Archie's Last Drive - drama short film about the restoration of a Jaguar E type 

The most beautiful car ever built

My First Cars was a 1964 Jaguar Xke coupe . I got was I was 16 in 1976 . I saved the money and bought it myself ☺️!!!!! I remember everything about her ...... She was Legendary!!!! In excellent condition, however I brought her back to better than new . .......... Many Thanks for your film ........ It might as well been about me .

There is definitely nothing like an old Jaguar they are truly something else we’ve had our one for fifty plus years and it still stirs our emotions precious …

Believe me, getting old sucks. Sometimes, all you have are the memories. But being able to touch something from your past that meant so much to you is fantastic. Thank you for the video.

Charming little film, I felt quite emotional.

My Father and I played out a similar scene with our 1963 XKE OTS over 47 years. What wasn’t shown were my Saturday night shenanigans at 16 years of age. Fearless and unskilled, it is a miracle I survived to adulthood.

Having sold it in 1977, 13 years ago I found and bought my dad’s Jag back. He passed away last year but was always happy I got his car back 🥹

Brought some tears thinking of taking my dad on his last ride. So grateful to have had those years in his final chapter.

I always said to my dad, who taught me everything about cars, that one day I would own an E-Type. Sadly he died before my dream came true. I like to think that somewhere he was watching me drive around in it and having a huge grin . I just wish he had one drive in it with me. What a fabulous machine the E-Type is...

An E-Type isn't a car. It's a soulful thing, more a personality than a mechanism. Exquisitely beautiful, fast by the standards of the day, a brilliant, brilliant thing, even more so beacuse they're epehemeral - prone to rust and breakdown. They're the cherry blossoms of the automotive realm. They require regular sacrifices of blood and treasure to preserve, like having a French mistress. Gotta love one to stick with owning one. But every one restored is a "life" saved.

My father and I shared a strong love of all things mechanical and this brought back emotions I'd forgotten. I still have a large and eclectic collection of old boats and cars, restoring as many as I can before it's too late. Father/Mothers and sons and daughters, so very important to have a visceral relationship that goes far beyond your thumbs on a phone. Thank you Eben!!!

Someday I will be not able to ride a motorcycle as he.Of course young is not forever I know. This short movie teach me how should I have my mind at that time.

Love the father/son love. I understand the XKE design appreciation also: I built a model of the coupe back when I was 14 but went the Corvette route due to the TV series "route 66". My dad loved big Cadillacs but never bought one...I guess he didn't feel good enough about himself to allow him to own one. I bought up a few good used ones, each better than the previous ones. Because of the 'Northstar' reputation, I got them cheap enough and, with carefull maintenace and easy use, never had any major problems. I'd take him with our dogs to the lake and drink coffees. Sometimes my younger brother (RIP) would join us. Good memories. When he passed, I stopped using the Caddies and sold them. Dad had bought myself a brand-new Mazda-3 in 2012...very 'out of character' for him as he hoarded money all his life. My wife used it to commute to her job until he passed. That very Mazda now has a space in our 4 car garage where it is cherished and babied (car-cover, battery-minder) as well as any of the C-1 and 2 Corvettes I had over the years before old age and hip replacements made them unusable. I still have the '07 Mustang GT convt. that I bought used and, luckily, happened to be an automatic. He enjoyed the many times I took him to car-shows and cruises with our dogs (except the odd times when he was miserable and angry). I just rode with it and was glad that both my brother and I were there for my Dad throughout his life.

A wonderful film - thank you so much. There is a very special connection between an older chap and a classic which he has owned for years, which runs very deep. If you don't get it then that's cool - but you never, never will. I'm off to the garage now to see my old friend, who unlike me, has not grown old.

WOW wasn't expecting that, brilliant

Most Beautiful Automobile Ever. 😂 GREAT short dramatic film. The key hand off 🥲🎉😎🖖🏻

Very moving & evocative...I miss my Dad every day.

This is me , with my old BMW i sold, to pay the mortgage that month.. Bites every time..

I'm sure everyone who watched this must of been moved.. Beautiful !

I read Paul Skilleter’s XKE books and kept it for many years. Eventually, although I treasured it, I gave it to a friend doing a restoration. Seemed like a good home for something that gave me many, many moments of pleasure.

Damn you, it'll be three days getting the lump out of my throat! Beautiful job. But these roles are hard to watch, and even harder to live through.

In 1976 I was in college, and only had my 63 XKE roadster and my 73 Kawasaki Z1.

They jammed a lot of emotion into 15min. Great direction. Haunting.

What a nice little film. The few technical inaccuracies are incidental to the storytelling. My good friend Bert Bennett, who sadly passed away last year from cancer, would have loved this. He owned quite a few E-Types over the years and they were always a treat to drive. Like all the great classics of their era, E-Types have their own unique sound, smell, look and feel when you drive them. Even though my heart is with Italian cars, there always has been and always shall be a warm fondness for these beautiful cars from Coventry. 💕.

This was a heartfelt experience

Really enjoyed this, both touching and evocative. Well done Jonny and everyone else. Especially convincing performance from Robert Donald.

Thank You!

I love a happy ending .

Very nicely done! I love it

Great little film. In years to come classic cars will be just memories if things continue as they are happening now.

Loved every minute of this, very evocative really well done. The drama of E types in the 1960s and racing legends killed in races and 'dicing' on our A roads.

Beautiful restoration but painful ‘drama’

Better then anything hollywood puts out!

Lovely bit of filmwork! Although I didn’t grow up with the E type, bringing it back to life after my Uncles passing has brought about a realization of why they are cherished. Love to get it out for a drive now and then to spread the joy to others. Cheers!

Fantastic vid and what a beautiful car,we used to say a big cat. OMG we used to make things like that in the uk and now nothing,how sad

Yep, my dad on his last ride in his XJC three years ago.

Absolutely brilliant amazing short film thinking about my dad too such a beautiful car simply stunning have fond memories of being out in the artics he loved his jaguar's as well esp the mk2 and naturally the E type ❤️

Very thoughtful and moving production.

Very touching....only a former E-type owner would appreciate

Mbreautiful !!! You really did capture the spirit of motoring. Many thanks for this short . You said it all in a short story..Heart warmind

Great video. I have my father's beautiful Jaguar XJ-S sleeping in a Sussex barn waiting for me to get my act together. One day I'll drive her out again.

Excellent story! Get her on the road!

Wonderful. Simply wonderful. hollywood take notice.

Great content,, father and son project!! I had dreams of doing something similar with my son,, the project had to be abandoned!! But it’s never to late!! Beautiful film 💜💜💜

Watched every second, this deserves way more views and subscribers for you're channel. I hope more projects are in the making. Hello from Milwaukee

Enough to make you weep

How have you not got more subscribers! ❤

Great job.

My dad got so jealous, when i bought the car for my family and it had double the cylinder placement and double the horsepower than his. He just couldn't stand me having the bigger car.

Very well done, I like it very much.

Father n Son ❤️

only one word; excellent

a lovely film

Nicely done film.

Awesome

Oh dear. Such a complex and affecting scenario - but handled so clumsily. The guy acting as the mechanic/restorer... 😵‍💫 My gawd - who wrote his dialogue?!

The 383 4 barrel was Chrysler's entry-level performance engine for this model. However, 383s were very durable engines with lots of performance potential. They were also much easier on gas than the bigger engines in the lineup. Those characteristics make 383 engines good choices for cars that are driven regularly on the streets.

fantastico

Nice movie! I cannot afford an E type but my personal baby is a 1967 Volvo. I am now 70 and my hope is that i get to pass it on to one of my sons one day and that they treasure it as much.

Wish the acting was better, it sure looked good.

Had another look and what we see is an AC compressor, with a alternator beneath it, both run by a serpentine belt. Non of which belongs on a 1962 E type. Really missed seeing all that polished aluminium and the 3.8 ticking over.

As i get near the final lap! I thank you for the summary, in film, of what it is to love the car you once had. Mine a red Alfa GTV6 (1980) and that summer. Thanks.

Excellent Job! How long did this project take?

Simply put... this is brilliant.

Lindo video, vou tentar encontrá-lo legendado em Português Brasil.

Very sweet and not too far from accurate in many of our cases. However, you did use the wrong engine. It should have been a 3.8 for that year. Otherwise, well done!

I don't understand, the engine that was shown running in the end didn't appear to the original XK from that car. So disappointing as they just as impressive as the car its self.

Liked everything except never being told what YEAR the car is!!?

I didn't get who Dan was. Was he your dad's brother? I remember seeing a film about the history of auto racing and all the deaths that brought about more and more changes to make racing safer. The only problem is they also advanced the engineering of the cars and they got faster and faster and even more deadly.

Are you related to Paul Skilleter , the jaguar historian .

Back in the mid 1970's my best friend had one of the early (3.8 L) E types. He was emigrating to Australia and needed to sell it and continually nagged me to buy it from him.......but i could not afford his asking price of 350 British pounds. Often wonder where that vehicle is now.

this 4.2 liters engine can't be original for this early e-type...

😌 "Promosm"

Sadly from 2030 on all combustion cars including classics will be banned from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany the Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025 on by reducing all conventional fuel stations to only one state operated central gas station per city or county. Now they even want to slow down all the gas pumps from 20 litre per minute to 2 litre per minute...From 2027 on in the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems, turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of crime here, called emissions and smoke crime. "Bundesabgasbespaßungsverbot" in German....(((((((

XKE my arse.It's an E Type Jaguar.Can't Americans deal with one letter ?