FYI Guys Planning on taking my 97 XK8 and 2006 XJ8 Portfolio.
All British & European Car Day - Sunday April 30th

 

Looking forward to it. One of my good friends owns a pair of Reliant 3-wheelers which are always a popular attraction at this show, given how rare they are in the United States. My xj8 isn't really a show car, but its the only European car I've got. Its a good excuse to detail it once a year. I usually park it in the Jaguar section and then go run around the show. One of my Corvette friends just bought a 66 E-type and I expect he will probably bring it out.

 

We used to walk through this event when we lived on White Rock Lake, but never expected we'd actually own a Jag. Now that we've been blessed with one, we realize that we really don't know what it's all about. Could all of you clue us in...

- Is this just for "show cars", and what constitutes a "show car"?
- What is at stake? What is being judged? What are the unwritten rules?
- What details are important? What is insignificant?
- Does one need to belong to a club or organization?

We're certainly planning to be there and hope to meet new friends, but not sure whether our recently acquired 2002 XKR belongs on the inside or the outside...

Thanks,
Roger

 

What Roger_B said... ^

I'd like to go but would like to know more about the event. Although it's worth the $25 for just the parking spot.....

 

Exactly. Spectator parking seems scarce and a bit of a walk.

No. You do not need to be a member of a club. I am not.

I would say that the vast majority of the cars on display are not "show cars", rather most are in sort of 30+ year old survivor with one repaint kind of condition. My friend with the Reliant 3-wheelers, well the 1974 model didn't even run last year but he brought it in on a trailer. Its just very interesting despite its condition because its so rare here in the U.S.

As for judging, its participant selection. When you pay your entry fee and register, they give you a ballot and you choose your favorites (in each category if I recall correctly). They tally the votes at the end and the top 50 or whatever get a trophy. Honestly, I couldn't care less about trophies so I've never hung around for the awards ceremony. I'd say about half the participants will have already left by the time the awards start anyway. To most people its just a big social event for like-minded gearheads, but to a handful of people, competition is very important. If you've just spent the better part of the last five years restoring your pride and joy from a rust-bucket all by yourself, it's validation of appreciation to get an award.

I'm not sure about what details or unwritten rules you refer to but here's a selection of observations. Each brand or manufacturer generally parks together in sections, i.e. Jaguars in the meadow, Triumphs along the curb, Rolls and Bentleys in the parking lot, Morgan's on the top of the hill, etc. The Jaguar club sponsors the show and thus gets prime real estate. Its shady there, but the trees do shed tassles this time of year. You have a choice to park in the shade where you can sit in your lawn chair and relax or find a spot that's not under a tree.

The park is reserved for the car show, but there is no way to keep the "public" out of the park and thus there are always lots of joggers and cyclists coming through. Most find the cars a pleasant curiosity, but there are a tiny handful that seem to be just purely annoyed that their park has been taken over. I'm sure they'd rather be zipping along the park road at a high rate of speed rather than dodging spectators.

There have been a couple of "food truck" vendors each year but there has never been a wide selection. If you think you can't wait till after the show to eat and have peculiar dietary or taste requirements, pack your own picnic lunch. Don't even think about staying the whole show without bringing your own drinks. The different car clubs often seem to eat a picnic lunch together.

If you need to leave early, then pick your parking spot carefully and plan your escape route. There's a single gap in the roadside barrier where the Jaguars drive off the road into the meadow, but then there's no organization to the parking. If you arrive early and park among the trees, then as more cars park around you, it could be difficult to maneuver out till the show is over. If you are going to trailer a car in, arrive VERY early so that you can unload and then park your rig outside the show area. If you try to maneuver a truck and trailer near the start time or after, its asking for trouble as it gets very crowded.

And if you have a really old car that might overheat if idling for and extended period, then plan to arrive very early or late. As it gets near the official start time, the line to pay and get in can get quite long and there's no place to pull over or turn around. Once headed down the entry road, you're committed.

That's all I can think of. See y'all there.

 

Great info. About what I assumed. Thanks Phil.

I'm also not interested in the awards because, well, I only have a stock XK

I'm 90% going at this point. The wife seems interested too. I'll probably buy my ticket online this week.

 

Phil, thanks so much. This answers all questions and persuades us to sign up. When you advise getting there early, the event is listed as 10-3. Does early mean 10 AM or considerably before that?

Thanks again!

 

I'm usually getting there about 30 minutes early and there is already a line forming but not too bad, maybe 10 minutes to get in at that point. My friends with the car trailer usually get there around 7:30 to 8am. But its nothing like the Cruisin for a Cure in downtown Fort Worth in the Fall where people get there at 6:30 am trying to be first in line for a good parking spot. There's plenty of room, especially in the Jaguar section.

 

Just registered and paid online. See you cats and your cats there.
Probably arrive about 9:45. My name is Scott, I'll be in the white XK coupe as seen in my sig pic.

 

Dallas is supposed to get dumped on Saturday. Hopefully it will be minimal since parking on wet grass is never fun

 

I just registered both cars online. Looking forward to meeting everyone. Midnight tonight is dead line for online registration.

 

Hope I can make it. Started polishing the Jag, barely got as far as getting the swirls out and haven't gotten back to it. Fighting a sinus infection.

 

I believe that is the actual definition of a sticky wicket...

 

Good time. Nice weather although quite windy. Good to meet you Roger. Sorry Charlie and Phil, if you were there, I didn't catch you.

 

Same here, Scott. Great to meet you and Tracy. I wish Yvonne had been able to come. Have fun in Key West!

I uploaded an album with a few pics of my favorites... can't seem to edit the order, so they're a bit mixed-up.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/g/album/7335110

 

Sorry I didn't really meet anybody. Seems like it went by real fast. I parked the car, then met up with my buddies who brought the Reliant, and started walking around looking at the other cars. By the time I saw everything and got back to the Jaguar section, it was time to go.

 

It's all good! We walked around mostly also. Chatted with Roger for a bit while sitting by the cars.... Which car was yours?

 

The white XJ8, fifth one back in the picture above. Its not a show car, just my daily beater. I started going to this show a few years back when one of my friends from the Corvette world added a Reliant Robin to his collection and started taking it to this show. And I don't know if you met Clark, who brought the red 66 E-type convertible (the only one with the hood up in the picture above), but I've known him for years too because he also has a 65 Stingray. Now I use this show as sort of an excuse to do a once a year polish and detail on my daily driver.

 

Cool. Nice car. I didn't meet Clark but I did get a good look at his car