XK Club Newsletter - Page
2
XK Club Weekend (21 -
22 July): Rain Doesn't Stop Play
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Jaguar XK
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One reason for the XK series’ success has been its
ability to re-invent itself for successive generations of drivers. Thus, in
1954, the groundbreaking 120 was succeeded by the roomier, slightly more
powerful 140.
1957, the third incarnation of the XK was
unveiled in the form of the 150 and here is where there is a slight blip in
received opinion. Traditionally, there has been a tendency to regard the XK 150
as an ill-advised attempt to re-style an dated design within the constraints of
extremely tight development and tooling budgets in an effort keep pace with
changing aesthetic tastes and engineering advances.
Making a splash in this picture was the
XK140.
NEW MEMBERS: Join online
here.
MEMBERS: Renew online here.
The XK Club would like to extend a big thank you to
all those amphibious XKs that reached Club Weekend and to all those who tried so
hard to be with us and couldn’t make it.
We would also like to thank all of our very kind
sponsors
Barn Dance, XK
Awards & Sunday Run Route book, kindly sponsored by:
SNG Barratt
www.sngbarratt.com
UK Tel: +44 (0)1746
765432
FR Tel: +33 (0)3 85 20 14
20
BV Tel: +31 (0)13 521
1550
US Tel: +1 800 452
4787
Tel: +44 (0)1746
765804
Evening Fizz kindly sponsored
by:
J.D. Classics
www.jdclassics.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1621 879579
Club Day Bar kindly sponsored by:
Longstone Tyres
www.longstonetyres.co.uk
sales@longstonetyres.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1302
711123
XK Club Day, kindly sponsored
by:
Guy Broad
www.guybroad.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1676
541980
I don’t know if the XK Club has done something in
particular to annoy St. Swithan, but I think it started raining sometime back in
June and the 24 hours prior to Club Weekend saw some of the most persistent
downpours the UK has ever seen. The rain simply didn’t quit. Rivers rose, new
rivers were formed and storm drains overflowed. It’s rumoured that someone,
somewhere spotted an ark!
It was so wet that the area around us began to
resemble the Grand Canal in Venice. All-too-quickly the familiar greens and
golds of the Worcestershire countryside were replaced with a sea of muddy
brown.
However, we know that XK owners are a tough breed
– a breed with the spirit of John Wayne, the heart of Sean Connery, the gentle
wisdom of Gandolf and the water-managing capacity of Jacques Cousteau. In short,
we knew that they would come to Club Weekend. Hence, staff and an assembled team
of hardy volunteers laid matting, arranged extra parking and generally worked
exhaustively to prepare for the guests.
Club Day dawned – not bright and sunny, but at
least not raining hard. The first cars began to arrive at about 11.30am,
followed shortly by the guest of honour, Norman Dewis. Stories of the
journeys made were swapped (see September’s edition of the XK Gazette for more
on this - a modern day, watery, Canterbury Tales), old friendships renewed and
new friendships made as people came together, both to celebrate their combined
ingenuity and their trusted cars. I
think Alison and Trevor Phillips best summed up the combined feeling of the day
when they remarked: “It’s a bit of an adventure for everyone getting
here”!
XK Club Day is always special – and so was this
one. The band played – at one point I heard the strains of Too Darn Hot echoing!
Specialists were quizzed and the assembled XKs were admired.
As well as celebrating the XK Club’s
10th anniversary, the event also marked 50 years of the XK 150 and
our annual XK Awards reflected this …
The Farthest Distance Travelled to Club Day
(from outside the UK) award was won by Peter Nordgren from Sweden. He made
the journey in his XK150 OTS. David and Mary Watson also deserve an honourable
mention for journeying all the way from Porto – their mode of transport was
their intrepid XK 150 FHC.
The XK 150 Choice award, which was selected and
presented by Norman Dewis, went to Graeme Hurst.
Our XK Representatives awarded the Spirit of XK
award to Dr Eugen Schmid’s remarkable XK150S Estate which had come all the
way from Switzerland.
Last, but by no
means least, the Farthest Distance Travelled to Club Day in an XK (from within
the UK) award also went to XK 150 FHC –
this time owned by David & Claire Kenworthy.
XK 150s also stole the Greatest Annual Mileage
award – this year’s winner was Roy Hatfield who, to date in 2007, has
covered over 5000 miles in his XK150S 3.8 Roadster.
XK Club
members gathered for the Club Day group photograph.
Norman Dewis presents Graeme Hurst with the
XK150 Choice trophy.
One
of the many XK Club Cats'
Peter
Nordgren with his wife next to their XK150 OTS.
Left: The team hard at work preparing the
ground at club HQ for the XK Club weekend.
