Wish I could! Love that car. Bought it used in 1983 but the years haven't been kind and I haven't been as good a steward as I should have been. BIG project and not sure if I want to take it on anytime soon. One of those, "was running when parked" scenarios. Too many projects and too little time. So she sits and rust slowly.

 

Yep, the Z's big downfall was the fact that it was built with rather mediocre-quality steel. But man were they fun to own and drive way back then....

The 2022 Subaru BRZ (a joint project between Subaru and Toyota being built in Japan and due to show up in the U.S. in the October/November timeframe) may be the closest thing to the early-to-mid-1970s Z-cars one can find. If I can fit into one (I am 6-foot-7 with size 15 feet) I will certainly test-drive it and who knows, I may be tempted....

 

I'm about 2.5 hours south in Greer, SC would definitely come up for this!

 

Update:

The interest thus far in this event has been phenomenal, much greater than either Wayne or Jon expected. That just goes to show how friendly the members of this forum are towards each other. We hope that we can indeed actually make this happen in October 2021 but all of us must recognize that anything we schedule now is strictly tentative due to the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. If it turns out that we cannot do this safely for everyone involved, then we need to seriously consider postponing this event until October 2022 when the world should be mostly back to some degree of normalcy....

That being said, Wayne's recent conversations with the North Carolina Transportation Museum and the Town of Spencer have caused us to focus on Saturday, October 23rd, 2021 as the date of our main gathering. We will all meet at the museum that mid-morning, take the tour of the grounds as a group, and then head out to lunch for BBQ and fellowship. There are multiple BBQ joints in town so if there are too many of us for one BBQ joint to handle, we will split the group in half and allow two different BBQ joints to feed us....

The Jaguar Forums golf outing will take place the day before on Friday, October 22nd, weather permitting. Expect a late morning tee time to give all golfers enough time to arrive in town and make their way to Wayne's club. Those of you wanting to play golf should notify Wayne as soon as possible so he can make the necessary arrangements at his club....

For those needing overnight accommodations, Wayne recommends either the Hampton Inn in Salisbury (704-637-8000) or the Comfort Suites in Salisbury (704-630-0065). Salisbury and Spencer are adjoining towns so both of these facilities are just minutes away from the museum and are located right off the I-85 interstate....

Everyone's safety, health, and overall enjoyment are top priorities for both Wayne and Jon. We know that we could not safely hold this event right now, and we can only hope that we can safely hold it come late October. It may prove to be more prudent to postpone this event once again and plan it for October 2022 instead. Please provide your comments regarding doing so....

We sincerely thank everyone for your interest and participation and whether we do this in October 2021 or October 2022, we indeed look forward to meeting all of you when the time comes....

 

How far would this event be from Charleston? I might consider driving down from New Hampshire in my 2000 XK8 coupe, visit with my daughter in Charleston, SC around that time and participate in the owners meet. It would be a blast if there was a high turnout.

 

^^ You should allow approximately 4 hours to drive between Spencer NC and Charleston SC....

 

We're in either date! Looking forward to it!

Mickey & Janet

 

This will definitely rule me OUT... I am treating this vaccine as I would the first model of any new car run... let them work the kinks out first (plus, I would probably never get an RNA vaccine, anyways).... too bad.

 

Jon and Wayne thanks for doing this. I've been off the forum for awhile and this would be a great chance to get involved again. The XK8 is down with trans problems but should be up and running by Oct. I also just bought a 48 Mk IV so might have to drive it!
Both myself and wife have been vaccinated for covid so all good.

 

Hey Guys! This really sounds like fun but from Texas it's is a little bit to far to drive....I hope everyone has a great time!

Billy Clyde @ Cinco Ranch

 

Billy Clyde Bobby Joe Jerry Jeff,

There are folks coming from California and Canada to attend our little get-together. Compared to their travels, Texas is only a hop skip and a jump away....

 

Jon89,

At my age? Let's wait and see.................?

Billy Clyde

 

I'll be living in Knoxville, TN soon, so count me in. Sounds like fun!

 

Hey! Let me know when you land in Knoxville - I'm just down the road in Townsend.

Mickey

 

Will do Mickey!

 

Glad to see this thread pop back up as a reminder to everyone that we still hope to be able to hold this XK8/XKR owners meet-up in Spencer, NC on October 23rd. So keep your calendars clear for that weekend, folks....

See post no. 44 above for the preliminary details....

 

My car is shaping up for an extended trip. I hope this all comes together as planned. This should be awesome. Thanks so much for organizing this. TM

 

....and only 236 miles from the Tail Of The Dragon! We might need a Jag Rally over to that while we are all together! That would be especially beautiful that time of year! Me and wife try to get to Gatlinburg between Labor Day and the following weekend for Shades of the Past or during mid/late October,so this might work out for us.

 

Greetings,

The wife and I are vaccinated and were thinking about making a trip that way later this year. Might be a nice opportunity to take the Jag on a trip from FL. Just a few quick questions... are XJR's welcome? Also, is the tentative date of Oct 23rd mentioned above still set? And the meet would be at the transportation museum correct?

Thanks

 

^^ Yes to all three questions above....