Jaguar Centenary, Brooklands

It was a day of two halves at Brooklands for the Jaguar Drivers’ Club’s Jaguar Centenary celebrations. I was there from fairly early on, trying out my new rig for my camera.

I went for a Ted’s Notebook type of video, had it all planned. Covered the early cars in the morning, then went for a cup of coffee and a bun. Then the rains came. I had no cover for my camera (or me, but first things first) so best laid plans and all that.

I’m trying new video editing software and my anticipated seamless transition seems about as good as my planning. I hope you enjoy it.

Do me a favour. Just wander over to view one of my books, Perhaps The Forces page. Both books well reviewed on Kindle.

I’ve got some great memories of post-war Jaguars. In the 60s, a group of us, all with sports cars, from a Mk1 Sprite, through an MGJ2, a TR3A, Morgan +4, and finally an XK120. We used to go to various pubs, use their car park and bathe in the interest of the clientele.

The sad thing was that the 120 barely managed 50% of the runs without running a half-shaft.

Stunning sound.

The 150s, the E-Type, the racing Jags, especially the JWR ones, were fun. A Rolls Royce brought my wife to the church for our wedding. We left in a chauffeur-driven Mk10. I know which I preferred. (Give you a clue; it wasn’t the roller.)

A Swallow sidecar from the pre-war years.

My father bought a motorbike with a Swallow sidecar. He removed it, sold it to an enthusiast, and then built his own one. The Swallow sidecars had a following in the 1950s.

If you can identify what the chap is carrying in his hand, you are either the owner of a classic car or of a certain age.