Hi....I live in NW Indiana, at the bottom tip of Lake Michigan, about 25 minutes from Chicago, by way of the Skyway. I am looking for a club, or group of like minded British car, or Jaguar enthusiasts.

The 2 clubs I have looked at are around Chicago, but would take me about 2 hours or more to get to, just for monthly meetings, because they are very far West. One is in Naperville, and the other is in Rockford.

In my town, the classic car, Corvette, and muscle car people meet across from the Hospital, in a parking lot on Wednesdays. I drove in there with the XK8, and even said Hi to a number of them, and they treated me like I had a disease, not even returning my greeting.

I put out a lot of flyers, at auto parts stores, and grocery stores, widening my search even for imported cars, and no joy.

Maybe the forum could add a section for clubs. Even though I realize there aren't billions of Jaguars out there, I am sure there have to be some on the East, South, or even North side of Chicago, or a club closer than Indianapolis......Thanks for reading this......Mike

 

Mike,

I'd have posted this in USA Mid West Region. Here you only reach the XK8/XKR owning members.

Let's see how the response goes. If no one comes up with any answers, I can move it to the Region thread for you.

Graham

 

Have you looked into area British Car Clubs? Our local British Club incorporates all UK cars, from Sprites to Rolls Royces - including multiple Jaguar models.

 

seems right now in Chi town you need a armored car.

 

I understand your frustration. Years ago I had a couple of 65-66 Mustangs and joined a local club and really enjoyed it. I went to numerous events and participated for more than a decade.

I tried the same thing with the Jaguar and struck out. I have property down in Maine and travel there often in the summer and thought it would be fun to attend the local sports car club functions. I was informed by one of the officers of the club that an XK8 isn't really a sports car and they couldn't just let anyone in. What would be next a Camaro? (he really said that)

Think of the carnage!

Lastly, I joined a local British Car Club up here in Canada, (figured they had to let me in after all the Jag is British, isn't it?) Most of the club has LBCs (Little British Cars) MGs, Triumphs, Morgans, and a couple XKEs all of which are from the 50s - 70s.

I never really felt welcome driving my "modern" Jaguar, and stopped going after a short time.

 

I never see xk8's at car shows or cruise ins other than mine

 

Thanks Jeff for your input. Max has sent me some info too, but it appears that the Jags stand alone, when it comes to clubs, and the National Jaguar club, and the local chapters of smaller connected clubs are still two or more hours away.

I inquired about an MG and Triumph club closer to me, and although they said they were open to people who had no car, but just liked MGs and Triumphs, I was given kind of a come if you must type of attitude in the emails. There is even a club of supposedly we don't care what you drive close to me, that goes to cruise ins, and out to eat, but they really are into older American cars, including one member who has a mid 80 Buick Riviera convertible, that they seem to think is "the Berries", as the lady club president told me, over the phone.

I would even be up for a few guys who just want to get together with their Jags or British cars in my garage, and offer my skills to do minor repairs to each other's cars, on my scissor lift, while drinking some cheap pop, and beer from my antique Coke machine, that keeps things so cold, I had to turn it down, so it didn't hurt folk's teeth. I have done this before, and as a mechanic there are times you feel a little used, but I would be happy if the other guys had trans fluid raining down on them as well, so the laughs could go both ways. I have the tools, compressor, burning torches, engine hoist, and the knowledge, as well as a CD that has the XK8 repair manual on it, that I think we could all figure out things, at least on XK8s.

I also have an X Type, and Porsche 928S if someone wants to play with them, but in my area people who are older than me (mentally at least) have someone else do the maintenance and don't want to get a little dirty at times, which I would gladly do for them, in exchange for some people time.

I just think it is a waste that such beautiful cars have such dead owners around me. According to the DMV, there are 38 Jag owners, including E Types and XJSs around me in 3 counties, but apparently they don't play or associate with each other. I love working on Jag 6, and 12 cylinder engines, especially the older carbureted ones.

I saw one other XK8 convertible, but it was driven by a little old lady, who replaced her growler badge, with a leaper from an X Type, but she just seemed annoyed by my presence, making her car look like it was not one of a kind.(she has probably sold it, after seeing me).....

Oh well, I will keep up my search, and if anyone from the area wants to play in my garage, just Email me. I had a lot of friends in their 20s and 30s, when I was a mod on a Jeep forum, that used to come over for us to put lift kits and mods on their cars.......Be cool.....Mike

 

I think most owners of these cars are not car show or car club folks.

 

Mike,

With those kind of facilities, if it wasn't so far away I wouldn't just be calling round, I'd be moving in!

Shame you can't find any like minded local Jaguar owners.

Graham

 

Yelp same problem around here. I've actually flagged down every XK8/R on Maui that I've seen and a couple on Oahu when over there. After a short conversation and offering up an invite for a breakfest get together some weekend that's about where it all ends.

I'm not a big crowd or club kind of guy but just would like to meet some like minded folks.

Had the same issue with the local motorcycle clubs and the Miata clubs, guess it's me! Maybe I should take a shower every so often.

 

Something great happened tonight. On Friday nights, in the town I was raised, about 15 miles away, there is a Harley dealer, that has a party for all the bike and car people. I had been told about it by my friend, with a supercharged Mustang, who is also a Tech. He said his wife and him usually go there for supper and some dancing.

On the spur of the moment, I decided to get in my XK8 and see what this whole thing was about, because my wife and daughter were at a festival of their own. I was expecting the same old response from the muscle car crowd, except there really wasn't much of the muscle car crowd there. It was mostly old cars of all makes, and some real classics, like Datsun 240Zs and a Lotus Elan.

I pulled in, after the party had been going for a couple of hours, and to my surprise there was a Black 2002 XKR convertible parked, with a space next to it. I backed in, and the owner came over, and we talked the rest of the night.

People were taking pictures of our cars, and the women wanted rides in them. We gave out no rides, but they took lots of pictures of our twins, and actually took more pictures of mine. The wire wheels and now functional louvers, along with the solid bar and no bumper guards was a big hit.

He thinks of Jaguars as art, the same way I do, and is also one of the dying breed of millwrights, like me. He is going to introduce me to 4 of his friends. One has an XKE 2+2 6 cylinder, another has an XKE auto trans 12 cylinder roadster because he has no left arm because of a mill accident, another has a late 50s Jag convertible, and the other one has an XJS 12 cylinder convertible. We are all going to meet on Wednesday night in a town about a half hour West of mine, to see if the rest of the group likes me. Mark says not to worry, and invited me to a British car festival next Saturday called Mad Dogs and Englishmen, about an hour and a half from my house, near Kalamazoo Michigan. We are going together up there in a caravan(group), with cameras in hand.

They have had the same trouble finding clubs also, so this small group it seems has gotten one more member. This evening could not have gone much better, except for the hangover I am going to have tomorrow morning, from drinking Tennessee whiskey, and having jello shots from between a rather well endowed girls chest.......It's not exactly a club, but a bunch of guys my age, with the same passion. I hope I fit in......Be cool.....Mike

 

Hi Mike,


So glad to hear that you found some like-minded souls to hang with, especially since you also seem to have some other things in common. We Jag owners are pretty independent and slightly crazy (we have to be to own these cars), and possessed of a passion that most "normal" people don't understand but hey, to each their own.


Unfortunately, I don't recall jello shots from a young lady's chest being part of my last Jaguar club meeting, but I'll certainly suggest it for the next one!

 

Sounds like you landed on your feet Mike, perhaps a little unsteadily, don't forget to
take pics when you meet the guys,

 

Mike,

Good to hear you're making progress finding like minded people.

Graham