It’s never a difficult task to write about all that is great in South Florida, particularly during the winter months. We are now in mid “season”, which means choosing from several wonderful classic car shows to attend, enjoying the best weather imaginable and shining up the Jag for some great outings. There were several of note over the last couple of months!
Mid December saw an array of great events for any British car lover. Generously, Bill and Donna Gerhart opened up their home for the annual Holiday Party! Complete with live band and requisite man cave, several dozen LBC’s were wonderfully displayed on the front lawn. The very next day, Chris and Caryn Lapinski hosted a Jaguar-specific holiday party at their home. It was great to see some former club members, like Keith and Joyce Coles from Halifax, and Valerie and Tony Gilmore from Toronto back in business with their Jaguars! New members, such as Janet Washburn struck a pose amongst the awesome collection of classics, while our own Russell Glace presented his freshly restored Volkswagen “Thing” to add to the diversity of the party! Thank you Chris and Caryn for the wonderful event - this may very well turn into our official “party house”.
January 1st was the annual “Hangover Run”. We partnered with our friends at the Gold Coast British Car Club to meet at the Dune Deck in Lantana at, gulp, 8:00 a.m. Despite the early start, over 30 members gathered to enjoy a trip on the scenic A1A and have the first meal of the year at the iconic Dune Deck Restaurant right on the ocean. Of course, when British cars gather, there is always some drama that makes the event even more eventful. One E-type “stopped working” on the way to the event. This was even more problematic since the Jaguar caravan was mid stream on the increasingly congested ocean road. Needless to say, all members of the caravan stopped to assist the owner to uncover the problem. A short wire wiggle later, all vehicles were back on track and making their way to the event. As someone once quipped, “if nothing goes wrong with your Jag, then there’s nothing to talk about.”
We’re all looking forward to a great February. The Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance will be held on February 22-24, 2019. The entire event benefits the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County with a full weekend of events. The kick off is the Friday night DuPont Registry Hangar party held at the Boca Raton Airport. Rumor has it that Jay Leno will be attending the Friday night party this year (stay tuned for more information). Sunday is actual Concours, and this year the feature marque is Bentley. In 1919 Walter Owen Bentley created a company with the simple objective: “to build a fast car, a good car, the best in its class.” This guiding principle has propelled Bentley to be a leader in automotive luxury. 2019 is the brand’s centenary, an extraordinary milestone, to be appropriated celebrated at Boca this year. Also take note that Collector of the Year is Robert Jepson of Savannah, Georgia. Mr. Jepson’s stunning collection is rarely seen and a must for anyone who finds themselves in South Florida in February.
Plus, there is the 26th Annual All British Class Car Show happening on February 17th. A new venue this year, the show will take place at the Palm Beach Outlets which is where the monthly highly successful Cars and Coffee happens. The British Show is managed by the Gold Coast British Car Club and this year will be featuring Jaguar as the marque of the year! Mark your calendars!
All the best for 2019 and happy motoring!!