Hi guys,
OK, I took the plunge and entered the Jag Convention and it's Concours here in Florida. Talk about a great time meeting other hard core Jag owners/enthusiasts! The cars were varied and gorgeous! Everyone at the Convention was so nice to us, and they just showered love on my Jag! I worked my *** off for a weeks to get it ready, and I was detailing it in the dark before the Concours d'Elegance started. I started at 5:30 AM, was at it 6 straight hours until "Rags Down"! Anyway.....................................it took Third Place in the Southeastern US! "My Cat" was graded 9.97 out of 10.0, so I couldn't expect more than that! I was in S-3 Category, which is open to all years and types that have been customized/personalized, Engine Compartment and Boot included in the judging. The two Jags that placed above me had both won National Concours before, and were "Trailer Queens", not driven like my Jag. They were both spectacular! First place was 9.995 and second was 9.993, so it was VERY close. The judges couldn't believe that my Jag was an everyday driver. There were so many beautiful Jags to look at that I was like a kid in a Candy Store..........albeit a very tired kid! I was SO ready to stop detailing.....................!
One plus was that I met "Gold Lion" from our Forum. Tim was great to chat with, and has probably the nicest looking XKR that I have ever seen. I've attached some of my pics, but I'm not too adept at doing so with downgrading the quality. Unfortunately, these are pretty poor quality, but they give you an idea at least.





Brian

 

Brian, great to hear that you did so well. Your car looked just excellent. Based on the results it sounds to me like you need to challenge the top cat. I would have to agree that the show was outstanding and the quality of the cars was right there at the top, some of the best XKE's and XJ120's I have ever seen. And, the myth...XJ220 was also there. The owner advised that he had a second XJ220 with just 400 miles on the clock. I guess we can look forward to next show at Palm Beach and Amelia Island. Both will be sure to please. It would be great if we could bring in some of the other Forum members.

Kudos!

TimV

 

Thanks Tim, as you know, it was a blast! I'll check with you to see if we can make either of those two events. I would really like my wife to see your XKR! I'm sure some of the other Forum members would enjoy these shows as much as we did.
Regards,
Brian

 

Congrats! Great looking XKR Coupe.

 

When is the Palm Beach event? I'm visiting my brother who lives in West Palm Beach in June and I'd love to check it out. I'm flying out so we'd be taking my brother's Buick, but if spin really fast and then squint very hard, it might look like a Jag

EDIT: Forgot to add, Congratulations! Very nice job getting 3rd place. Even though my XK8 is in great shape, I know it would never score nearly that high.

 

Kudos to you!

 

Thanks guys, my Jag really did look great!

Keith, I'm not sure, I'll have to look into it. I know that the Amelia show has already taken place, and this last weekend they were talking about the next Concours being in Sarasota. I'll see what I can find out for you about anything upcoming in West Palm.

It's so cool to be in a show where there are drop dead gorgeous Jags and everyone loves theirs just as much as you do yours. It's fun to talk shop and see what others have done with their cars. Yes, very cool indeed!
Brian

 

Nice to see you scored perfectly
I like your interior wood trim too .

 

Thanks Cadillac, I am really happy with the scoring, since I didn't know what to expect. I'm looking forward to receiving the Score Sheet so that I can tweak the minor areas needing improvements. The Burl interior pieces received a lot of attention, which I appreciated, as I always thought that they made my cockpit much more attractive. The Interior Judge has an XK8, and he mentioned how the Console Lid/Armrests always cracks eventually.

Keith, I checked the South Florida JCNA site, and their Concours is always in November. Maybe Gold Lion knows of a different upcoming show down there?
Regards,
Brian

 

Brian, outstanding
To win 3rd with a daily driver amongst garage queens is sumthin else and your car looks awesome.

However, one small problem!!!

You posted up small image attachments that have to be clicked, waiting for them to open to a bigger size. This is NOT on for sumthin like this and I've edited your pics to show full size and really show her off some
I'll let you off this time Brian, but a repeat performance will result in an immediate ban!

 

Thanks Jim, I always struggle with uploading pictures and they end up so degraded that much quality is lost..................

 

Brian
Congratulation on a nice presentation. Your car looks great. Out of curiosity why are your floor mats by your front tires?
Doug

 

Hi Doug,
Nice Platinum Convertible! Together ours would be like a XKR Yin and Yang.

The Judges called a meeting of all the contestants just before they called "Rags down". They announced a new JCNA rule requiring all Floor Mats to be removed and displayed at each tire. Reason being that they judge your Floor Mats (if you have them) as well as the carpet under it, and they are not allowed to touch your car to view the carpet. During the "Operational" testing, each driver had to operate his/her own controls for that same reason. We also were the ones to pop the Hood and Trunk for their scrutiny. They also stated a new rule requiring a Front License Plate Holder.................even if your state does not require a front plate. They would allow you to place it on the ground in front of your bumper without actually mounting it though. Since we don't use them here in Florida, and I was unaware of this rule before the event, I'm sure that I lost a few points by not having one. It was all pretty interesting, and a good learning experience.

In case anyone wants to see the rest of the beautiful Jags, here is a link to the official high quality online pictures.


http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=666215004407%3A 1037111549&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharer

Brian

 

Thanks for the link to the great pics! Beautiful spot/beautiful cars! It must have been a grand experience. I particularly liked the pics that showed the XKEs next to our XK8/Rs - we are truly blessed with beauty! DaleD