Show, Slalom, Or Swap-Meet: Hillman Husky vs Jaguar XJ6 vs Mini Cooper S

Good morning, and happy Friday! We’ve made it to the end of our short week full of British steel, and now all that remains is to decide where best to put our three winners. So let’s officially choose our third Shitbox Champion from the Goblet of Electrical Fire, and then we’ll get on with it:

Little and zoomy wins out over tough and off-roady. I think that would be my choice, too; I’m just not sure what I’d do with a Land Rover. I like ’em, but I don’t have a good use for it. That Mini would be a riot on the back roads around my house, though.

So tomorrow is the big day! Eight hundred or so British vehicles in one place. My MG is ready: it has a full tank of gas, and I got my new stereo installed so I can blast London Calling on the way there. The show runs from 10 AM to 4 PM; then we all have to hurry home before dark. (Lucas headlights, you see.) But the show isn’t the only event – there’s a slalom competition that any car in the show can enter. And on Sunday, the whole place turns into a giant swap meet, where you can buy cars, parts, shop manuals, tools, toys, memorabilia, and pretty much anything else related to British cars.

We’ve got three potential entries, so your task is to decide which car belongs where: the show grounds, the slalom course, or the swap meet. Think of it as a variation on the “track-daily-burn” theme. We’ll review the three winners, and then you can make your choices in the comments.

Ready? Here we go.

1963 Hillman Husky

Our little Hillman Husky, Tuesday’s winner, is the only non-runner of this group. Well, actually, it runs; it just isn’t drivable. But for our purposes today, we’re going to assume that it is in as-advertised condition, except fully reassembled and roadworthy. So what we’re looking at, then, is a small rear-wheel-drive wagon, with a 1.4 liter inline four making maybe fifty horsepower. But it will also be the only one of its kind pretty much anywhere you take it, even a large gathering of other British cars.

Entering this car in the show is a guaranteed class win, even in slightly scruffy condition like this; I think I’ve seen a Hillman Imp there once or twice, but never a Husky. And you’ll have to stand by it all day long answering questions. The swap meet is an option, of course, and I’m sure you’d find a willing buyer. But the bold choice here is the slalom. Come on, admit it – you have always wanted to see what your Auntie Mildred from Sussex’s car can do.

1983 Jaguar XJ6 with Chevy 305 V8

This Jag seemed to disappoint more of you with its choice of Chevy V8, not merely the fact that it has one. And sure, a 305 isn’t the pick of the litter when it comes to small-blocks, but it’s a good running placeholder until you can put together the engine you really want for it. Since it’s already converted, there’s no use crying over spilled milk, or twincam sixes. Might as well go for broke, and throw the entire Summit Racing catalog at it. Just keep it looking like a stock ’83 Jag.

As far as tomorrow goes, you’re taking a bit of a chance parking this in the Jaguar section. If you kept the bonnet shut, you could just keep quiet about its powerplant, until you fire it up to leave, and watch the angry expressions around you when they hear the V8 rumble. The slalom would be fun, and it won’t be the least likely entry by a long shot; there’s a guy who runs his Rolls-Royce Corniche in the slalom every year. Remember the ballet-dancing hippos in Fantasia? Yeah, kinda like that.

2005 Mini Cooper S

Much like its most famous movie appearance, the new BMW Mini is bigger, heftier, more slickly produced, and more expensive, yet not as charming or satisfying as the original. The spirit is still there, but if you don’t want to be disappointed, you have to judge it on its own merits and not against its ancestral form. Luckily, judged on its own merits, this is a pretty cool car. Not many hot hatches have a supercharger and a six-speed stick and a sunroof that’s nearly the whole roof of the car.

These new Minis have their own whole section at the show, and they always have a good turnout. Honestly, I only give them a cursory look, because there is so much to see, and when it’s a car you can see in most parking lots versus an Allard J2 or a Jensen Interceptor or a Gilbern GT, why bother? It’s an obvious choice for the slalom, and there are always quite a few competing. You might be able to sell it at the swap meet, but the rebuilt title will need explaining.

So there you have it! Three choices, and three uses for them. Choose one to shine up and show, one to wring out on the slalom course, and one to rid yourself of at the swap meet. No poll today, because it would be chaos – just post your choices in the comments.

If you are planning on coming to the event tomorrow, please do find me. I’ll be by my car, or watching the vintage races, or drooling over the Lotuses, or shooting the shit with the fine folks in the Columbia Gorge MG Club. I’ll probably be the only person there in an Autopian T-shirt, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got the only yellow MGB GT with stripes on it. And if I don’t see you, have a great weekend! We’ll be back here on Monday with more poor automotive choices. And not British, I promise.

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)