Jaguar makes a great showing at the
33rd
Annual Palo Alto Concours d’Elegance
(Editors
Note: This interesting article from our JAGazette contributor,
Jean Mansen, provides additional details and information about the
Palo Alto Concours.)
How
many occasions do you have to enjoy perfect weather – blue skies, a
cooling breeze and plenty of sun – wander among some of the most
beautiful, regal and unusual collector cars in the Bay Area, feast on
delicious, food, and feel especially good about the day because the
proceeds go to well-deserving local charities?
That was what happened at the 33rd Annual Palo Alto
Concours d’Elegance at Stanford held on Sunday, June 25.
JAG
Members Win Big:
Jaguar was one of two
car manufacturers spotlighted for the premier event.
Lincoln was the other. What
a wonderful turnout of beautiful cats, many owned by JAG members.
All told, 37 Jags
were entered, 25 by jag club members. We also recruited a new member—Tony DiMaggio—who
just completed restoring his 1961 Jaguar Mk IX. Welcome!
Roger Blue’s
most elegant 1962 Jaguar MK2 finished first in its class, had the
highest score among all the Jags and was the very deserving winner of
the Meguiar’ Trophy for “the most outstanding exterior finish.
Congratulations Roger!
Dan and Maureen
Miller brought their 1939 SS100 to the Concours.
They’ve owned it for 28 years and finished the restoration
over the last year-and-a-half, completing the engine work themselves.
Don’t be surprised if you see them driving it in Marin
sometime – they make a point of enjoying their very special car.
Dan and Maureen took a first place in their class.
Anthony Bell
also had his 1939 SS100 at the show.
It is one of only 20 2.5-liter cars made and only one of five
exported for sale in Switzerland.
Anthony rescued this car from a museum about three years ago,
where it had been on display, fully restored, for several years.
Since it had been sitting, the mechanics had to be redone,
taking Anthony about a year to get it fit for the road. The car placed third in its class.
Other Jag Club
first-place winners included Larry Harris with his 1996 XJS, Tom
and Yuir Oda’s 1965 XKE S1 Roadster, Bruce Powell’s
1976 XJ12C, and Larry Jackson’s 1951 XK120M.
Well done!
Marshall Cox
entered his 1948 Jaguar Mk IV and his 1962 Mk 2; scoring second in
class for both cars, respectively.
John Whitney also entered two cars in the event: his
1996 XJS and his 1969 E-Type 2+2.
He also received second place in both classes.
Beauty on Display:
Displaying the mystique and wonder
that is truly Jaguar, two cars from Jaguar Associate Group member Dr.
Vijay Mallya’s collection were on display: his 1954 Jaguar “D”
Type (short nose) and his 1990 Jaguar Sport XJR 15. Those of you who know Dr. Mallya are likely familiar with his
OKV3, one of three factory-entered (works) 1954 “D” Type cars
registered. OKV3 ran in
the 1954 LeMans and was in second place when its gearbox failure
forced the car to retire at 3:25 AM on the Sunday.
Feeling much better, the OKV3 went on to win the Rheims 12-hour
race a couple of weeks later.
The
OKV3 suffered a few crashes during its 25+ year racing history.
Nonetheless, it remains in its original form with none of the
major components replaced. It
is a remarkable and rare automobile.
Of 87 “D” chassis allocated, 16 were allocated for
conversion to XKSS specification; nine were destroyed in a factory
fire and were not rebuilt. Of
this, a total of 15 works (four short nose and 11 long nose) were
allocated. Five of these
15 have been destroyed, leaving only three short nose and seven long
nose, of which the factory owns one.
Viewing
Dr. Mallya’s 1990 Jaguar Sport XJR15 takes one’s breath away.
And that’s before knowing what a rare and extraordinary car
it is. Originally, only
25 of these cars were to be built, however, when the TWR announced
that the cars could be raced in an intercontinental three-race
challenge with a $1 million purse going to the series winner,
production was increased to 40 cars.
Apparently, the Ł500,000 sticker price wasn’t a
deterrent. This car was
raced in all three races by Andy Evans and, while not winning a race;
it was the only car to finish the series accident-free.
Jaguar – A Bit
of History of Its Elegance:
One
of the great benefits of wandering amongst such beautiful cars owned
by very knowledgeable folks is learning a bit of the history of what
makes Jaguar so special. Those
of you are Jaguar history buffs will know that Jaguar began life as a
motorcycle sidecar manufacturer in England in 1921.
The Jaguar name first appeared in 1935 on a magnificent
two-seater roadster influenced by the Swallow Sidecar Company at the
London Motor Show. It was
not until 1945 that Sir William Lyons founded Jaguar Cars Limited.
Jaguar’s
sports-car debut was at the 1948 London Motor Show, with the XK 120 as
the star. The car blended
aerodynamic streamlining with magnificent pre-war fender lines. It had a 3.4-liter in-line six with rarely seen
double-overhead camshafts and could go 120 mph!
The XK 120 was a hit in America and was followed by the XK 140
and 150, with the C- and D-types winning the LeMans on five occasions.
By
1961, the E-type prowled on the scene, stealing the 1961 Geneva show.
The E-type had sleek bodywork, four-wheel independent
suspension and an advanced monocoque structure.
The car used the most recent XK150 engine, which was up to 265
hp and boasted speeds up to 150 mph.
The boasts may be a bit inflated, but the E-Type secured
Jaguar’s reputation for designing and manufacturing sensational,
sexy motorcars.
Sensational
Diversions at 2000 Palo Alto:
For
those of you who wandered away from the Jag corral, you may have spent
time looking at the miniature internal combustion engine display
sponsored by Bay Area Engine Modelers.
Tiny internal combustion, four-cycle car engines with pistons
the size of your thumbnail and spark plugs smaller than a kernel of
corn actually ran, made noise and smoke and were powerful! There
were over 20 of these tiny wonders that fascinated kids of all ages.
A hand cranked cut-away of a four-cylinder displayed its inner
workings, including spark plugs that lit up in proper order.
A
favorite diversion came from the circled wagons. An incredible display of Vagabonds, Air Streams, Bounders,
Dolphins, Fleetwoods, Pace Arrows and a number of ingenious homemade
homes on wheels were holding “open house” across the field from
the classic cars. How
many of you have walked through a 1935 Bowlus Trailer Papoos, or a
1937 Gypsy? Can you
picture watching the sunset through tall pines sitting beside your
1957 Air Stream Bubble, pulled by your 1957 Studebaker Pickup?
Clothesline strung between trees, the aroma of stew warming on
the camp stove and the sound soft tunes playing on the radio.
You are quickly transported to a time when life was harder;
when the Depression meant scarcity of work and having a roof over
one’s head wasn’t assured. These
trailers represented a new way of life for some – not a vacation, or
a break from camping – but a means to find good weather, work, a
grassy place to park for the night without worrying about taxes or
rent.
It
is startling to imagine the lifestyles of those having
chauffeur-driven Jaguars in contrast to the life of those who pulled
their worldly possessions in a trailer behind their car.
A car show can be a lesson in history!
This year’s Gallery of Greats featured a selection of Otis
Chandler’s vintage motorcycle collection and his 1931 Lincoln
Waterhouse Victoria Convertible Model K.
The young and young at heart could feel the wind blowing in
their faces as they visualized powering down the open roads on one of
Mr. Chandler’s motorcycles such as the 1903 FN Single-Belt Drive
from Belgium, or the 1912 Harley Davidson Single, or maybe they
pictured themselves speeding through the beautiful Italian countryside
on Mr. Chandler’s 1951 Moto Guzzi Falcone Sport.
And,
the day wouldn’t have been complete without the sweet harmonies and
lighthearted tunes of the Blow Kings.
The crowd was entertained as the Blow King’s indulged their
sense of humor with performances including the giant Oreo cookie
singing praises of its creamy middle and the unforgettable “Big Butt
Medley.”
The
Concours d’Elegence at Stanford—Its Sponsors and Benefactors
:
The
Palo Alto Lions Club has sponsored this wonderful classic car event to
raise money for charity since 1967.
One reason the event is so magical, besides the beautiful,
exotic and fun cars, is the collaboration between the Palo Alto Lions
and other service organizations such as Rotary, Kiwanis, the Chamber
of Commerce, and the many volunteers who worked so hard, always with a
great smile on their faces.
The
featured charity of the 2000 Palo Alto Concours d’Elegance was the
Peninsula Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The PCBVI touches more than a thousand lives a year through
programs that promote independence and improve quality of life.
This year the PCBVI’s gift will be allocated to the
employment services program, which includes developing career goals,
job search strategies, recruitment, education and training, placement
and worksite assessment services for the blind and visually impaired.
The
honorary judges of this year’s Concours included (among others) Bill
Walsh, honorary chairperson, John Clinard, Otis Chandler, our own
beloved Mike Humphries, Ron Kimball, Joe Brilando, Ray Purpur, Ed
Gilbertson and Martin Swig.
