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New Member Intro - Ex-Jag Apprentice saying hi to the Forum
New Member Area - Intro a MUSTNew to Jaguar Forums? Drop in and tell us about you, your ride and location. This is your chance to introduce yourself to the forum.
New Member Intro - Ex-Jag Apprentice saying hi to the Forum
Hi All, JagCovKid here,
Using the username as I was born & bred in Coventry & joined Jaguar as a Body Technician Apprentice in the mid 80s.
I lived about 3 miles as the crow flies from the Jaguar Browns lane Assy Plant.
My families home was in Allesley Park & from the age of 4-5 was familar with the sounds of Jaguars accelerating up the entrance ramp to the A45, on which each Jag did a shake down road test.
Spent many hours as a kid, sitting on the fence in the park listening to them roar & then agreeing with my friends, which model & engine it was, before we saw it. Even guessed the paint colour from time to time, lol.
Finally at 16yrs old I was accepted as a Apprentice Draftsman in the Body office.
The 80's were a rebirth of the brand as a private company & as a teen working there, it was exhilarating watching us compete & win Le-Mans for the first time in over 30yrs.
The company was vibrant & alive & during my 2yrs moving thru all departments, you could sense the excited buzz from everyone. It really was a dream come true.
I was lucky enough to win Apprentice trainee of the year & was sent to Jaguar US headquarters for the summer.
After a few weeks in Leonia, NJ, I reached out to Ken Mertz Motors in Fort Lauderdale & he invited me to come visit his dealership.
He graciously told me to go & have fun & gave me the keys to both an XJ12 Series 3 & then a XJS V12 Conv - both of which were press cars. I drove up & down Florida all summer, checking in with him just in case he needed the car back.
After heading home, Jaguar sponsored me to Loughborough University for 4 yrs & I left with a BEng Hons in Automotive Eng'g & Design.
Back in Coventry, my role at Whitley as a body draftsman changed to a CAE Analyst in Advanced Eng'g & I implemented the torsional stiffness improvements on the X100/XK8 roadster, before leaving Jaguar to other pastures.
I am still an automotive body engineer, now in Michigan for Ram Truck. A massive difference in vehicle size & performance with the RAM TRX but 39yrs later, I'm still enjoying the job.
I had been looking for a Jag XK8 for 20+yrs & have 6 weeks ago, I finally pulled the trigger on my dream car, a 2000 Jaguar XKR convertible, with 70k miles. Love it & you can't wipe the smile off my face each time I drive it.
Anyway, appreciate all of the good info on the forum & to those who have figured out who I am, hopefully see you all back in Cov for a reunion in late 2024.
Hello,
What a Resume'!
Congratulations on Finally realizing your dream of owning an XKR Convertible!
I decided a Long time ago, one of those will be my Next Jaguar/
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
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. You can also use the US Midwest Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/us-midwest-39/ to find other members in your region.
New Member Intro - Ex-Jag Apprentice saying hi to the Forum
