George Cole

Not illegally. Courts have upheld zoning inspectors right of access on private property to inspect areas in public view...unlike law enforcement looking for something specific which requires a warrant. https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/can-a-zoning-inspector-come-on-my-property-without-3372357.html

No here. Zoning officers have unrestricted access to anyone's property. One day when I was at work, my neighbor observed a zoning inspector pull a cover off a car parked in my driveway, record the license plate number, and then walk away leaving the cover laying on the ground...in the rain. I called the zoning office to file a complaint and was told to go piss up a rope as they have every right to inspect as they please.

Local jurisdictions/zoning Gestapo's create their own definitions of 'inoperable,' including here where a wheel left off a vehicle renders the vehicle 'inoperable,' regardless of how long it takes to reinstall the wheel. That's why I put 'permanent' in parenthesis. Zoning laws have held up in court. Unlike law enforcement, zoning inspectors do not require a warrant and have full and unrestricted access to your property. One being attacked by an aggressive dog or threatened with a gun would undoubtedly not fare well for the property owner.

In many places, wheels 'permanently' removed from a vehicle...trailer or otherwise...constitutes an inoperable vehicle, subject to the wrath of local code enforcement gestapo.

Although it rolled off the assembly line on 26 Sept 1947, it is a CCCA pre-war Full Classic, as the exact same car was being produced before the war. Production stopped in 1940, and then resumed in 1945 until 1948. And as mentioned, it is somewhat rare. There's an extremely concise registry of remaining cars. There's only 12 saloons remaining in the U.S., but over double than number, (30) DHCs (Drop-Head Coupes). This is the only one in the south-east. Closest one is in TN. Two in PA, Two in MA. One in MO. One in WI. Two in MN. One in CO, and 2 in CA. There's quite a few more in Europe and Australia. Over the past several years, several in the U.S. have been purchased by collectors in Europe, further diminishing the numbers here.

If it’s true that a cat has nine lives, then seemingly, Miss Kitty is on her fifth. She rolled off the Coventry, England, assembly line on 26 September 1947, and boarded a ship, headed half-way around the world to Wellington, New Zealand (NZ). Her fate was sealed by a post-World War II English government giving the order, “Export or die.” Although there was a huge demand for new cars in England, all British automobile manufacturers were directed to produce as much as they could for export. This was to bring badly-needed cash flow into the war-ravaged country. Miss Kitty unwittingly became part of that post-war reconstruction. Miss Kitty disembarked at Wellington, New Zealand, briefly into the care of Independent Motor Sales, before being transferred across the bay to Nelson. Her new owner was none other than Sir Jack Newman, of Newman Brothers Ltd., and founder and president of Transport Nelson Ltd, NZ’s main transportation company. Sir Jack was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Miss Kitty was replacing an aged 1932 Cadillac V16, Model 452 limousine for the company’s VIP service. There must be some mistake! Why would Miss Kitty have been selected for such an exclusive detail, in lieu of a seemingly more luxurious Rolls Royce or Bentley? Sadly, the answer to that question has been lost in time. Miss Kitty served Sir Jack and his chauffeur for over 5 years, before closing this chapter and moving on to her second life. Miss Kitty sold twice more in New Zealand before being purchased by Michael Studney in Chicago, and imported to the U.S. in 1985. He passed away several years ago, and eventually his family let the car go to Los Angeles classic car dealer, Beverly Hills Car Club. I purchased the car from them in January 2022. And so, this story has come a full circle. There's more which I'll save for another day and time.

From day-one, it has been a fine line between returning Miss Kitty to a factory-original condition while keeping her unrestored. It was obvious that something was wrong with her distributor. There was no vacuum line connected to the distributor vacuum advance cannister...and the engine had no vacuum supply port. The Jaguar Mark IV Parts Manual identified she was sporting an incorrect distributor. No Mark IVs left the factory with vacuum advance distributors. Several years later vacuum advance distributors became the standard in practically every car. Vacuum advance distributors had several advantages, notwithstanding increased performance. Mark IV owners discovered a Mark V or XK-120 vacuum advance distributor was a perfect fit in a 3 1/2 Litre Mark IV engine. What became of the old distributor after switching it out? Into the dustbin it went. However, Miss Kitty’s XK-120 distributor swap was never completed as a vacuum supply port was not installed. Like Miss Kitty, many Mark IVs today have an incorrect distributor as the original mechanical distributors are practically impossible to find. One was amazingly located...again in Australia, so she now wears the correct, matching-numbers, distributor. One further hiccup in the swap was the XK-120 and Mark IV distributor drive slots are off by 180-degrees, requiring the spark plug leads to be rewired. Miss Kitty’s sunroof seemed to be more of a permanent sunblock, stubbornly refusing to open. With some not-so-gentle coaxing, it was eventually opened, revealing bent slides. After returning them to some semblance of alignment, she can now be the poster child for the 5th Dimension’s Aquarius album’s track, “Let the Sunshine In.” For some unknown reason, Miss Kitty’s twin SU fuel pumps had been wired to the left inner fender. Once moved to their original location on top of the firewall...err, I mean scuttle, another problem became glaringly apparent. The fuel lines had been cut, and a pair of in-line clear plastic fuel filters were installed...one on each side of the fuel pumps. They were functioning as designed, collecting visible chunks of debris on it’s way from the fuel tank to the carburettors. Mark IVs originally had no visible fuel filters. The fuel system is protected by 2 brass screen filters inside fuel tank recesses. So out came the fuel tank. The brass screens were completely rotted away, and their cavities were full of dirt and debris. The tank was repeatedly flushed and chemically cleaned over a period of several days. Pin holes which had been sealed by the crud were patched. The tank was sealed and reinstalled with new screen filters, ensuring Miss Kitty now drinks nothing but pure ethanol-free petrol. The clear plastic fuel filters went into the dustbin, and cut sections of the fuel lines were repaired with new copper tubing, matching the original. With the old fuel lines cleaned and polished, the fuel system looks factory-fresh. After replacing her probiscis wart hot rod air cleaner with the correct twin air cleaners and silencer, she is no longer ashamed to have her bonnet lifted to flash her family jewels. Heaters aren’t as big of a concern in central Florida as they are in the frigid north...which is anywhere north of I-10. But still, it was troubling that Miss Kitty’s didn’t work. Well, not so much that it didn’t work, but that the controls were completely missing. There was a deep, dark hole in the dash where the heater control switch should have been. The linkage connecting it to the firewall-mounted control valve was also missing. The fan switch and fan were working, but with a seized control valve, no coolant could flow through the heater core. Any semblance of heat existed only in the attraction of the occupants. In an ironic play on words, the heater control switch is marked ’Air Conditioning.’ Its almost as if it were designed by Lucas. The ’Air Conditioning’ switch controls the heat level. The ’Demister & Defroster’ switch controls the heater fan speed. Like all other Mark IV parts, heater control components are not available from a local Jaguar Parts Department...or pretty much anywhere else. Once again, Australia to the rescue. While waiting for the parts to arrive from down-under, the heater core was removed, flushed and pressure-tested. It was reinstalled with the switch, valve, linkage, and new hoses, again allowing Miss Kitty to take the nip out of central Florida's 50-degree chilly winter mornings. Another of Miss Kitty’s obvious shortcomings was mismatched headlamp lenses. With headlamps almost 12-inches in diameter, having one lens with dimpled glass and one with horizontal-flutes was extremely obvious. Interestingly enough, Mark IVs had several different headlamp lenses depending on their shipping destination and the year of manufacture. Some had dimpled lenses, some were fluted, some were clear, and some had dimpled lenses with a clear center section. After unsuccessfully searching for one lens to match either of Miss Kitty’s mismatched ones, the decision was made to have a clear set of lenses cut. Upon disassembling the fluted one to install the clear lenses, Miss Kitty pulled off another surprise. Beneath the fluted lens was a dimpled lens matching the other side. Miss Kitty’s clock is timeless...literally. The Mommas and Poppas said it best in their 1967 hit song, Young Girls are Coming to the Canyon, “With a clock that always said 12:30.” It needed to be sent out for repair but I didn't want to leave another gaping hole in the dash for however many weeks or months the repair will take. Once again, a replacement was found in Australia. Upon receipt, I immediately turned it around and sent it out for repair. Not cheap, but here we go again. From the get-go, Miss Kitty had a very slight radiator leak where the core meets the top tank. I did not want to have the car laid up for months as the estimate for a new core to be made was 3 weeks, after I took them the radiator, then shipping and another week to install it as the radiator repairman only worked one day a week. Like the clock, I was looking for another radiator so I could have it re-cored without the car being inoperable for however long. Finally gave up and pulled the radiator and took it to the shop. Pleasant surprise when the repairman said the core was fine and he could repair the top tank seam leak. The $2600 estimate to re-core the radiator became a $300 repair job. Finally, something went in my favor. The correct tool tray and cover were located. They are somewhat worse for wear, but with a bit of TLC, are presentable...not as good as new, but practically nothing on the car is and I don't want it to be. After what has obviously been many years of neglect, Miss Kitty is pretty much ready for judging in the Driven Division. However, that doesn’t afford recognition to her original condition. But as we're relatively certain her fenders have been repainted, she may not do well in a 'Preservation' class either. Need to give it more thought.

Miss Kitty’s entire exhaust system looked like Swiss cheese, and sounded like she was exhaling through open pipes…which for all intents and purposes, she was. The exhaust header pipe attached to the manifolds was split at the ‘Y’, and the pipes and muffler were riddled with rust holes. Adding insult to injury, on the trip from Los Angeles to Cocoa Beach, the rear exhaust hanger broke somewhere in New Mexico. At least 12-inches ground off the end of the tailpipe as it dragged on the pavement. I removed the entire system from the exhaust manifolds on back. No doubt Miss Kitty heaved a sigh of relief as she watched the remainder of her pipes and muffler go into the trash. Trying to keep with Miss Kitty’s originality, rather than having a new exhaust pipe fabricated, the cracked one was repaired. No doubt she felt like she was sporting a new set of clothes when dressed with a shiny new set of 2 1/2-inch stainless-steel pipes and muffler. She now sounds like the distinguished British lady that she is, instead of a 75-year-old farm tractor. Ever since Miss Kitty came home with us, she had been running extremely rich, with black, sooty exhaust, stumbling and coughing, and backfiring from both carburetters and the exhaust at idle as well as at all engine speeds. New plugs, points, condenser, and rotor provided no relief or improvement. Plug wires and distributor cap all appeared to be okay. A compression test produced acceptable results in all cylinders. Adjustments to the twin SU carbs didn’t help. It was obvious she was still suffering…sputtering, coughing, backfiring, and the same black sooty exhaust. In addition to the pair of SUs, Miss Kitty has a third carb between the pair. Although Jaguar calls it a starting carburetter,, it’s an electric fuel solenoid between the rear carb and the head, used for starting and warm-up. Close comparison of it against several different parts diagrams led to the discovery of a missing solenoid plunger spring. Burlen Fuel Systems sells the solenoid, plunger, and spring as a kit…but they were out of stock with no estimated delivery date. Luck was once again shining on Miss Kitty, as someone on eBay was advertising the kit for sale. Several days later Miss Kitty was fitted with the new spring. It was obvious she felt much, much better as her idle smoothed out, the engine properly accelerated, and the exhaust was much cleaner. Now it was time for more test drives. She did okay at idle and at somewhat low speed operation, but after several seconds of increased speed and engine RPM under load, she again began stumbling and backfiring. Once again, it was time for some serious head scratching. Miss Kitty has 2 SU electric fuel pumps operating in parallel, which join outputs for a single feed to both carbs. Both fuel pumps felt like they were running to the touch...but operating them individually proved otherwise. One was functioning and one was not. The vibration felt when running them together was sympathetic from the ‘good’ one to the ‘bad.’ Still, one pump should supply ample fuel, so the next step was a flow test. The ‘good’ one was pumped into a metered container. Surprise. Surprise. It was only flowing 6 ounces per minute. That’s about 2.8-gal p/hr. Even running rich with the screwed-up carbs, Miss Kitty had been getting between 10-12 mpg. Traveling at highway speed with the engine turning approximately 2500 rpm, Miss Kitty needed 4-5-gallons p/hr. No wonder she was coughing, sputtering, and backfiring…she was starving. Fuel pump rebuild kits are available through Burlen…but you guessed it…they’re out of stock with no estimated delivery. However, back to eBay, where a brand-new pair of the exact same pumps were found. With them installed, she began purring contentedly. Miss Kitty’s original fog lights had been missing for at least 37 years. A pair of on-hand Trippe safety-lites were temporarily installed. They looked good, but were obviously not what the ‘Prince of Darkness’ originally had in mind. A pair of Lucas SFT 576 were found and installed, which seemed more appropriate. However, per the advice of George Camp at The Coventry Foundation, these too were incorrect. He said Miss Kitty should be sporting a pair of Lucas SFT 700 ’Flame-Throwers.’ He had one and parts of another on the shelf, which Miss Kitty carried home. In search of missing parts for the second light, another pair of Flame-Throwers were found...not cheap, but nothing ever is. With those, Miss Kitty has her night vision correctly restored. Now, if only a place could be found to put that pesky Florida license plate, other than under the front passenger's seat. To be ‘concours-ready’ for judging, Miss Kitty still needed quite a bit more TLC. She was missing several parts made of that precious metal… unobtanium. These include an original air cleaner and plenum, heater control valve with switch, tool tray with lid, and more. Surprisingly, some of these and other needed parts were located in Australia. Not cheap, but what is now days? It seems that post-WWII, British companies were given an ultimatum...Export or Die! Cash was needed to rebuild war-torn England, and businesses were the means to do it. There was a huge market for right-hand-drive cars in Australia and New Zealand, so along with Miss Kitty, many were shipped there. And now at least a few of them still remain in salvage yards, as parts suppliers for the few remaining road-worthy cars. Another concern was potential sludge in the oil pan. The pan was removed, and over 3/8-inch of gunk was cleaned from it. It seems everything with Miss Kitty has been a one-way street, as she keeps begging for more and more attention. However that’s not the case as she has entered several shows and has earned multiple First-in-Class trophies. So where does Theresa fit into all of this? The relationship between her and Miss Kitty is best described as tolerance and mutual respect. Theresa accepts the fact there’s a new girl in our life which will continue to occupy a significant amount of my time. And Miss Kitty has done her best to get us home safely from every venue we have undertaken thus far, giving us confidence in her reliability and dependability. Her prowling grounds were initially limited to Florida, attending shows from West Palm Beach to Pensacola. But she's been expanding her territory. In addition to visiting the Coventry Foundation in Columbia, SC, and the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Headquarters in Hershey, PA, she participated in the North-east Region Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Pilgrim Tour and Concours on Cape Cod, MA. And she’s been to the International Jaguar Festival in Dallas, TX and the CCCA Grand Classic in Fort Worth, where she underwent her first 'professional' judging, and again beat several other cars to take home another First in Class. Stay tuned for more from Miss Kitty ‘on the prowl.’

Even though Miss Kitty was declared mechanically sound in a pre-purchase inspection, she was crying out for some much-needed TLC. Multiple issues required immediate attention. The first and most obvious issue to address was a missing upper radiator hose. Without the hose, there was no coolant circulating in the engine, so she could only be briefly run, or risk damaging her engine. The exposed engine and radiator cavities were also an invitation to unwanted guests. A borescope inspection did not show anything of concern, but we were still not satisfied. Prior to installing a new hose, a hot, chemical flush would ensure there was no blockage. Five-gallons of Evapo-Rust was cycled through the engine and radiator at a toasty 185-degrees Fahrenheit. Debris was captured in a nylon stocking attached to the bucket return line. Quite a few small particles were removed from the engine, but the radiator was surprisingly clean. After an overnight flush of each, the engine and radiator were rinsed with copious amounts of water. Shy of a complete engine tear down, Miss Kitty’s innards were now as clean as they could possibly be. With new hoses and coolant, Miss Kitty was ready to purrrrr...well, not quite yet! Tires, tubes, and wheels were also an area of concern. The pre-purchase inspection described the tires as “satisfactory and expected to last for several years,” but the inner sidewalls were marked, “Christchurch, NZ, 1-1976.” Hmmm! Satisfactory-looking 47-year-old tires on a 75-year-old car. What could possibly go wrong? There’s no doubt Miss Kitty or I would ever feel at ease with them at highways speeds…or at any speed for that matter. When inflated to their recommended 30-psi pressure, one blew its valve stem completely out of the tire. That made it an easy decision…new tubes and tires all around. One wire wheel made the trip home with 3 bent sequential spokes. I straightened and tried to adjust them. No dice. All of the spoke nipples for that wheel were badly rusted. Surprisingly the other 4 wheels were okay. So that became another easy decision…a brand-new wire wheel from MWS International, in England. New tubes and Michelin tires with the factory-original double rivet design all-around from Universal Tire restored Miss Kitty’s grip to the road. In hindsight, the next priority should have been the first…the brakes. Sitting stationary and at driveway speed, Miss Kitty’s brakes seemed okay. But appearances can be deceiving. Her first outing on an open road was a 26-mile trip to the Antique Automobile Car Association (AACA) Winter Nationals show in Melbourne, FL. Miss Kitty accelerated to about 35 mph, and then as a test, the brakes were applied…hard. Heart failure here we come as Miss Kitty attempted an unplanned right turn. We carefully drove the rest of the trip using the brakes as sparingly as possible, and leaving lots of room ahead of us, while continually looking for an escape route in the event one was needed. Thankfully, it wasn’t. Did I mention needing to change shorts? Back at home, brake inspection began at the pedal. Hidden beneath the carpet was a home window burglar alarm magnet attached to a bracket screwed to the floor, and its adjoining sensor zip-tied to the brake pedal. They were attached to a rat’s nest of wires wound around the steering column and behind the dash. One of Miss Kitty’s former caretakers had installed that mess to use as a brake light switch. Further investigation revealed the existing brake light switch was still mounted beneath the floor, but was missing its linkage. (Note to self: “Meticulously inspect everything else looking for tractor-mechanic type repairs.”) The ancillary wiring and attached de-vices were removed, and the search began for the correct linkage…a simple spring, which was available with a new switch from Moss Motors. Several days later Miss Kitty’s brake light circuitry was restored. Now to the actual brake functioning…or lack of. No need to check the brake fluid…Miss Kitty has none. She has rod-actuated, mechanical brakes. Depressing the brake pedal pulls the rods, which pulls a tapered cone, forcing the brake shoes apart at each wheel. Close inspection revealed significant longitudinal scrapes along the bottom sides of each front wheel inner hub, brake rods, and cone cylinders. The rods were bent and the left cone assembly was mangled and inoperable. How on Earth could that have happened? Think back to the previous article where I mentioned Beverly Hills Car Club wanting to forklift Miss Kitty to turn her around. I watched them do that with a 1920-something Rolls Royce. The operator ran the forks un-der the front of the car, lifted it up, and pushed-pulled the car around with the front wheels off the ground. (Wish I had taken a picture.) I wondered what damage they might be doing by handling cars that way. Now I know. There’s no doubt that’s how Miss Kitty’s brakes were damaged. I tore her brakes completely apart and was able to re-round the damaged right brake cone assembly using a hydraulic press, a very large vice, and a half-round file. The brake shoes looked like new, so everything was reassembled and adjusted. Viola! Miss Kitty’s brakes now work better than ever…or more realistically, they’re as good as they once were. Hmmm! Wasn’t that a Toby Keith song from years ago…I Ain’t as Good as I Once Was, but I’m as Good Once as I Ever Was. Okay…there’s plenty more to come. Until then, keep your mind on your drivin’ and your paws on the wheel... Oh no! Not again: Seven Little Girls sittin’ in the backseat, huggin’ and a kissin’ with Fred, by Paul Evans, 1959.

I've never been big into naming my cars, but was asked to write several articles for the Jaguar Club of Florida bi-monthly newsletter, and the editor wanted a name for the car to give it character. With that, 'Miss Kitty' was born. At the risk of boring you all to death, following are excerpts from those articles. Late last year, with the 2022 Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) touring season unfolding before us, Theresa and I had the ‘participation itch.’ We were in the market for a reasonably-priced, but out-of-the-ordinary CCCA Full Classic. We looked at several pre-war Cadillacs, Packards, a Lincoln, a couple of Franklins and Pierce-Arrows, and even a Rolls Shooting Brake Woody. There are 115 Packards in the FL Region CCCA. We didn't want to be the 116th. There are 83 Cadillacs. We didn't want to be the 84th. The remaining marks were all in the double-digits as well. Again, we wanted to be different. I stumbled across the Jag in an on-line advertisement. The Beverly Hills Car Club (BHCC) in Los Angeles (LA) was advertising a 1948 (it’s actually a 1947,) Jaguar 3.5 Litre Mark IV Saloon. There were NO Jags in the FL Region CCCA. Nor in AL, MS, LA, GA SC, NC, VA, etc. Fellow CCCA member Ernie Ruelas, Southern CA Region, checked it out for us, as both he and his dad have similar 'Cats.' Ernie said the car was not turn-key ready, but didn’t appear to require a lot… and it was well within our budget. Ernie negotiated the deal in our behalf. As the car was over 2,500 miles away, the likely mode of transport appeared to be commercial shipping. However, Theresa and I decided the timing was right for a mini-vacation. With sightseeing planned along the way, my tow dolly seemed a more practical transport method rather than a bulky enclosed trailer. We headed west at zero-dark-thirty, 24 January. Three days later, we fulfilled a bucket list wish, visiting the Sedona, AZ, Chapel of the Holy Cross. Built atop a red sandstone cliff, it’s a truly spectacular sight. A Friday afternoon is not the most optimum time for out-of-towners to plan for anything in LA, but that’s how our schedule worked out. Arriving at BHCC around 1:00 p.m., we completed the paperwork, then walked through a maze of buildings packed with over 450 cars. To the rear was an outdoor receiving area where our ‘new’ Cat forlornly sat awaiting our arrival. As if on-cue from Mr. John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel, ‘Miss Kitty’ seemed to awaken and her chrome brightened when she realized she had finally been adopted and was going home with us. BHCC buildings are enclosed within a tall concrete block wall. Outside is an equally high chain link fence topped with razor wire… typical LA fare. The Jag was parked inside the receiving area gate. I asked to have it moved outside and I would take it from there. While I moved our Escalade alongside the alley, the Jag was pushed outside the gate…facing the wrong way. I requested it be turned around while I prepared the tow dolly for loading. The salesman got into the car, started it and sat there for a few minutes. Then he shut it down and got out. I asked what was wrong. He admitted a lack of proficiency with its modern-day theft prevention device…a stick shift. He said he had called for a forklift to pick the car up and turn it around. I told him, “NO WAY! The car’s not yours any longer! It’s ours and you’re not going to forklift it.” I handled it myself from there, backing it out into the street and driving it up onto the tow dolly. With our precious cargo in tow, Saturday morning we headed south to visit friends in San Diego. At an oceanside park, we saw seals and sea lions basking on the rocks. We watched the sun set over Rattlesnake Canyon from our friends’ backyard deck. Sunday morning came too early as we said our good-byes and headed east with the Jaguar faithfully tagging along behind. The Jag is a people magnet. People approached us every time we stopped with the same questions and comments. What is it? How old is it? That’s one beautiful Rolls. What a gorgeous car. It’s a Bentley, right? Is that Cruella De Vil’s car (from the 101 Dalmatians movie). Do the license plates rotate (as on 007’s cars)? Others waved, honked their horns, and gave us thumbs-up many, many times along the way. On the return trip, the Escalade got 16.2 mpg…almost 1 mpg better than pulling the empty tow dolly. It’s most likely because I drove ‘a little’ over the speed limit on the way out, but between 55-60 mph on the way back. The Jag’s sweet spot on the tow dolly was 55-58 mph. Other than checking straps, chains, wheel bearings, tires, etc., at every stop, the trip was uneventful. All 4 tires had ~20 psi pressure at BHCC. I tried to inflate them to their recommended 30 psi in LA, but my 12-volt pump failed. Fate was sending a message and I took the hint, leaving them at 20 psi. The tires all stayed inflated for the entire 2,628-mile return trip. I didn’t check the spare tire as I had been told it was good, in it’s difficult-to-access compartment under the trunk…err, ‘boot.’ After arriving home, I discovered the spare tire valve stem was completely rotted away! Stretched and wadded up inside the 18-inch spare was a conventional 15-inch tube. From that I was looking closely for other shortcuts or work-arounds which may have been taken...and I didn't have to look far, as I'll get into later. I inflated all 4 car tires to 30 psi, and within minutes the left-rear tire deflated…another failed valve stem. I’m stunned that the tire lasted the entire 2600+ mile trip, then failed when pressure was increased to its normal pressure. Definitely a good decision to not inflate them enroute! It’s obviously an omen that Miss Kitty wanted to come home with us, ‘holding her breath’ for the entire 5-day trip. Theresa and I are extremely pleased that we have become the next caretakers of this elegant, 75-year-old British sport saloon. Miss Kitty is far from perfect and will need some proper sorting, but is a very solid car. Along with several minor mechanical issues, the paint has a few nicks and chips. Present plans are to touch it up, sort it out, and get involved with the 2022 touring and show season. By the time you read this, you may have already seen her ‘Grey Cat Strut’ on tour.

I have 5 enclosed trailers. Several have AC, 120V power, and lights. It presently 'lives' in an 8.5x20. But it flat-tows much easier without a trailer. It comfortably follows along behind the Escalade at 70-75 mph...and gets 15.5 mpg while doing so. In a trailer I'm lucky to get 7-8 mpg. I mounted a set of truck-style mud flaps to the receiver, which keeps the 22-inch Escalade tires from throwing debris onto the front of the Jag. It tows fine in neutral, as the normal transmission fluid level is above the main shaft, so no concern with a lack of lubrication. The only time I had it on the tow dolly was when bringing it home from Los Angles to Cocoa Beach. It was not happy being towed that way and wanted to fish-tail at 60 mph, so I drove the entire 2650 mile trip at 55 mph. And yes, that's my Yukon 2500 4x4 parked in the background.

In case you're wondering, I retired from KSC, so have a NASA retiree ID card. Whenever I show up at the gate, they give me a one-day pass, no questions asked, and I get free run of the place, although I'm no longer badged into any of the restricted processing and launch areas. And I can't take anyone who is not a retiree or badge holder with me.

How many cars have you seen with brass door hinges, each with a grease nipple? The water pump has 2 grease nipples. Most of the hardware (nuts, bolts, etc.,) are brass. However, it's all BSF (British Special Fine) threads, and requires Wentworth tools. The radiator shroud and fins are chrome plated brass. The generator housing is nickel plated. Pulley is polished aluminum. All of the engine 'tin' is polished aluminum. All exposed engine hardware, etc., is chrome plated brass. Acorn shaped head bolt nuts are chrome plated brass. All exhaust manifold nuts are brass.

The driver's seat top back corner had snagged on the rear door handle sometime in the past. I didn't want to reupholster the seat, but was at a loss of what to do with it. I was afraid that whatever I tried to do would make it worse. A lady with her own upholstery business working out of her house looked at it during the 13 November Ponte Vedra show and said she could fix it. She showed me pictures of similar repairs which she had done. I took the seat to her the following week, and got it back 3 days later. She also repaired an area on the lower front which had worn through. Looks great. I'm impressed with her work and very satisfied. I didn't think her $350 fee was excessive. After these next 2 shows, I'm going to take the front passenger seat to her for repair as the bottom corner is worn through on it as well.

Dave, I just posted some pictures in the Our Cars section. I tried not to duplicate ones which I've posted previously in other threads. I came past your place on the way to and from Cape Cod in June. Took the I-26/I-77/I-81 route to avoid DC, Baltimore, etc. Stopped for several hours at the Coventry Foundation in Columbia, SC. Regards, George

More pictures. Interior is all original, as is most of the rest of the car. There's more walnut wood in the interior than you can find in an upscale furniture store. Note the counter-clockwise tach. Semaphore style turn signals mounted in the B-pillars.

Here's some pictures of my Jag which I've been working on, showing, touring, and slaloming with for the past 10 months. With it I'm the 2022 Jaguar Club of North America Class A (all Jaguar and SS cars in the U.S., Canada, & Mexico from 1927-1951) 2022 slalom champion. I've put over 10k miles on it flat-towing behind my Escalade, and about 1000 miles behind the wheel on tours this past year, and still going strong. Tours and shows in Tampa Bay this weekend and Palm Beach next weekend. Here's some pictures from various shows and tours, including a Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Base visit which I did several months ago, as well as some slalom pictures.

There's also a new classic car museum in St. Augustine called the...St Augustine Classic Car Museum. https://www.ccmstaug.com/ A couple of hours west of mouse city on the typically-gridlocked I-4 is the Tampa Bay Auto Museum. (I kid you not...2nd worst congestion in the U.S. First is I-5 in Los Angeles.) https://www.tbauto.org/ Nearby in Clearwater is a small but very interesting collection of pre-war cars and steam engines, called the Collection on Palmetto. https://collectiononpalmetto.com/ And a bit south of there is the Sarasota Auto Museum. https://www.sarasotacarmuseum.org/ All worth the time for a visit.

Anyone going to or entered in any of the Tampa Bay Gasparilla events this weekend? Friday: Tour de Elegance. Saturday: Concours de Elegance. Sunday: Tampa Bay Nickel Tour. My 1947 Jaguar is entered in all 3 events. Supposed to be 80 cars registered for Friday's tour. I don't have numbers for Saturday or Sunday. https://gasparillaconcours.com/

Tampa Bay Gasparilla in Lutz, FL. Tour de Elegance on Friday, Concours de Elegance on Saturday, and Tampa Bay Nickel Tour on Sunday. Over 80 cars are registered for Friday's tour. I don't have numbers for Saturday or Sunday. Best Orlando attraction is Dezerland. Over 2000 classic/antique vehicles on display, plus world's largest James Bond collection, and lots of things to do for kids...arcades, bowling, kart racing, bumper cars, etc. All under one roof in a converted mall on the north end of International Drive.

Ron, Likewise, I was asked to bring my 1947 Jaguar to the Boca Concours. I submitted the application a couple of weeks ago. See you there. But first there is the Ponte Verde Show this weekend, Gasparilla Tour & Concours, Palm Beach LeGrande Tour & Concours, FL CCCA Mystery Tour, AACA Winter Nats in Miami, McKee Botanical Gardens Annual Exhibition in Vero Beach, as well as several other venues. Then the following week, Amelia Island. George

Yep! Now need to get all that smoke back into the wires. Today entered in an All British Show and Autojumble in Safety Harbor, FL. http://tbahc.com/