Legendary Humility
In the late 1960s, Jaguar was working on a new engine for its slinky sports car, the E-Type (or XK-E in America). It would be Jaguar’s first new engine since 1948’s introduction of the legendary straight-six that set records in the XK120 and won Le Mans in the D-type. Now, more than two decades later, they weren’t building another six-cylinder. They were building a V12.
The new V12 would make its debut in the 1971 E-Type, which itself was introduced 10 years prior. Those years saw lots of changes; the 1971 update would have flared front fenders to fit wider wheels, necessary for better handling. Because of customer demand for increased cockpit space, the shorter-wheelbase, 2-seat version was eliminated, and the 2+2 variant with its longer wheelbase (by nine inches) became the only option for coupe buyers. Increased safety standards by the National Highway Safety Bureau necessitated changes to the headlights, taillights, and bumpers, while the need for increased airflow to the bigger engine meant an additional grille opening up front.
Stricter environmental regulations meant the new V12 would be sandbagged with water-heated intake manifolds, heated intake air, and an air pump to inject air into exhaust ports downstream from the exhaust valve heads. Its spark timing was retarded during low speed operation.
The end result was a 326 cubic-inch V12 that was 82 pounds heavier than the 258 cubic-inch six, and made just 39 more horsepower (about 285 versus the six’s 246). It powered a car whose beauty had been compromised, and driving character negatively impacted, by forces outside of the control of the engineers. Two of those engineers had played a role in engineering the original inline-six. Imagine how they must have felt.
How a person handles disappointment like this reveals a lot about what motivates them. Like these Jaguar engineers Jesus had to practice remarkable patience so he wouldn’t be disappointed in the legacy of his ministry he left to his disciples. In Matthew 19, a rich young man was sad because he couldn’t leave his wealth to follow Jesus. Peter, anxious to see what he could gain by following Jesus, said, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” (v. 27) Jesus described heavenly blessings for people who followed him, ending with this caveat: “But many who are first will be last, an many who are last will be first.” Jesus, motivated by his Godly mission, didn’t want his followers to be motivated solely by gain of any kind.
The great 17-century preacher George Whitefield knew he would have to leave his legacy to John Wesley, an excellent preacher who feared God yet vocally disagreed with Whitefield’s ideologies. Whitefield, motivated by the pursuit of God’s glory, chose humility over his personal legacy: “Let my name be forgotten, let me be trodden under the feet of all men, if Jesus may thereby be glorified.” Even at the end of his life, his priority of glorifying God made that disappointment easier.
Every day, our thoughts and actions reveal what motivates us. When we obsess over clothing styles, our body, or makeup, we’re motivated by vanity. When we don’t stand up for someone who’s being disrespected or marginalized, we’re motivated by societal gain. When we “don’t have time” for increasing our Biblical literacy, we are motivated by the pursuit of whatever fills our time instead. Any of these pursuits can ultimately leave us disappointed, because none of them are rooted in the love, grace, and humility that Jesus taught.
Our response to disappointment indeed reveals a lot about what motivates us. Yet if we’re motivated by the faithful, humble character of Christ, responding to disappointment becomes easier.
In 1971, the V12 XK-E carried a whopping $1,100 premium over the base model’s $5,595 price tag. That’s a lot of profit for a company that those veteran engineers believed in. Maybe that’s what motivated them to simply do their best work in the circumstances they were stuck with, and believe that the company would be glorified.
