Independence from Boring: 2000 Jaguar XJ8, LS1 swap

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that not all V8 cars are created equal, that some are endowed by Bob Lutz with certain unalienable rights, that among these are overhead valves, high volumetric efficiency, and the pursuit of smoky burnouts. Find this LS1-swapped 2000 Jaguar XJ8 for sale in Owings, MD for $2,500 via craigslist.

.“Give me horsepower or give me death!” a Yank was heard yelling as he thrust the 290-horsepower 4.0-liter Jaguar V8 overboard into Boston Harbor, with plans to elect celebrated war hero General Motors and his small-block V8 from a Pontiac Firebird. What followed was a skirmish of Nikasil cylinder linings and wiring harnesses, and when the dust settled, one side had a 15-horsepower advantage.

No war is without casualties. Two notable ones here include power steering and air conditioning. And the LS1’s 305 horses are still under the tyrannical rule of an automatic transmission, in this case the Firebird’s four-speed 4L60e. “Shift action without representation is tyranny!”

“We must all patina together, or assuredly we shall all be reupholstered separately.” Bound by an undefeatable zeal and only the vaguest sense of patriotism, the respective interior components have held together for years, even after the odometer has celebrated its bicentennial anniversary. In their great drive forward, the view is interrupted by a chrome hood ornament, kept only as a reminder of the foppish Old World ways. “They who would give up essential liberty from electrical failure to obtain a gaudy, engine-swapped luxury barge deserve neither.”

See a colonized car that has rejected its imperial power plant? Email us at tips@dailyturismo.com.

PhiLOL actually likes the tuna here, but abhors structural rust. Save the manuals.