Get your engines purring. It’s that time of year when Jaguars pounce on Drum Castle, writes Cheryl Livingstone
It’s a year of celebrations for Jaguar clubs both nationally and locally.
While the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club (JEC) celebrates its 30th birthday, the Grampian Region will mark its 21st anniversary this year.
2014 will also be the 15th time the local club has held its annual gathering at Drum Castle near Banchory, an event which has grown immensely over the years and is now a highlight of the motoring calendar.
It also serves another purpose and that is to raise thousands of pounds for a different charity each year. This time around all money raised will go to the Aberdeenshire Learning Education Centres (ALEC), a charity which gives schoolchildren an insight into life in the big wide world.
Most of all though, it is a day for people to get up close and personal with some beautiful cars, have a picnic in the grounds of a stunning castle and generally have a fun day out with the family.
Jim Mann is the chief judge on the day and said it is definitely an event not to be missed. He said: “For me, it’s a chance to put something back into your community and I also get to use my car for a purpose that shows it off to people who are interested in cars”.
“People can come along and see big cats on the lawn and another guest car club, this year we will have the Porsche Owners Club so there will be a fair bit of exotica to look at, we’ll have the pipe band from the Gordon Highlanders Association, stalls selling home baking, strawberries and cream and things to see around the castle, it’s just an excellent day out.” For the kids, ALEC will be there along with Harold the giraffe and his friends.
Among the line-up will be Jaguars from as early as the 1950s including E-types, XK120, 140 and 150. Joining them will be a more modern addition to the big cat line-up, a 2010 Jaguar XKR convertible – which belongs to Jim.
He bought the car in August 2012 having owned several Jags before this one. It was obviously a match made in heaven for Jim and this car as it fitted his exact specifications.
He said: “I asked a local dealer if he could source me one to my exact specification. I wanted this very unusual colour, it’s called Kyanite blue, it was only available for a short period of time from Jaguar and it’s a completely different car when the sun’s out. It looks solid in dull light but when the sun comes out, it just sparkles.
“And I wanted an ivory interior to give it a contrast, as far as I am concerned that’s the best colour combination Jaguar has ever produced.”
It took the dealer four months to find something that met Jim’s requirements – and then another two months to get it to him – and it even managed to exceed what he had asked for.
“It has all the toys,” he explained. “It was an ex Jaguar management car, so there was no box left unticked on the options. It’s even got things like chilled seats.”
Although he does use the Jag for daily commutes to work and to go to marque shows and rallies, its main purpose is take Jim and his wife (Liz) to Italy every year.
“I use it for what it was designed for – it’s not a sports car, it’s a grand tourer so all of the past Jaguars have been to Lake Garda as we go to the same place year on year”, he said.
“This particular car is a supercharged V8, it’s got a five litre engine in it with 510bhp so it never runs out of power, its fast, its smooth, and it’s a luxurious two-seater. With the top down you can still hold a conversation with your passenger so it’s ideal for continental cruising.”
And like Enzo Ferrari – who once said the E-type was the most beautiful car in the world – other Italians also appreciate the beauty of this feline.
Jim said people in Italy like it so much, he has even had people drop alongside him on motorways and give him a thumbs up.
“They really like the car,” he added.
“When I park it in the little villages around the lake the children come up and want their picture taken with the Jaguar. It does attract attention.”
Similarly at home the car does not go unnoticed. Even parked outside an office in Aberdeen the motor grabs attention.
Jim added: “The top was down and the sun was hitting it, and a guy pulled up in a Land Rover Defender and said ‘Really nice car’. So it does attract that kind of comment.
“Having a Jaguar was something that I aspired to. They were around in my childhood but not in my early driving career. And of course you buy cars that you try to have as part of a lifestyle or hobby and living up here in the north-east you really need a 4×4 so I also have a Range Rover Spot, which also uses the same 5 litre supercharged V8 engine.
“The Range Rover really was the car that I wanted, the Jaguar was the car I desired and I’m really fortunate that I can have both.”
As for Jaguar themselves, Jim said that the marque has created some amazing cars thanks to the new ownership of the company and designer Ian Callum.
And he admitted it’s the sportier models that he would choose every time.
“Jaguar it is believed are making a more SUV type car so I will wait and see what that looks like.
“From the XK120, which was the first of the Jaguar sports car lines through to the E-type, to the XJS to the XK8, and then XK and XKR, to me they are all fantastic cars, well styled and visually they give a lot of enjoyment for people.”
First car? Singer Chamois, an upmarket Hillman Imp
Dream car? Got it, the XKR.
The Grampian Region of the JEC’s Annual Gathering of Jaguar & Daimler Cars will take place at Drum Castle, Drumoak, on Sunday, July 27, from 12-4pm