Innholdsfortegnelse for Oct/Nov 2022 i Classic Jaguar

In the previous instalment of the Chronicles of Kermit, the “definitely not-a-project” project car, there was a major breakthrough resulting in the banishment of exhaust fumes entering the cabin. I could finally drive my E-type without my nose twitching like a rabbit and my clothes dragging me toward the washing machine. Nevertheless, there remained a number of unresolved mechanical issues to rectify before I could depart the premises of Smallman Hall for a blissful life on the open road. Heading the list was the Lumenition Electronic Ignition system, which was overheating. Additionally, the car's general running was rather lacklustre and fuel consumption had taken a dive. Looking back through Kermit's history, the Lumention had only been fitted around 6,000 miles ago and I noted that 3,000 miles later a new…

The big day had come, and there was no turning back. The car was now at David Marks Garage and years of waiting were now over...the car was going to start being stripped and the horrors would soon be exposed. From the instant the car arrived, David was keeping me up to date, sending me photos and calling to explain what he was doing. He knows how technically challenged I am with this sort of thing, so he made sure that I understood what was going at every stage. So the work began, off with the bonnet to expose the engine bay and piece by piece things were removed. As mentioned in the last issue, there are some out there who will argue that you don’t need to remove the…

W hyon earth is your ‘umble Editor misappropriating Bob Dylan lyrics? I’m not even particularly fond of the octogenarian artiste’s work… The thought occurred to me whilst doing my ‘Chief Instructor’ thing for the JEC at their recent ‘Young Driver Day’, held at the amazing Bicester Heritage facility. I mused on the concept that every aspect of our hobby is in a state of flux – not so long ago our major fuel related worry was the introduction of E10 petrol, with its associated cruelty to classic fuel systems. Now almost forgotten as fuel prices rocket to big digits, and only slowly subsiding as market forces change. Users of LPG have suffered a fall in the quantity of filling stations at an unprecedented rate – will this happen to petroleum…

Like many other car clubs, the Jaguar Drivers’ Club has reviewed the implications of its ageing membership and the scope for encouraging younger members to join the club. It is obvious to them that they are not alone in seeking innovative ways to involve the younger generation although it isn’t apparent that, as yet anyone has found a total solution to the problem. In November 2021 they made the first positive move by the introduction of their ‘Generation J’ initiative which gives online membership to anyone under 30 years of age for just £20 per year. The take up, so far, has perhaps been a little less than they would have anticipated but is feeding into a steady growth of membership numbers. Their strategies are regularly reviewed and are currently…

During the 1950’s the Queen Mother maintained a major presence at state occasions, where official Royal cars such as Rolls Royce and Daimler landaulettes were employed to best showcase the Royal wave. However, the Queen Mum also required personal transport and, no doubt influenced by the rising star of Jaguar, took delivery of a brandnew Mark VIIM in September 1955. This began a close relationship between Jaguar and the Royal household that has endured to the present day. The Queen Mother’s Jaguar is now in the care of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT) and spends a sizeable proportion of its life as a much-prized museum exhibit, although it does see the light of day more regularly than you might guess. As such it is maintained with a current MOT…

As you take to the springloaded saddle you are confronted with a handlebar full of levers, strange oil and fuelling systems and a beefy looking v-twin. You first have to check the oil level, lock off the seal and then prime the oil feeding system with a few pumps of the beautifully turned brass pump. Once you see the oil moving through the spyglass mounted next to the pump, you can turn to priming the carburettor. It’s rather an alarming process as the fuel spills out of the carb and over the engine – not a time to have a cigarette on the go! With everything primed, it’s time to set the advance/retard lever, set the choke, pull-in the decompression lever and gently kick the starter over until you reach…

THE JAGUAR XK140 IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE JOHN ELMGREEN & TERRY McGRATH You could say that the genesis of this impressive 528-page, 3.4kg book goes right back to early 1976 – the UK’s previous hottest year on record! That’s when, as a young man, author John Elmgreen visited Jaguar’s Browns Lane site in Coventry for the first of what were to be multiple visits to research XK material in the company archives. Today, a housing estate has replaced the old Browns Lane factory where the XK was built, and all ‘classic XK’ and a huge quantity of other Swallow, SS and Jaguar historic material has long been held by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Archives based at Gaydon, Warwickshire. Over the years John has been able to accumulate a vast…

It was hard to tell how close to ‘production’ 1960s saloon racers really were. Works cars were easily tweaked, private entrants tricked the regulations, the FIA drew up Appendix J Group 2, but it still looked suspicious. Manufacturers had to list options for homologation but that still led to recriminations over what was truly ‘standard’. Richard B Bensted-Smith had a bright idea. The Motor, of which he was editor, would sponsor a six-hours’ saloon car race at Brands Hatch and then road-test the winners. Earnest, an early champion of consumerism, RBB-S wrote entertainingly about international rallies he’d done with John Sprinzel in Austin-Healey Sprites. He wanted to reassure readers over the probity of ‘same-as-you-can-buy’ saloon racers and expose cheats. Production car races as curtain-raisers for the BRDC May Silverstone meeting…

A residentof Shetland for many years, my partner Rob Jenner was a founder member of the Shetland Classic Car Club and their first Chairman. The inaugural Shetland Classic Motor Show, held in 1988, hosted eight cars in a gazebo in the park in Lerwick – four of which were Rob’s! As the show grew and word got out, visitors from the UK mainland started to arrive and Rob arranged a weekend discount with P&O ferries for exhibitors. P&O would even hold the boat on Sunday evening after the show, to ensure that all exhibitors were safely aboard! The show now takes place at Clickimin Leisure Complex during the first weekend in June, every two years, seeing 6000 visitors plus the exhibitors! There is a healthy classic car following in Shetland,…

Paul Skilleter, leading Jaguar historian, founder of Jaguar Quarterly (now JWM) and spiritual guide to this publication - visited the ‘Mk 1’ and XJC days held at Nigel Webb’s Mike Hawthorn Museum over the last weekend in July. There he was reunited with the Swallow Gadabout scooter that he owned over 30 years ago. The intended restoration never took place, and eventually Paul sold it to our very own Jim Patten. It was restored in his workshop alongside his E-types, 3.4 saloon and any other Jaguar that wandered through the Patten motor house. Prior to Jim’s move to Suffolk, the Gadabout was spotted by good friend, David Sculthorpe, principal of Castrol Classic Oils. The right shade of Castrol green, it would prove a useful PR tool for the company, and…

TWYFORD MOORS XK140 Following a change of plan by the owner, a rather unique 1955 XK140 DHC has come to the market. Owned by one Scottish family since new, the car was ‘barn found’ revealing an extraordinary state of preservation, partially accounted for by a recorded mileage of 11.2k miles. Such was its degree of originality; Jaguar historian Phillip Porter used it as a reference work for his upcoming ‘Original XK’ book. Longstanding XK specialist, Twyford Moors carried out a sympathetic restoration on the car, retaining as much of the original patina as possible, whilst incorporating a few subtle modifications to render the car more suitable for modern driving conditions. These include cooling upgrades, disc brakes, electric power steering, electronic ignition, and an alternator to power it all. The car…

At Bicester Heritage, the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club assembled an encouragingly large group of young Jaguar fans for a driving experience day. This inaugural event offered young people the opportunity to meet club members owning a variety of Jaguars, from all eras, and take to the Bicester Heritage test track to experience the joy of driving them. It was a great opportunity for owners of classic Jaguars to pass on the driving skills and knowledge to a new generation of owners who, hopefully one day, will become the new custodians of these historic Jaguars. It was truly special to see so many smiles on the young faces of drivers who had never experienced driving a Jaguar before. Equally, the owners of the vehicles seemed to get a real buzz of satisfaction…

It is possibly only a matter of time before an ‘app’ is introduced and the waving of an iPhone in the general direction of your vehicle will reveal its exact suspension settings. However, until that day dawns, the most accurate method available to the ‘person in the street’ is to employ the services of a company offering the facility of a computerised four wheel alignment system. Due to the large investment in both space and finance required, (often in the region of £40k plus) very few independent Jaguar Specialists will consider it cost effective to own such equipment themselves, instead forging relationships with larger local tyre suppliers for whom the provision of a dedicated alignment bay is a natural extension of their core business. One such arrangement exists between Berkshire…