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XJC Register Run: Sunday 6th September
Sunday 6th September was fine and sunny... as requested... and some thirty-six JDCA members and friends went on a wonderful outing to the Loftus Tram Museum.
Most of us met in the carpark of McDonald’s at Silverwater and we attracted a great deal of attention even before we departed because of the impressive line-up of interesting, and immaculate, vehicles parked near the entrance. We had three XJCs and six E-Types (... it was sunny, after all, with no threat of rain ...) plus a Mark 2, an XJ6, a Daimler Sovereign saloon, an XJ40, a modern S-Type and (would you believe?) a Lexus IS200.
We left Silverwater in convoy at 9.30am and headed south. Almost immediately, we created a mobile traffic jam because no-one wanted to overtake us, preferring instead to cruise alongside in the adjacent lanes and perve on the beautiful Jaguars. At the head of the parade, all I could see in my rear-vision mirror was a mass of cars, three lanes wide, all travelling at the same speed. I felt as if I was driving a marked Police Highway Patrol vehicle.
Eventually, we reached the Tram Museum at Loftus (...despite the difficulty created by a temporary “No Right Turn” sign which the RTA had set up at a crucial right-hand turn intersection in Kirrawee...) and there we were joined by another two gleaming XJCs, bringing the total to five.
We set up a display of our cars within the grounds of the museum and I must say that the array of XJCs looked stunning ( ... OK, I will concede that the other Jags looked fabulous, too... Pity about the Lexus ...). Shortly after our arrival , we were ushered onto a corridor-style tram which last saw service sixty years ago and we were taken on a ride to Sutherland and back. This was followed, soon after, by a trip in a 108-year old “toast-rack” tram, also to Sutherland and return. Next, we boarded yet another tram and were taken into the Royal National Park, crossing the Princes Highway and holding up all the traffic. Surprisingly, no-one gave us the one-finger salute as we trundled over the level crossing in front of them. The tram stopped at the old railway station within the park to allow us to alight, stretch our legs, and take some photographs of the tram which, for some reason, was painted in light-blue RAAF livery (...possibly we were told why but, if so, I was not listening at the time...)
After we returned to the museum, we spent some time wandering though the static displays in the main museum building before getting stuck into our picnic lunches and the usual socialising that accompanies all JDCA events. It was good to see some of our newer members there and I trust that they enjoyed themselves. The rest of us certainly did.
Once again, the All British Day at The King’s School was a raging success. The range of vehicles on display was simply amazing, as was the high standard of their presentation. From Alvis to Zephyr, they were all there and it was fascinating to wander through the various displays. Some of the Rolls Royces, in particular, were magnificent. If you missed it, just add it to your great-regrets-of-my-life list.
As expected, there were a couple of hundred Jaguars on display, ranging from the lesser models up through to the XJCs, and Laurie Arthur and his team are to be applauded for their efforts in organising the display and Richard Crawshay and his crew of judges also deserve congratulations for the running of the Concours events.
Nine XJCs turned up, with eight of them in the display and one entered in the Concours. (In addition, there were another two XJCs on display with other clubs.) While the numbers were down on last year’s attendance, they included a couple of first-timers and the overall quality of the cars was remarkably high. In fact, most of the display cars would have scored highly had they been entered in either of the concours events. One of our first-timers, Campbell Pelham, was thrilled to be presented with a medallion for the Peoples’ Choice as the best XJC on the paddock. Despite his surprise, it was well-deserved.
I know that we members of the XJC Register tend to tell anyone who stands still long enough just how great XJCs are. I know that we tend to use adjectives such as smooth, elegant, beautiful, classy, seductive, exceptional and delightful. I know that it hard to imagine that a motor vehicle could exceed the descriptive terms used by XJC owners but it certainly happened this year when Jason Lavigne entered his stunning Signal Red V-12 XJC in the Concours d’Elegance.
Jason excelled himself in the Concours, preparing the car beautifully, and earning himself a Gold Award for his efforts. Obviously, the judges really appreciated the car and the work that Jason has put into it because they also presented him the trophy for the Best XJ. Not content with that, they also awarded him with the trophy for the Outright Winner of the Concours. It was a fantastic result, and Jason deserves all the plaudits and congratulations which he has received.
Once again, the Display Day was one of the highlights of the Club’s calendar and I thank those XJC owners who displayed their cars. Particular thanks go to Phil Evans who also provided the shade tent for the day. It was much appreciated.
We’ve
just had a great 2008 Display Day & Concours, and my thanks go to those XJC
owners (members and non-members) who came along on the day. We had coupes from
down Wollongong way and also from Bathurst, and had coupes on display of almost
all configurations, including two convertibles – one a 4.2 and the other a 5.3.
One recently new member came along, and we may have signed up one or two
others, hopefully.
No
Daimler Double Six coupe in our display this time, but there was one in the
Daimler club display.
The organisers ordered and received fine weather for the
day, and we achieved a total 16 coupes in the general display (13) and concours
(3). Congratulations go to Jason Lavigne and David Thomas for entering the
concours and achieving Silver awards.
It’s
a busy day for a register secretary and I didn’t get to see much of the total
display, and I also missed out on catching up with another XJC owner who had
entered the concours, but left before I could speak with him, so my apologies
for that.
Many
thanks again to those who came along, and a special thanks to the regular
supporters of the register (you know who you are). I’ve written these words
before, but if you haven’t been to a display day before (or ever) please do
come along to the next one, with your XJC if you can. It’s a great day.
My
heartiest thanks go to Laurie and Warren and the rest of the organising
committee for such a wonderful day.
First up… a request (read plea) to
come along to the 2008 Concours & Display Day this year (with your XJC if
you can). We had a really good turnout at the 2007 event, and I’d like to try
and equal that, and perhaps exceed the number of coupes that attended that day.
This year the event is being held
in conjunction with the All British Day at KingsSchool, North
Parramatta on 17th August. This is a great location,
with food available and activities for the kids. The day is also held in
conjunction an art show, so there’s plenty to do for everyone.
There is an admission charge by
ticket only of $10.00 per car (half of this fee going to a charity). Please let
me know if you’re coming and if you need to assistance getting a ticket - by
phone 0409 034 619 or email phill@xjc.com.au
If you haven’t been before, or
haven’t had the XJC out of hiding for some time, please consider coming this
year.
Secondly… some club members have
logged into the club website already - www.jaguar.org.au and have placed
details of their cars in the database. If you haven’t done so, please think
about doing this, as it helps us to find you, and also to be aware of the
number and types of Jaguars we have in the club. You can also visit my XJC website
- www.xjc.com.au and follow the links to register your coupes on my database
(please).
I hope to see you and your XJC at
the display day amongst a mass of other coupes. Till then, cheers
March Club Run to the Central Coast 25th March 2007
Hosted by the XJC Register
Saturday 24 March: Hot and humid
Sunday 25 March: Cool, wet and windy!!!
Despite such a dramatic turnaround in the weather, many brave souls turned out for the XJC Register March club run.
Thirty-three cars mostly Jaguars, including seven XJ Coupes met at Hornsby before we ventured off to Pie in the Sky for a coffee on the way to Brett Kenyon's place at Wagstaff. Hornsby local, Phil Sproston came along in his XJC to help out and came as far as Pie in the Sky with us. Luckily he did, as unfortunately we had two cars with minor mechanical problems, and Phil accompanied one of these back to his Hornsby workshop to carry out repairs so the occupants could return home.
Not long after leaving Pie in the Sky, we lost the second car with a shattered fan shroud damaging the radiator, and this unfortunately necessitated the car being towed back home. It was such a shame to have these two cars drop out on the day, as they are owned by very supportive club members who attend a lot of runs. I'm sure they'll be back very soon.
After a good run up the Old Pacific Highway and the F3, we then wound our way to Wagstaff without further incident. We managed to park a lot of our cars in Brett's yard, and they made a great sight.
Everyone then settled into what we do best, talking, eating and having a quiet social drink this all took place while we dodged the rain showers and put up umbrellas and other shelter.
Brett's house is in a fantastic location, and on a much nicer day we would have been able to enjoy it more. But, given the conditions, everyone (by my count we had 62 attend on the day), seemed to have a great time.
Time seemed to fly by, and we were soon off back home to wash all the cars made dirty by the days drive.
My heartfelt thanks go to Brett and Yvonne (who was unfortunately unable to come along) for hosting the run, and to all those who also put up with the weather for attending. It was great to see six XJ Coupes lined up at Wagstaff, and hopefully we'll get even more out on the next run.
Social club runs are some of the best events this club provides - if you haven't been along to one, you've missed out on some good times. Please try to come along on a run if you can.
Phil Evans XJC Register Secretary
XJC Register Display - 37th Jaguar National Rally
Foreshore Park, Newcastle - 15 April 2006 Click on the photos for a larger view...
What a great event the National Rally was. Foreshore Park is a great venue for a Concours and Display Day, with more than ample capacity for a few hundred Jaguars, their owners and the public who came along to have a look.
The only real disappointment for me as Register Secretary was the number (or lack of) XJ Coupes I could muster up for the day. We could come nowhere near the 10 coupes on display at last years display day, with only four XJCs on hand - three in the general display and one in concours d'etat. Three other club members were to bring their coupes along, but were struck with last minute problems and couldn't do so. I thank Ken, Lyn and Harry for wanting to bring their coupes along, and those who attended for their efforts anyway.
Greg Jones had his 'new' XJC in the d'etat, and regular supporters Hamish & Lorraine McGlashan came along with their lovely BRG V12 coupe. Paul & Karin Tomlinson drove their newly restored V12 coupe down from Bathurst to attend also. All credit to Paul for a lovely coupe, doing most of the work on it himself. Their trip down was not without a bit of drama though, for after leaving Bathurst in the dark on the Thursday evening, the 'Prince of Darkness' literally struck, and they were left without headlights near Hartley. As it was too dangerous to travel on in total darkness, Paul, Karin and their sons Michael and John slept in the coupe until daybreak, when they continued their trip north, without further incident.
That aside, Paul's coupe ran beautifully for the trip to Newcastle and back home.
Hopefully you'll enjoy the pictures below and, if you haven't attended a display day, I highly recommend you do so if possible.
Hamish's lovely BRG V12 XJC
Paul's new restored V12 coupe
The view most other
drivers have...
XJC Register
At the hillclimb event
Greg's coupe in the d'etat
Any news... ?
If any XJC owner has any news or something to contribute, please contact me, and we'll have it placed on this page.
