Jaguar Journal November/December 2021

Having lived in many different places, as man and boy, I have some experience of the varying infrastructure needs of urban, suburban and rural life, plus a reasonable awareness of how things are handled when there are occasional disruptions. Some events, like electrical power outages, are common not simply because mains electricity is used almost everywhere, but also because power cuts can be triggered by a wide range of seemingly opposite conditions, such as extreme heat or cold, or drought-stricken hydroelectric plants versus flooded power stations, etc. Where I live, trees are a problem – specifically my neighbor’s trees, several of which blow over every year, knocking out the power for a few dozen houses. Yesterday it happened for the second time in three months. As usual, a phalanx of…

The viability of JCNA, as an organization supporting sixty-one affiliate clubs across North America, is critically dependent on the efforts of many volunteers, contracted service providers and a healthy financial position. As part of a recent strategic planning process, two benchmarks of financial health were defined. STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE As with our personal finances, JCNA cannot continually “spend more than it makes.” Eventually, we run out of money, especially since JCNA can’t run up credit card balances to cover those shortfalls. Absent proactive steps to increase revenue and reduce costs, JCNA’s longer-term financial outlook was troubling. Deficits were projected every year, with resultant continual depletion of reserves. Yearend reserve balances should equal one year’s consolidated expenses (the minimum recommended for a non-profit organization like JCNA). Cash and reserve balances at the…

As a youngster, my first driving was in my parents’ cars and my first six years of employment came with a company car provided. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I first bought my own (used) cars in a series of private purchases. Consequently, I was never on any dealer’s customer list and missed the whole subject of this book - branded postcards - used by the British Motor Corporation and British Leyland to promote their vehicles. In those days, when Spam was just tinned meat and email was the stuff of science fiction, postcards were used as a promotion tool when advising customers of service schedules, discounts or road test events and other promotions. Leon Zilmans and Nico Mondt have compiled a book showing over 400 such postcards.…

Having recently published a series of XK/XKR development articles by Paul Trout and Mike Dale in Jaguar Journal, it was interesting to browse this large book covering largely the same ground plus added sections. This second edition of Thorley’s modern XK (X100/X150) covers the full range from 1996 to 2014 and is a serious contender for ‘must have’ status for anyone with an interest in these models. Books of this nature sometimes come across as if they were a series of magazine articles recycled into hardback form, but if there are a few inevitable ‘déjà vu’ factory pictures, the vast majority are Thorley’s own work, resulting from his seeming omnipresence at any and every UK Jaguar event of note for many decades. Part history book, part buyer’s guide, part workshop…

HOT TOPIC #1 My wife, Bunni, and I have just arrived home from the August AGM. We were all warned about the heat and humidity, but hearing about it is much different than experiencing it. Thank you to the Jaguar Society of South Carolina for being such a great host and the nearby Coventry Foundation for their hospitality. All of the changes your management team worked on were approved. There were some modifications and those details can easily be located on the JCNA website. HOT TOPIC #2 Several clubs contacted me with concerns about the upcoming 2022 dues increase from US$30 to US$40 per year. In response, during the president’s perspective portion of the Saturday AGM, I told delegates that I would make a motion at the post-AGM Sunday board…

Nowhere in North America has escaped the covid chaos, including the JCNA Southwest Region. Things are improving now, thankfully, and after a slower start than usual there have been plenty of events, both traditional and virtual. Dan Jenson, San Diego Club president, reports that by late July they had their first SDJC drive and picnic, with an excellent 35 Jaguars and 60 attendees, including members of the Jaguar Owners Club of Los Angeles. Based on the success of the event, another was held in August and more are planned for 2021. The main focus turned to their 57th Annual SDJC Concours d’Elegance in October, at Classic Showcase, Oceanside, California – home of the western depot of the JCNA/Coventry Foundation tool loan scheme and literature archive. Gary Lindstrom from the Wasatch…