If you’re on the prowl for a car show featuring a sophisticated species with a classic growl, check out the Jaguars on the Island car show.
The free event Saturday, July 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Windsor Park will feature more than 150 Jaguars ranging from pre-Second World War sports cars and saloons to current models.
People come from all over to see the show, said Graham Walker, director of this year’s event and a member of the Jaguar Car Club of Victoria for the past five years, including one term as president.
“It’s the biggest Jaguar show in North America,” said Graham, a retired lawyer who speaks with a melodic cadence that would lend itself perfectly to narrating documentaries. “We have had people from B.C., Alberta, Washington, Oregon and California attending shows in the past.”
The event draws several hundred people of all ages, including families that have passed their Jaguar down from one next generation to the next.
Walker bought his first Jaguar, a 1950 Marque V Saloon, in 1961 for $500. He promised the owner at the time that he would look after it and has kept his word. It’s one of two Jaguars he currently owns, the other an XKE coupe that he purchased in 1976. That led him to join the Jaguar Club in Vancouver, where he served as president for one term and secretary for many years. Walker has put more than 200,000 miles on each of his cars.
Walker and his wife, Anne, drove their XKE to Arizona in 2010 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the E Type.
“It’s the most beautiful car in the world,” Walker said, sharing his preference for the coupe as opposed to the drop head model. “It’s the only car to ever be displayed in the New York Museum of Modern Art.
This year’s show also includes an extremely rare 1992 XJ220 Jaguar coupe, one of only 271 built, with a top speed of 342 kilometres an hour.
The Concours d’Elegance will feature 50 cars from all classes in “absolutely pristine condition,” Walker noted. Jaguar owners can register to display their car on the field during the show for $15. “All Jaguars are beautiful, whether they’re in mint condition or not,” he explained.
For more information, cruise over to vijaguars.ca.