Jaguar Journal March/April 2022

COPYRIGHT YESTERDAY As the vast majority of Journal readers know, JCNA is an ‘umbrella’ organization that individual autonomous clubs can choose to affiliate with, in order to gain benefits that come from economies of scale or collaboration. From the start, some seventy years ago, Jaguar in North America saw the benefit of supporting their customers and their efforts on the east and west coasts, which eventually expanded into today’s international network of 60-plus affiliated clubs. The Jaguar Journal was produced by the company’s PR department as a service to members and a direct channel of communication with Jaguar enthusiasts. Being produced by the company, the issue of intellectual property (IP) and ownership of brand logos, etc., was moot, since Jaguar were in total control of origination and distribution. COPYRIGHT TODAY…

Founded 262 years ago (yes, you read that right) GKN, in one form or another, have supplied Jaguar Cars with components from the start. As one of the current world leaders in electric drivetrains, GKN’s automotive division has been collaborating on research and development with Jaguar, from their Redditch headquarters near Coventry. Their efforts have been recognized by winning the Cooperation category at the recent prestigious CLEPA Innovation Awards. Probably a new name to JJ readers, CLEPA is the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, representing over 3,000 companies supplying state-of-the-art technology solutions, as well as more than 20 national trade associations and European sector associations. The CLEPA Innovation Awards celebrate outstanding achievements of mobility technology in the fields of Connectivity and Automation, Cooperation, Environment and Safety. The award recognizes GKN’s…

As anyone who visits the UK can see, there are far more Jaguars and Land Rover cars visible on the roads than probably anywhere else. Absolute sales numbers may be higher elsewhere, but the market penetration is higher, so that JLR models are seen much more frequently in the home nations. One consequence of high numbers in circulation is that the cars become more familiar and myths are harder to sustain. So what are we to make of Jaguar Land Rover being named ‘Most Improved Manufacturer,’ while the Land Rover Discovery Sport wins ‘Best Premium Large SUV’ at the Business Car Awards? Business Car judges praised JLR’s expansive plug-in hybrid range and dedicated fleet and business customer support. In the first six months of 2021, Jaguar Land Rover’s ‘True Fleet’…

As reported in late 2020 in JJ, Jaguar planned to commemorate the E-Type’s Geneva launch in early 1961* by producing a few ‘twin’ sets of cars for collectors. Unlike Jaguar Classic’s other new ‘continuation’ cars, these examples are in effect restorations of real E-Types. They can therefore be registered legally and driven on the street without the serious ‘massaging’ of the regulations required to get new but irredeemably non-compliant new cars approved in most jurisdictions. That’s the good news. The less wonderful aspect, reported at the time, was that these ‘restomods’ would only be sold in pairs – which presumably thins out the number of potential deep-pocketed buyers. The fact that it took until late 2021 for the first and, so far, only twin-set to arrive stateside (which one would…

As I complete my first term as your president, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all of the comments I received during events that I attended. Your positive reinforcement for the job that I’m doing is encouraging, and very much appreciated. We all occasionally wonder if what we are doing is right or the best job. Words of encouragement from friends and, more importantly, new acquaintances reinforce that I am on the right path. This time of year is when most clubs pull together their event calendars for the year. Please help your local club by contacting one of your planners and offering to help out this year. The more people that get involved, the smoother events run. JCNA provides tracking of events, all events. Clubs…

Since our last region report we have gone through the same 2021 covid traumas as other regions, with continued recovery at a modest pace – but we still had fun. Responsible social distancing has affected all members of our population in both their routine and recreational activities. Nonetheless, there were numerous bright spots that allowed Jaguar-related functions to proceed with reasonable caution. Most JCNA clubs in the South Central Region were able to resume near-normal activities, with sanctioned concours, slalom and rally events, in addition to numerous local-club activities. The Jaguar Association of Greater St. Louis club (JAGSL) began the year by cancelling their awards banquet due to covid, but followed CDC guidelines and were able to complete a Spelunking and Wine Country Rallye in February. March saw a St.…