, incidentally, if you live on South Africa's East Coast. It seems our diesel here is particularly unrefined so there were strict instructions when I received the car to use only fuel from particular garages - and then only the finer diesel, containing less than 50 parts per million of sulphur.
Apparently by year-end Durban diesel will no longer be Durban poison for modern cars but on par with the rest of the country.
Until then, be picky because the car responds unfavourably - and very expensively - to the less refined juice.
That aside, it's my dream chariot. It has a six-speed auto gearbox and it's most certainly not, as a blonde colleague asserted, sinking into the luxurious leather of the passenger seat, "an old man's car".
I gently depressed the accelerator as we pulled off, gave it some pressure as we hit the open road, and she kept quiet. Argument over.
It's seriously quick. Two electronically controlled turbochargers boost output to 153kW and torque is an impressive 435Nm, which means, girls, that it really blows your hair back on a straight.
Smooth - like any Jaguar - exceptionally quiet, with that exquisite ease of handling that makes the marque such a pleasure to drive, suspension that allows you to glide over humps and bumps without feeling them, all give you the ride of your life.
Challenging moments
Talking about suspension, the car is very low, which I noticed especially on one of my regular drop-offs to a house in a cul-de-sac, with little turning space. Usually I reverse down a nearby convenient driveway.
This was impossible with the Jag and I experienced challenging moments while manoeuvring to get out without scraping the car's belly.
I loved everything else about it, however. The classy interior, the polished wood trim, the doors that locked automatically, the glorious visibility from the driving seat - but, best of all, the sheer luxury.
The car costs R460 000, which is way out of most folks' price range, mine particularly. Were I in the market for a Jaguar I might opt for the X-Type 2.2 diesel, which has masses of torque and power, is less finicky about diesel, and costs only R288 000.
An amazing price for a Jaguar.