The Award Winning Newsletter of

THE JAGUAR CAR CLUB OF VICTORIA Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Issue #77 April 2010

• THE SHAWNIGAN LAKE SHUFFLE • OUR ENGLAND SUMMER (Part 2) • POSSIBLE CAUSES OF OVERHEATING IN E-TYPES

INSIDE

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THE JAGUAR CAR CLUB OF VICTORIA 2017 Cadboro Bay Road, Box 112

Victoria BC Canada V8R 5G4 www.jaguarcarclub.ca

jaguarcarclub@shaw.ca founded 2003

The Island Growler is published monthly, and is distrib-uted by mail and digital file to members of JCCV.

Submissions are encouraged. Copy deadline is the first of each month.

All back issues are available by digital file.

All information and advice is presented in good faith, and no liability whatsoever will be assumed by JCCV.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of JCCV, the Directors of JCCV, or of the Editor.

Editor: John Gordon 250-477-4695 john_gordon@shaw.ca

Associate Editors: John Fitzgeorge-Parker

250-598-4626 johnjag@shaw.ca Lois Smith 250-743-2246 plosmith@telus.net

JCCV meetings take place on the fourth Tuesday of each month, except December, at 7:30 pm in the Chiefs & Petty Officers Mess, CFB Esquimalt, at 1575 Lyall Street in Victoria. Our AGM is held with the November meeting.

MEETINGS

Membership in JCCV is open to anyone interested in and enthusiastic about Jaguar automobiles. There is no need to own one of these fine cars to be a member.

For information, email us at jaguarcarclub@shaw.ca or drop us a note in the mail. We’ll send complete details.

If you believe that a Jaguar is more than just a car, you are one of us!

JCNA Chief Judge: Brian Evers 250-743-6756 bswe@shaw.ca

JOTI Chair: Terry Sturgeon 250-370-2299 terrysturgeon@telus.net

This 2001 XKR convertible (“Kitty”) was acquired by Pat-rick Lucey in May of 2008 from her former West Vancou-ver home, where she was owned by Jim McLean. The car was originally purchased by Jim from MCL in Vancouver and is an unusual, and beautiful, “titanium mica” blue.

The car remains hidden indoors in winter, but is a pleas-ure to drive on a sunny spring day. In October 2008, Kitty made a trip to southern California via Yosemite National Park. After a brief, unintended stop at San Luis Obispo, for a replacement air flow sensor, Patrick and his wife, Cori, enjoyed a leisurely trip up the spectacular coast road.

In August 2009, the car was entered for the first time in the JCCV Concours. Patrick and Cori tell us that, after learning about the rules of the game, they are looking forward to entering her again this year. We look forward too to seeing this very beautiful car at JOTI 2010.

Photo by Nic Harvey

Display advertising of interest to Jaguar enthusiasts is accepted. For rates and other information, please contact Tim Leslie-Spinks, 250-217-5899 tlesliespinks@shaw.ca

Classified advertisements can be placed at no cost, and will run for a minimum of three issues. Please send de-tails to the Editor.

ADVERTISING

President: Ian Cameron 250-652-1260 ianc@uvic.ca

Vice-President: Graham How 250-383-9473 how9473@shaw.ca

Secretary: Tim Leslie-Spinks 250-217-5899 tlesliespinks@shaw.ca

Treasurer: Merritt Chisholm 250-656-0030 fmchisholm@shaw.ca

Director: John Gordon (The Growler) 250-477-4695 john_gordon@shaw.ca

Director: Istvan Papp (Membership) 250-361-3534 i_papp@hotmail.com

Director: Digby Clarke (Meeting presentations) 250-386-3242 digcare@shaw.ca

Past President: Howard Liptrot 250-389-0755 lizandhoward@shaw.ca

2010 DIRECTORS

APPOINTED POSITIONS

MEMBERSHIP

COVER PHOTO

We are affiliated with The Jaguar Clubs of North America

www.jcna.com

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I’m slightly off-topic this month, if this farrago has a topic. I’m sure everyone reading this knows all about the early history of Jaguar cars. In the early 1920’s two friends named Bill – Lyons and Walmsley – started The Swallow Sidecar Company in Blackpool, England. Young British men of the day rode motorcycles. When they got married, their wives rode on the pillion. When they had kids, the kids rode in a sidecar. Making sidecars was big business, and the Bill’s did well. In 1926 the company changed its name to the Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding Com-pany and started making custom bodies for the little Aus-tin 7, which was taking over from motorcycles as the workers transportation.

They called it the Swallow, and sold lots of them. They expanded to cars based on Standard, Swift, and Fiat chasses. They also made some bodies for the Clyno, an-other small, cheap car. Then came the SS 1, and the rest is history. At least, it was history after they changed the name in 1945, because of the unfavourable connotations of the SS initials.

But that’s not what this piece is about. It’s about the Clyno, which I mentioned in the last paragraph. The Clyno was the brainchild of another inventor who started off with motorcycles – the bikes themselves, rather than sidecars. His name was Frank Smith, and after making bikes from 1910 to 1920 he started producing the Clyno, which became the third largest maker of automobiles in England, after Austin and Morris. They were simple cars, and very cheap – in 1923, the price for a four seater tour-ing car was £238, call it $1,200 dollars.

During the 20’s Clynos sold well at home, but even better in the colonies, where their simplicity meant that they could be repaired by almost anyone. Naturally they didn’t do well in Canada, which had its own car makers (mostly off-shoots of US companies), but in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other parts of the Empire they were the largest sellers.

And what happened? Bad decisions. They cut off their deal with Rootes, their main distributors, to set up their own dealer network. They cut the prices (and quality) to the point the cars were unsafe. They overextended the model line. And now the Clyno is more extinct than the dodo, because everyone has heard of the dodo. Whoever heard of the Clyno?

But think about this. In 1924 the “Sports Clyno” appeared, with Swallow bodywork. It was a door-less two seater with a price of only £250. At that price, sales would have been high, but only 250 were built because of the difficulty in keeping up with the large demand for the other models. If only they’d done it the other way round, and concentrated on the sports cars, what might have happened to Swallow Coachworks?

WORDS FROM THE PRESIDENT

Ian Cameron

EDITOR’S NOTES

John Gordon

It’s Tuesday, April 20th, as I write this, the last piece of the Growler before I send the draft out to our critics to vet. It is one week before the monthly meeting, a bit earlier than recent previous months. The question is “Can I make my target of getting this issue through the critics, the revi-sions, the uploads, the printers and the mail system so that the members, including those who receive it by ‘snail mail’, get it before the monthly meeting?”

I made the Prowl again this month but, alas, my Jag did-n’t. I had intended to take it but it had “electrical prob-lems” (see page 13). It’s probably just as well as I led sev-eral people astray with some bad navigation during the Prowl (it would have been even more embarrassing in the Jag) and then Judy and I had to attend a birthday party, in the Shawnigan neighbourhood, afterwards.

Tim did a great job organizing the Prowl and the luncheon and he took a lot of pictures. We did have an interesting morning squeezing the photos out of his memory card and copying them into my computer. However, we suc-ceeded and you have another collage (pages 5 & 6).

On page 7 we have Part 2 of Dennis and Carol Bram-mer’s story of their summer in England and their adven-tures there with “Maggie”. Dennis has given me another story, “Black Versus White”, which I put together with the photos when I was working on the March Growler, and then didn’t use. Something to look forward to!

At the Turkey Head Coffee Klatch, March 21st (page 11), a rainy day when the participants gathered inside the Cof-fee Shop, Jeremy Why gave me a piece of paper headed “Possible Causes of Overheating”. He said that he had bought a “CoolCat” fan for his E-Type and this was “in the box”. He suggested that it might make an interesting arti-cle. I found the website and got pictures. The Company is interested only in E-Types, but the advice is mostly ap-plicable to any old XK engine (e.g an XK120) (page 9).

I wasn’t expecting a story from Jaguar Victoria’s reception to promote the new 2011 XJ but Bennie Chisholm sent me one, with the usual touches of her delightful humour. And Istvan Papp sent me pictures, more than I could use. The combination worked and so you have an account of some of our JCCV personalities “at the party” (page 11).

When I select the auction reports to reprint in the Growler, I try to pick cars similar to ones that belong to our club. But this month, I could not resist using the reports, from the Scottsdale auctions, on two very special racing Jag-uars with very impressive provenance, one of which got an all time record price for a Jaguar at auction (page 13).

Finally, Lois was a little sad that she hadn’t contributed anything this month, so she sent me a listing for the “For Sale or Wanted” column, to brighten it up! (page 18).

Enjoy!

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The Board members are pretty much settled into their routines now. One area that is still held up is the new member packages. Istvan and Digby have been working hard and enthusiastically to improve these packages but, initially, the result has been that our newest members haven’t received any package while some decisions are pending. This will be corrected soon.

We do have some more new members to report. Andrew and Elane Brown of Victoria who have a 1997 XJR6; Jerry and Su Liudahl of Eugene, OR who have a 1967 Mk2, a 1976 XJ6C, a 2002 X-Type 3.0L and a 2002 XKR; Martin & Angèle Segger of Victoria with a 1991 XJ6 and Brian and Luise Spark of Victoria with a 1991 XJS V12 and a 1998 XJ V8. Please make these members very welcome when you meet them.

At this time our 2010 membership is 233 members from 129 households owning 201 Jaguars. Last year at this time we had 239 members from 135 households.

One of the subjects discussed, at the Board meeting on April 13th, was the policy regarding the type and quantity of paid, commercial advertising that should be acceptable in the Growler. It was agreed that ads should be limited to goods and services, relevant to the maintenance and/or improvement of our Jaguars, offered by providers who, generally, meet with the approval of our members. The other type of ads agreed to be acceptable was for general services, offered by members, which might be of interest to other members. It was felt that the proportion of busi-ness ads should be held to the current level; approxi-mately one-third of the space (the equivalent of 6 pages out of 18).

JOTI arrangements are proceeding well. Eighteen people have committed to being judges, which is enough to do the concours. A Slalom and a Prowl are planned for Sun-day morning, with both groups to meet at the Royal Col-wood Golf Club for lunch.

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTORS

keeping you informed

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS

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By 10:30 AM on April 11, there was already a pretty large crowd of people gathered for the Prowl at the Spencer Road Shell station, chatting about their cars and enjoying the first nice weather of the whole week. The objective of this Prowl was to drive out to the Peter Dreise Classic Car Restoration facility at Shawnigan Lake to learn about his “old school” body work techniques.

The Prowlers set off right on schedule and arrived at Pete’s after a pleasant mix of Malahat vistas and quiet country cruising beside beautiful Shawnigan Lake. Peter graciously welcomed us and showed us around his shop. He gave an interesting talk about his tool-making, and demonstrated his metal shaping techniques on the English wheel to an appreciative audience.

My E-type is currently on the rotisserie at Peter’s shop, so the Prowlers had an opportunity to see Pete’s handiwork up close and personal on the frame-off restoration of a car many were familiar with.

After an informative hour at Peter’s shop, the long line of Jags headed towards the village of Shawnigan Lake with lunch on their minds. This section of West Shawnigan Lake Road offered glimpses of the lake as well as some of the “twisty bits” that us Jag enthusiasts relish. Soon we were seated (all 41 of us!) at Steeples. This restaurant, which started out as a church before being converted into an in-teresting eatery, came up with a great menu and good ser-vice despite the size of our group.

Well-fed and happy, the Prowlers headed for home with a new appreciation of Peter’s craftsmanship, and fond memories of a day well spent.

THE SHAWNIGAN LAKE SHUFFLE by Tim Leslie-Spinks, photos by Tim & John G

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(Continued from page 5) THE SHAWNIGAN SHUFFLE, continued

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OUR ENGLAND SUMMER (Part 2) by Dennis Brammer

In the February Growler, we told you about a special holi-day Carol and I had in the UK driv-ing our 2002 Jaguar “S” type – “Maggie.” This month we tell you more of the trip.

We certainly did not confine our jaunts to Motorways, although that would have been fairly relaxing, with a chance to even “open her up” as it were, but only with the GPS switched on to “speed cam-era alarm” since the country seems to be crawling with cam-eras these days.

Actually, we tried to avoid the Motorways and this took us across all sorts of terrain, from wind-swept, heathered and sheep spangled moors and fields to Roman roads, gravelled lanes, along which we had to fold in our mirrors to even get by the hedgerows never mind other vehicles, up and down hills, including one treacherous 30% gradi-ent, paper bagged city streets, around dozens of traffic islands (roundabouts), and all with hardly a murmur. In fact I must have stalled “Maggie” at least half a dozen times because I could not hear the engine. Of course that would not have happened had I not been so used to driv-ing the Daimler SP, with its rumbling V8 and almost straight through mufflers, or if Maggie had been fitted with a Stag-like automatic transmission rather than the five speed Getrag unit. Actually the box itself is not all that wonderful to operate; it has short throws (nice), but a hefty feel, and the clutch seems slower and heavier than that of either the Daimler or the ex Jaguar XK120. It was a dream though compared to the Allard which, as those of you who saw it would remember, had two gear levers, one for first and reverse, the other for second and third – with that box, if you missed your gear, you could be heard in the next Municipality! The Jaguar’s 5-speed does allow for an extra level of performance - and we were able to readily take advantage of the European specifications, the 3.0 litre engine and the 240 bhp, that is supposed to be on tap. The test figures, of zero to sixty miles an hour in just over seven seconds, can easily be believed as I oc-casionally dropped Maggie into third gear and swept past other vehicles on the country roads as if they were stand-ing still. In fact, I found myself quickly backing off at around 4,000 rpm because we were well over the speed limit and, even given the safety of the road, she was going like a turbine. I did not test out the top speed!

Since the gearbox

was not particularly friendly for town driving, I can see why the majority of drivers opted for the automatic ver-sion. Having said that, I could not believe how well Maggie could pull up hill in fifth. With 70 mph available at around 2,650 rpm, the economy was excellent too. My “touring” consumption was 40.4 mpg whilst my “overall” fuel consumption, over the 2,800 miles, was 33.4 mpg. Considering the comfort and power, and the terrain over which these figures were accomplished, and considering that premium fuel was around $2.00 per litre, I was de-lighted and, if the chance came again, I would still proba-bly go for the 5-speed!

Besides engine economy and flexibility, there were so many things to commend in Maggie. Her brakes were magnificent, as was her suspension, and under no condi-tions did I feel compelled to touch the Traction Control button, and best of all, even after a long day’s journey, my back gave me little trouble. The things that could have been better were, by and large, minor - the ash tray hinge was broken, the cup holder would not close, the on board computer was fussy to operate, rear view vision, with the head restraints in place, was no better than most cars of the same size, the hand brake position was awkward. How-ever, I know that Jaguar has changed several of these nig-gles already, par-ticularly the hand brake which, in 2003, became elec-tronic, instead of conventional; the computer system has been significantly upgraded and the “firm” is investing in a better grade of plastic to supplement the real leather and the wood!

The early road tests of the S-Type cited poor rear seat accommodation and poor trunk space. As far as we were concerned, visiting the Channel Islands and the UK for a total of nine weeks meant four suitcases, a brief case, some Wellingtons (it was a typical English summer) and other odds and ends. We found that they all fitted se-curely, if snugly, into Maggie’s trunk. As to the back seat, it was always perfectly adequate to cushion the odd bottle of wine, or custard tart; indeed it looked comfortable enough for two adults but, since Carol and I have been married for some time and had hotel rooms booked, we felt no compunction to test the back seat out further! Fifty years ago Jaguar used the phrase “pace, grace, and space” in its advertisements. Within days of taking pos-session of Maggie we felt that she gave us oodles of all three, together with a quietness completely unknown to Daimler SP owners or probably to owners of most cars on the roads, anywhere.

(Continued on page 14)

Maggie at Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire

Maggie at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire

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There are many potential causes of overheating in an E-Type motor. If you are trying to track down a problem, here are a few suggestions:

1) Airflow. Make sure your radiator is unobstructed. Be sure to clean the bonnet gravel guard. Carefully straighten any bent radiator fins. Apply compressed air or a strong stream of water to the radiator core to blow out any bugs or debris.

2) Fan. First of all, make sure your fan is set up correctly. A very common mistake is to reverse the electrical con-nection, causing the fan to rotate backwards. Also make sure that the blade is installed correctly (the CoolCat Se-ries I blade must be installed with the side labelled “puller” facing forward). Make sure the notch in the fan bushing engages the pin on the shaft. Make sure the nut is tight-ened firmly.

3) More on fans. The engine fan will help cool the motor when the car is moving less than 30 MPH, above that speed natural airflow should be sufficient. The fans used

in E-Types became better over the course of production. The least ef-fective are the Series I fans, which produce just 650 CFM of airflow when working properly. Series II fans produce about 1,300 CFM for the pair, and Series III fans about 1,600 CFM. Naturally, we recom-mend upgrading to a CoolCat (end of commercial).

4) Thermostat. A stuck or closed thermostat will certainly cause overheating. Be aware that an E-Type requires a special thermostat that blocks off the bypass passage when open. Without this special thermostat, hot water can circulate around the engine without passing through the radiator. Proper thermostats are available from the larger Jaguar parts dealers.

5) Distributor. Often overlooked, a failing advance mecha-nism can cause overheating. Check your vacuum ad-vance (if so equipped) by applying a vacuum to the dis-tributor vacuum capsule while observing timing with a tim-ing light. Check the mechanical advance by disconnecting the vacuum advance, and then rev the engine while ob-serving timing with a timing light. If either vacuum or me-chanical advance isn’t working, have your distributor re-built.

6) Radiator. The radiators used in E-Types were marginal to begin with. With age, they can become obstructed. The solutions include recoring your radiator, preferably with a thicker core, or replacing your radiator. Replacements are available in copper or aluminum. Modern aluminum radia-tors are usually more effective than copper, due to the use of larger tubes.

7) Engine. Rust and scale in your water passages can be the cause of overheating, but there’s little to be done about it without an engine teardown. Try a commercial

flush. Overheating can indicate a severely worn engine.

8) Hoses. Hoses on the low side of your water pump (lower radiator hose, etc.) tend to collapse under pressure when in poor shape. This will result in overheating at speed. You should routinely replace your hoses every five years or so.

9) Water pump. If your overheating problem occurs at speed, then a problem with your water pump may be indi-cated, but check the condition of your hoses before re-placing the pump.

10) Fan belts. A major cause of overheating is a slipping fan belt. If you can drag it around the pulley with your hands, it’s too loose.

11) Otter switch. This is the switch that controls your en-gine fan. They are frequently the cause of problems. Ob-serve the operation of your fan, if it’s not coming on when it should, replace the switch. There are generic switches available which are more accurate than Otter switches, but will not give a concours look. Our CoolCat Otter switch replacements are a good compromise (end of commercial).

12) Coolant. A 50 -50 mix works best. Because of the alu-minum components of your motor, we recommend cool-ants containing silicate anti-corrosion protectants, and explicitly do not recommend Dexcool compatible coolants. We have had great success with Redline Water Wetter, an additive which improves the effectiveness of motor coolants. This is available through local auto parts stores.

13) Fan relay. If the contact points in the fan relay are pitted, it can obviously stop working. What isn’t so obvi-ous is that before the relay fails, high contact resistance will reduce voltage to the fans. It’s easy enough to pry off the relay cover and file down the contacts. While you’re at it, check the Lucas connectors throughout the fan circuit for corrosion.

14) Radiator cap. While the radiator cap won’t control the temperature of your coolant, it will control the temperature at which the coolant boils. If you are experiencing coolant overflow or boil over, replace the cap as your first step. Series II owners: you have two caps, one on the radiator, and one on the header tank. The pressure cap should be on the header tank. The cap on the radiator should be rated for 0 lbs (that’s zero not a misprint).

15) Cam adjustment. Have your top end checked out. Too-tight valve clearances can cause many problems, and cam timing is important.

16) General mechanical condition. Any of the following can contribute to overheating: -Wheel alignment -Tire pressure, -Blocked exhaust, -Dragging brake, -Low oil level

POSSIBLE CAUSES OF OVERHEATING IN E-TYPES distributed by CoolCat Express Corp. (coolcatcorp.com)

CoolCatFan 38 (2000 CFM)

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TURKEY HEAD COFFEE KLATCH by John Fitzgeorge-Parker

Amazing! The Turkey Head Coffee Klatches are well into a second year. A scheduled Sunday has not been missed. What a success! Sunday, March 21st, was no exception. Cloud bursts descended upon our clean cars but did not discourage about twenty members from gath-ering in the Marina Coffee Shop for some lively conversa-tion. The regulars seemed a bit taken aback by our elon-gated table and some disapproving looks were received! Carol has attended many of our meetings as the lone lady, but this Sunday she was joined by Licette, Barbara and Bennie. She didn't have time to look at the Times Colonist!

Simon was at the other end of the table. He talked to JG about modifying seat rails and to Tim about the progress on the E-Type, which we hope to see on Pete's rotisserie during the upcoming Shawnigan Lake Prowl. Merritt's ad-ventures with the Suffolk SS100 cause considerable inter-est whenever discussed. There was quite a bit of hangar talk too! Webers, SUs and Strombergs seem to have been included. Simon is working on the SUs for Malcolm's Mark IX, among other challenges, notwithstanding a cou-ple of GM 454s in his shop. Dennis, how did they get in there?

Spring is here. Plans for the ABFM - Van Dusen, May 21-22, and The Western States Meet, April 26-30, at Santa Maria were discussed. There seemed no lack of topics for conversation. In fact, the talk went on sometime after-wards in the parking lot. Clearly, everyone is gearing up for a new season of motoring.

The next Coffee Klatch will be on Sunday, May 16th , 9 - noon, at Turkey Head (Oak Bay Marina parking lot). Please join us if you can.

On March 15th Don Moss, his son Shane, and the staff at Jaguar Victoria hosted a classy reception displaying the 2011 XJ Jaguars.

Attractive young la-dies served flute glasses filled with non-alcoholic drinks of jasmine, elder-flower, lavender & lemon, along with delicious hors d’oeu-vres comprised of shrimp, chicken with

mashed potatoes, cheese scones, beef with Yorkshire pudding and, believe it or not, creme-brulee. Hand-some men wearing well-tailored suits answered questions and explained the cars’ mysterious intricacies.

The Jaguars were sleek and beautiful: Soft leather interiors complemented their indigo-blue and va-pour-grey exteriors; their front seats were comfort-able and their back seats had lots of head room and a

surprising amount of leg space. Their en-gines must have been fascinating because male attendees spent a lot of time peering un-der the bonnets. Many enthusiasts signed up to test drive a vehicle the next morning.

The JCCV was well represented; one member remarked that the reception was a lot more fun than a monthly meeting. Adding interest to the evening was Merritt’s 1965 “S” type, on display as a forerunner of the XJ series. Its British racing green exterior, tan leather interior, and spar-kling wheel spokes illus-trated why Jaguar’s good reputation has endured.

Attendees left carrying an attractively wrapped gift. I es-pecially liked the shiny leaper key ring. Thank you to Jag-uar and to Jaguar Victoria.

JAGUAR VICTORIA PRESENTS THE 2011 XJ

by Bennie Chisholm, photos by Istvan Papp

Gregory sits in one

Brian offers advice

Istvan drives one

Merritt displays history

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“

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page 13

JCCV BITS & BYTES

SCM© AUCTION REPORT Gooding & Company

Scottsdale, AZ - January 22-23, 2010 1951 XK120 HOTROD

Jay Leno has made a video displaying / demonstrating Jason Len’s (of XK’s Unlimited) “hopped up” XK120, which uses a lot of modern bits. The XK engine has been “improved” to 300 HP and the car weighs 1,000 lbs less than the original XK120. Go to http://www.xks.com/ then click on “Profiles of Past Projects”, then “A Visit With Jay”.

JAGUAR RACING

The astonishing Formula One victory by Red Bull Racing at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with first and second place, Vettel and Webber, has a Jaguar connection. Red Bull, a huge Austrian energy drinks producer, purchased Jaguar Racing from Ford in November 2004. The chassis devel-oped by Jaguar Racing was constructed to accommodate a Cosworth V-10 for the 2005 season. Red Bull desig-nated the car RB 1. For 2006 (RB2), Red Bull switched to a Ferrari V-8. Subsequent cars for 2007 (RB3), 2008 (RB4), 2009 (RB5) and 2010 (RB6) are powered by a Renault V-8. The headquarters for Red Bull Racing is lo-cated at Milton Keynes, Bucks, England. Any chance for a Jag powered RB in the future? Recommended website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki:/Red_Bull_Racing. John F-P

JAGUAR JOURNAL

Those of you who read your Jaguar Journal will have noted that it has recently republished two articles from our Island Growler. The January / February 2010 issue had “Three Quarters of the Way Around” by Craig Talbot, from our December 2008 issue, and the March / April is-sue (actually received by mid April) had “Turn, Turn, Turn” by Doug Ingram, from our April 2008 issue. Both of these articles won 2008 JCNA newsletter awards. The 2009 awards have not been announced yet.

THE OLD REPLACED THE NEW

When my generator was generating but the batteries weren’t being charged, on Simon Scutt’s advice, I found my original 56 year old Lucas regulator, which I had re-placed two years ago, and proceeded with it, in my Jag, to Brian Roberts Auto Electric Ltd. on Princess Street. It was a Friday. Their tests confirmed Simon’s suspicions. I was told that they had better experience fixing original parts than messing with “repro” ones; I should leave my original regulator with them and come back on Monday.

(Continued on page 14)

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Now, one of the things we could not miss whilst in Eng-land was a visit to Coventry where their Transport Mu-seum has recently benefited from a $15,000,000 face lift and is billed as having the largest auto related collection in the world. It was the “European Attraction of the Year” in 2007 and offers free admission. It sports several ex Brown’s Lane Jaguars and a couple of Jaguar precursers in the Swallow. Whilst at the museum, planning with the curator the future of the Triumph Italia (a car that I drove regularly in Victoria up to ten years ago, before taking it to the Channel Islands for the 1999 Centenary of the Car on the Islands extravaganza, and to other UK events, and which has been visited and photographed by several of the Victoria Jaguar Club members) we realized that we had a problem. Maggie would only be road legal for an-other few hours since her Ministry of Transport (MOT) compliance certificate expired at the end of the day. The MOT is a national and thorough government legislated test of a vehicle which determines whether or not it can legally be even parked on a road. Without a valid Certifi-cate the car cannot be moved; of course, with us only be-

ing part of the way through our holiday, that would have been a calamity, so we could not help but be apprehensive, however much we loved Maggie, and however much faith we had in her.

Fortunately, the Museum kindly arranged for the car to be taken immediately to a local Testing Station, instead of us having to wait for a garage appointment (with no car to drive until the testing was completed). We were thrilled but then, as Carol and I walked through the sad ruins of the bombed Coventry Cathedral waiting for news of the car, our early fears were brought to fruition by a call to our mobile phone. The voice said “I’m sorry to tell you Sir, the Test has been completed but the Jaguar has failed its M.O.T.”

Upon my calm and collected enquiry (!), the mechanic, extending the agony, slowly added that the failure had been engendered by one faulty bulb. Upon further ques-tioning, the gentleman suggested that the matter could be rectified, without a further test, by the exchange of twelve one pound notes.

Soon afterwards, waving goodbye to Lady Godiva and the City of Coventry, and with headlights beaming, we were mixing with traffic on our way north, suitcases still in the car, holiday intact and a new MOT Certificate, valid for another year, tucked safely in the glove box, our faith re-stored (it was never really in question now, was it?) and with smiles on our faces: probably even on Maggie’s grill (which is certainly better looking than Jeremy Clarkson).

As the holiday came to a close, we returned Maggie to Grantham and, as our nephew prepared to wash her and

(Continued from page 7) OUR ENGLAND SUMMER, continued

put her back in her garage, we briefly wished that we could bring her back with us to Victoria. We had to dis-miss the idea as being impractical though, and not just because of the right hand drive. We did console ourselves however that, when we return to the UK, Maggie, now an integral family member, will be waiting for us and we shall be fortunate to have her. In the meantime we can carry the wonderful memories of all of the places through which she has already gracefully wafted and glided us, all digi-tally recorded!

In summary, despite the sentimental attachments I have, and have had, to my other English mechanical horses, nothing I have had over the last thirty years would com-pare to the comfort and economy we derived from Maggie. Other cars would have given us more fun, and turned more heads, but sometimes, when one has quali-fied for one’s bus pass, one has to be circumspect and practical – it can save one’s health, and even one’s mar-riage!

Lastly, as a further incentive to return to Maggie, she will look “just right” in the car park of that little Oxfordshire country pub which I knew as a student, and to which I forgot to take Carol this time…..

Maggie at Chatsworth House

JCCV BITS & BYTES, continued

On Monday they said that my old regulator was fixed (in 15 minutes). Jamie took out the “new” reg, reinstalled the old, tested everything and it’s working fine. They charged me for one hour total for the two visits. Obviously, I should have gone there nine years ago instead of waiting for a “repro” to become available. I heartily endorse Simon’s recommendation of this firm. John Gordon

A CHANGE OF JAGUARS

Maurice Clegg reports that he has sold his 1987 Series III VDP V12 and has bought a silver/grey 2006 XJ8 VDP; to better enjoy their trip to Santa Maria and the Western States Meet 2010.

(Continued from page 13)

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS

page 15

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page 17

Meet at the Tillicum Mall - north end near Montana’s Cookhouse at 11am for an 11:15am start. For something a bit different we will visit the Chosin Pottery and their 2.5 acre grounds.

An optional tour ($5 per head) of the pottery and garden, including the Japanese garden, will be offered. Lunch will be at about 1pm at the 17 Mile Pub.

For more information, call Peter Bricknell at 250-544-0124 or pete-hazel@shaw.ca

THE METCHOSIN MEANDER JOIN THE

JAGUAR PROWL May 2nd, 2010

AT OUR REGULAR PLACE THE CHIEFS & PETTY OFFICERS MESS CFB ESQUIMALT, 1575 LYALL STREET

VICTORIA

The next meeting of the JAGUAR CAR CLUB OF VICTORIA

is on Tuesday, April 27th at 7:30 pm

Dr Gregory Andrachuk, one of the founders of this Club, will speak on leather rejuvenation.

How many out of a thousand Jaguar automobiles are driven with dirt infused coachwork and myriad dents? The answer: none. How many of these wonderful luxury vehicles have dirty, worn and color faded leather inside? The answer: many.

Well, here is an opportunity to see how an expert in this field can demonstrate, step by step, easy to follow and to do, methods to restore your leather to as new or .......even better.

Do not miss this opportunity! Come and enjoy the evening with fellow members. As usual, the cash bar service will be available along with complimentary coffee.

SEE YOU THERE!

Heads up for next month:

Diamond detailing will demonstrate a hands-on series of methods to erase scratches, remove film and make your dull Jaguar car into a brilliant show automobile. Candidate vehicles required. Who will volunteer, or admit to a dull and bor-ing vehicle ready to spring to life? You?

Tillicum Mall

Chosin Pottery

17 Mile Pub

page 18

For Sale: 2001 Jaguar Daimler Majestic V-8 LWB, immaculate condi-tion, low mileage. One elderly lady owner; driven mostly to church on Sundays. Many luxury extras including special armrest to accommodate handbag, emergency convoy lights and a direct radio link to the British prime minister. Has been in secure storage at the Jaguar factory since 2004. Asking $99,687 Cdn (plus shipping). See photo below. View at www.hmthequeensdaimler.com. (4-10)

A pair of resonators for a 3.8, L Series 1, E-type Jaguar (long type) New. $60 Larry Atkins 250-595-0162. (3-10)

Reluctant sale, but I rarely get a chance to drive my beautiful 88, collec-tor plated, VDP. Bodywork and interior are perfect, it needs no work. Was always garage kept, maintained by MCL and then Frank. It has new P4000 tires and radiator. Never been shown but a sure class win-ner. Only 52,019 Km. Really! Contact ianbeattie@shaw.ca (2-10)

1985 Series 3 Vanden Plas XJ12. New brakes and Pirelli P4000 tires on “pepper pot” wheels. Brakes and interior have been replaced. The car has about 180K kms and is mechanically sound. Over $9,000 (receipts available) has been invested in the last 2 years in body work and other upgrades to bring this Jag up to “Collector” status. It is now registered with Collector plates. Asking $5,000 or reasonable offer. Contact Tim Leslie-Spinks at 250-217-5899 for more details and photographs. (1-10)

1962 MK2 3.8 jaguar for sale, complete but good for parts only, can deliver $1,500. phone 250-478-0777 (1-10)

2000 XK8 convertible, 25,750 original miles, a US car that had a rebuilt title but was fully inspected here, including a frame check. I have owned it since Nov 05. Black with oatmeal interior. Reason for sale - bought a 06 XKR so the XK8 has to go. New price now $16,500. Contact Peter Newman at 250-478-0777. (1-10)

WANTED TO PURCHASE...DASH PLAQUES from the All British car shows at Van Dusen Gardens, required to complete collection…. from 1986 to 1991 ..and the year of 1993…Please contact Jim Bateman at 250-478-8404 or jwbatcave@webtv.net (12-9)

FOR SALE OR WANTED Advertisements run for three issues at no charge. Place your ad

with the editor at 250-477-4695 or jaguarcarclub@shaw.ca

JCCV Events are in bold print

Sun, Apr 25th. OECC Restoration Fair at Heritage Acres. Details on page 15.

Apr 26-30 Western States Meet, Santa Maria, CA

Tue, Apr 27th. JCCV Regular Meeting. Details on page 17.

Sun, May 2nd. JCCV Sunday Prowl, organized by Peter Bricknell. Details on page 17.

Sun, May 16th. Turkey Head (Oak Bay Marina parking lot) Coffee Klatch. We rendezvous again, anytime be-tween 9 and noon for coffee and socialising. See March story on page 11. Bring your Stories to tell and Stuff to sell and “LADIES” Books to swap. Please join us if you can. Info 250-656-3099.

Sat, May 22nd. All British Field Meet, Van Dusen Gardens, Vancouver. Info www.westerndriver.com/abfm

Tue, May 25th. JCCV Regular Meeting. Details TBA

Sat-Sun, Jun 5th-6th. Pacific Jaguar Enthusiasts Group Concours & Slalom, Pitt Meadows, B.C.

Sun, Jun 6th. JCCV Sunday Prowl. Details TBA.

Sun, Jun 13th. Turkey Head Coffee Klatch.

Sun, Jun 20th. Fathers’ Day British Car Picnic at Beacon Hill Park. Details TBA.

Tue, Jun 22nd. JCCV Regular Meeting. Details TBA.

Thu, Jul 1st. Canada Day Picnic sponsored by the Gorge Tillicum Community Association with a collector car show on Gorge Road along the Gorge Waterway.

Sun, Jul 4th. JCCV Sunday Prowl. Details TBA.

Sun, Jul 11th. Turkey Head Coffee Klatch.

Sun, Jul 18th. OECC Brits on the Beach, Ladysmith.

Fri, Jul 23rd. JCCV Regular Meeting, JOTI Barbeque & reception at CFB Esquimalt Gunroom.

Sat-Sun, Jul 24th-25th Jaguars on the Island. Our Sat show at Windsor Park, other details TBA.

Sun, Aug 1st. JCCV Sunday Prowl. Details TBA.

Sun, Aug 8th. Cowichan Valley Car Picnic, Mill Bay.

Sat, Aug 14th. Jaguar Drivers & Restorers Club of NWA Jaguars on the Green Show in Munroe, WA.

Sun, Aug 15th. Blethering Place Car Show, Oak Bay Ave.

Sat, Aug 21,CXKJR Show at Waterfront Park, North Van-couver.

Sun, Aug 22nd. Queen Alexandra European & Classic Car Picnic.

Tue, Aug 24th. JCCV Regular Meeting. Details TBA.

Sun, Aug 29th. Turkey Head Coffee Klatch.

250-881-1892

V8P 2L5 328-1095 McKenzie Avenue

COMING EVENTS here’s what's ahead