Hi from FrostyKitty
#1
05-22-2016, 03:09 PM
Hi from FrostyKitty
While I've posted a few times, seems I ought to put something here 
I'm Tony and live in West Sussex just north of Brighton. I'm self-employed, a professional photographer and also a journalist, and have done a lot of computer programming over the past 40 years. Now semi-retired, I still write, program and take the occasional photo. I was with Jag-lovers for a long time and wrote their Forum software from scratch when there was little else available but left them in 2007.
Always interested in cars, I have written a few books, and co-authored a bio on Mike Hawthorn (Golden Boy), Mike was our first F1 World Champion in 1958 (I also help with the Mike Hawthorn museum in Surrey). Plus another on Jaguar Mascots as I collected Jaguar Automobilia for many years and owned the only surviving Gordon Crosby prototype mascot made in 1938 for some years.
Due to back troubles I've never owned any really classic cars although I had a part share in a S2 E-type in the '70s and owned a Jensen Interceptor in the early '90s. The first car of my own was an MG Midget but that was newish at the time.
More importantly, I have owned seven more modern Jaguars since 1997. The first was an Amaranth XK8 Coupe bought new, followed by a p/x on a new XKR a year later - the first out of the factory in Meteorite (Silver). I kept that until 2004 when the Nikasil scare was still running and decided to p/x it for something else. In retrospect I probably needn't have worried as it turned out that Jaguar were swapping failed engines for free anyway.
The something else was a Zircon Blue X-type (petrol, I hate diesels) Estate that I kept for a couple of years before deciding I needed an XKR again. That was a 1999 BRG XKR Coupe that ran well until a lamp post jumped out in front of me and wrote it off on the A23 (see piccies).
Following that I had an S-type for a year before yet another XKR, a four year old 2003 model in Zircon Blue. That ran very well until late in 2014 when it started getting a series of problems, including a gearbox failure, that left me not trusting it. So that went and for a year I had a new Alfa Romeo Giulietta for a complete change.
It took about six months for me to start wanting another XKR!
Then in February this year I found what I had been looking for in a 2005/6 XKR-S (old shape) in Frost Blue as I don't like the newer shaped one (maybe the rumoured Jaguar-V12 XK replacement might be nice?) I'd ruled out an F-type as the ride was terrible (for me) on country roads.
That is what I'm working on at the moment and I've already removed the Jaguar Sat Nav and replaced it with a built-in Garmin that can also take a voice controlled phone via Bluetooth (the XKR also has Bluetooth which works with my Galaxy S5 but it doesn't have any voice control fitted). Interesting that Jaguar could have used much later discs than 2002/2003 in their antiquated system but they wouldn't give Alpine permission to install the software patch needed to use the more modern DVDs.
It's due to go for complete injection and exterior rust proofing soon - looking at the DVLA's MOT site I discovered it already had some sill welding done last year, plus repairing a hole in the passenger side floor! I'm told that despite that overall it's in pretty good condition by the chap that inspected it.
Currently trying to fix a water ingress problem, posted elsewhere, that I've now found the source of and fixed. It's also fitted with cameras front and back as have been my previous cars. Something that proved very useful after being subjected to a claim I could prove never happened by using in-car footage.
I also have some nice footage of approaching a village in my XKR round a blind left hand bend and encountering a police car with full blues and twos and speed on the wrong side of a central white line (i.e straight at me) overtaking another slower car! Good job the we both had good brakes.
All this is the subject of a series of articles that describe everything in much more detail, hopefully to appear in the JEC mag.
If you are going, you can hopefully find the car in the Performance Car Park at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on the Friday (behind the F1 paddock). I doubt there'll be another one there with red Scuffs on the wheels...
The third photo is one of a sequence of 16 of a 420 losing it on a right hand bend, rolling as it lost a wheel and then disintegrating during multiple rolls along the straight in a saloon car race at Lydden Hill in 2003. The lady driver walked away when it eventually stopped.
It was her first race and her husband was following her in his XJ!
Tony
I'm Tony and live in West Sussex just north of Brighton. I'm self-employed, a professional photographer and also a journalist, and have done a lot of computer programming over the past 40 years. Now semi-retired, I still write, program and take the occasional photo. I was with Jag-lovers for a long time and wrote their Forum software from scratch when there was little else available but left them in 2007.
Always interested in cars, I have written a few books, and co-authored a bio on Mike Hawthorn (Golden Boy), Mike was our first F1 World Champion in 1958 (I also help with the Mike Hawthorn museum in Surrey). Plus another on Jaguar Mascots as I collected Jaguar Automobilia for many years and owned the only surviving Gordon Crosby prototype mascot made in 1938 for some years.
Due to back troubles I've never owned any really classic cars although I had a part share in a S2 E-type in the '70s and owned a Jensen Interceptor in the early '90s. The first car of my own was an MG Midget but that was newish at the time.
More importantly, I have owned seven more modern Jaguars since 1997. The first was an Amaranth XK8 Coupe bought new, followed by a p/x on a new XKR a year later - the first out of the factory in Meteorite (Silver). I kept that until 2004 when the Nikasil scare was still running and decided to p/x it for something else. In retrospect I probably needn't have worried as it turned out that Jaguar were swapping failed engines for free anyway.
The something else was a Zircon Blue X-type (petrol, I hate diesels) Estate that I kept for a couple of years before deciding I needed an XKR again. That was a 1999 BRG XKR Coupe that ran well until a lamp post jumped out in front of me and wrote it off on the A23 (see piccies).
Following that I had an S-type for a year before yet another XKR, a four year old 2003 model in Zircon Blue. That ran very well until late in 2014 when it started getting a series of problems, including a gearbox failure, that left me not trusting it. So that went and for a year I had a new Alfa Romeo Giulietta for a complete change.
It took about six months for me to start wanting another XKR!
Then in February this year I found what I had been looking for in a 2005/6 XKR-S (old shape) in Frost Blue as I don't like the newer shaped one (maybe the rumoured Jaguar-V12 XK replacement might be nice?) I'd ruled out an F-type as the ride was terrible (for me) on country roads.
That is what I'm working on at the moment and I've already removed the Jaguar Sat Nav and replaced it with a built-in Garmin that can also take a voice controlled phone via Bluetooth (the XKR also has Bluetooth which works with my Galaxy S5 but it doesn't have any voice control fitted). Interesting that Jaguar could have used much later discs than 2002/2003 in their antiquated system but they wouldn't give Alpine permission to install the software patch needed to use the more modern DVDs.
It's due to go for complete injection and exterior rust proofing soon - looking at the DVLA's MOT site I discovered it already had some sill welding done last year, plus repairing a hole in the passenger side floor! I'm told that despite that overall it's in pretty good condition by the chap that inspected it.
Currently trying to fix a water ingress problem, posted elsewhere, that I've now found the source of and fixed. It's also fitted with cameras front and back as have been my previous cars. Something that proved very useful after being subjected to a claim I could prove never happened by using in-car footage.
I also have some nice footage of approaching a village in my XKR round a blind left hand bend and encountering a police car with full blues and twos and speed on the wrong side of a central white line (i.e straight at me) overtaking another slower car! Good job the we both had good brakes.
All this is the subject of a series of articles that describe everything in much more detail, hopefully to appear in the JEC mag.
If you are going, you can hopefully find the car in the Performance Car Park at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on the Friday (behind the F1 paddock). I doubt there'll be another one there with red Scuffs on the wheels...
The third photo is one of a sequence of 16 of a 420 losing it on a right hand bend, rolling as it lost a wheel and then disintegrating during multiple rolls along the straight in a saloon car race at Lydden Hill in 2003. The lady driver walked away when it eventually stopped.
It was her first race and her husband was following her in his XJ!
Tony
#2
05-22-2016, 05:45 PM
Welcome to the forum Tony,
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.
I can see you've already found your way to the XK8/XKR forum so there's no need for a link to it from me. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues.
Please remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.
You can also visit the UK & Eire Region forum by following this link UK & Eire - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the forums.
Graham
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.
I can see you've already found your way to the XK8/XKR forum so there's no need for a link to it from me. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues.
Please remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.
You can also visit the UK & Eire Region forum by following this link UK & Eire - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the forums.
Graham
#3
05-22-2016, 05:57 PM
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05-22-2016, 06:08 PM
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#9
05-23-2016, 01:48 AM
OK, it works if I add it as a remote SIGPIC... And it appears to update retrospectively now.
Thanks for the Welcomes.
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Welcome to Jaguar Forums Tony,
Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.
If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help
Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.
If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help
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