BIG JAGS – Tales / Stories / Experiences: Der unerwartete Kauf

BIG JAG-Tales / Der unerwartete Kauf

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The EBAY CAR COLLECTING TOUR,
Rochester GB 2004

June 2004: Jaguar 420G, good condition, slight work for MOT, GBP 990,00. This should be something where I could place my bid, why not. Before I had time to turn around I was the new owner for GBP 1010,-.

Jaguar 420 G

JAGUAR 420G

Rochester
Great Britain

~~http://cgi.ebay.de/...~~

Collecting should be done with my 1984 Mercedes lorry, dear friend Heiko as second driver to guide me, what should go wrong. Start was on 2nd June 2004 in Hamburg early in the morning at 6am without having breakfast but both good minded. We had the information, that our gasoline should reach for more than 800km, but after 550km in the Netherlands the engine stopped running. My German automobile club from Munich (ADAC) organized local help for us by a friendly Dutch service mechanic who found the problem within short time: air bubbles in the Diesel tube.
Restart after a 3 hours break and always having a look to the km-counter to avoid any risk. Heiko wanted to cross the channel on the same day, but as Calais was busy, we could not enter a ferry before midnight.

Cocks inspecting Belgian motorway

Heiko always good minded

Next morning 2am we choose the motorway M20 to London because we expected a bigger chance to find a motel on a bigger road. A few miles behind Dover we really found a Beafeater Lodge, but unfortunately lorries were not welcome.
Near Ashford I took the junction to Canterbury. Heiko sleeping beside me, he drove the biggest part of the tour. On Safeway Canterbury car park we closed our eyes for some hours, then we followed the road to Frindsbury near Rochester.
The „Microsoft Autoroute" prints I prepared to find the way guided us near to the Jaguar specialist, so we had only to ask one time to find the street.
The 420G placed behind a fence could be seen from the street, but we had arrived 2 hours before opening time. So I checked the Gee from a distance as good I could see and I had to realize again, how much pictures can make a beauty out of an ugly duck.
The ebay – description was absolutely not meeting the subject in any way and so I came to a statement even from a distance: this wreck would never guide me home.

Early arrival at Jaguar Specialist

420G wreck

After Ray was finally opening the gate I immediately let him know my decision. He called for Peter and we were lucky to have no long discussion. For not having paid an expensive ferry ticket for nothing I looked around and found four nice XJ 40 Jaguars for a low price looking not too bad. We made a test drive with the car of my choice and I was satisfied. Should pay another GBP 390,- for getting the XJ.
Barclays Bank was closed in this early morning and the cash automat gave no money but collected my card. Great! Peter who was guiding us tried to help me when Barclays opened after 10 minutes, but I did not get my card back. We changed our last Euros and then had enough to pay for the XJ. Lucky to have some more credit cards for gasoline and food.

XJ40 from Rochester

After an adventure with loading the XJ on our lorry by means of an antique „pneumatic“ car lifter we were invited to a very interesting company tour to see all historic cars they collected and now are for sale. Between many Jaguars we found diverse Mark 10 and 420G as well as a Mark 9.

	Some of them seemed to be a good basis for restoration. Highlights were a Show-Trike which was completely made from used Jaguar parts as well as a special Jaguar Mark 10 breakdown service car with 6 wheels, 2 gear boxes in a row and a crane. This car was also
equipped as a pick up truck for motor homes after US Standards. So it was the first Mark 10 multi purpose vehicle I have ever seen. Further pictures shall come via email. Then Peter showed us some more stores where Jaguar parts were collected in mountains up to the roof. His boss John is not interested in selling parts and wants to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Finally we drove to John‘s country home where further old Jaguars were stored in two barns. One of them, a red XK140 which after a first look seemed to be a useful basis for restoration. At noon we started our journey home. A break in Canterbury, lunch in Old Wever's restaurant with a friendly service girl. When coming back to the lorry we found a not so friendly ticket. We were lucky, the rest of our tour was without any surprises.

Robert Meyer
guided byHeiko Schönleitner

Further Jaguar offers from Rochester

Supplement of 2004-10-11:
Some stories are ending really different from what they were intended. The XJ40 Jaguar became a very welcome gift for the editors junior, quasi as a priming to his beginning Jaguar enthusiasm.

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