This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type, which debuted at the 1961 Geneva International Motor Show.
By chance, 2021 also marks the debut of the Jaguar Club of North Florida’s official participation in the Ponte Vedra Auto Show.
The club, which has been in existence for a couple of decades, has 88 members, most of whom reside in the region that stretches from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine.
Up to 25 Jaguars are expected to be on site in a roped-off, show-within-a-show area.
“We’re going to park them all together, and we’re going to have a special award,” said club president and chief judge Craig Kerins.
The club’s participation stems from last year’s show, which three members attended. They approached Justin Felker of Art ‘n Motion, which last year took the reins of the show, and he was supportive of the idea to feature the British automobile.
“We kind of talked it up within the club, and we’ve got a pretty good little show,” Kerins said.
In some ways, the show will be a kind of trial balloon to gauge club members’ interest in reviving its annual concours, last held in 2013.
The Ponte Vedra Auto Show is the perfect place to test that idea, because most of the heavy lifting has been done. Everything has already been worked out, including the presence of restrooms, food trucks and more.
The local Jaguar enthusiasts belong to one of the Jaguar Club of North America’s 60 member clubs. They meet monthly, though they had to conduct outdoor “picnics” during the surge of COVID-19 to better ensure member safety.
While Jaguar ownership has brought the group together, each member has separate interests, which they can share with other club members. So, making new friends is easy.
“The thing that’s kind of nifty about car clubs is it truly is as much about the people as it is about the cars,” Kerins said.
Club members recently took part in the International Jaguar Festival in Fort Myers, and some people at that show have indicated that they would like to attend the Ponte Vedra Auto Show.
Jaguar ownership among club members spans a variety of eras and models. The oldest is probably a 1953 XK120, which has an iconic style prized by Jaguar enthusiasts.
Kerins himself owns four Jaguars: a 1957 XK150S, produced in the inaugural year of that model; a 2006 XK8; a supercharged V8-powered, 510-horsepower 2013 XKR; and a Jaguar SUV.
He said the automobile, famous for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans seven times, has a lot of appeal for aficionados.
“Probably the most noteworthy thing is they’re just plain beautiful,” he said. “They’re beautifully designed cars, and that has spanned the entire life of the Jaguar company. And they combine that beauty with outstanding power.”
