Cars We Love & Who We Are
More than the polished parts and hard to find pieces, the special interest vehicles people collect embody the character of each owner. “Cars We Love & Who We Are” profiles individual special interest vehicles and the proud owner committed to its preservation.
Conversations with People We Value
Talking with skilled professionals who support our passion for collectible automobiles.
Roads We Remember
Some roads discovered far from home reward us with a once in a lifetime driving experience. Others are old friends revisited to elevate our spirits and celebrate the joy of life behind the wheel.
In Search of the 7th Royale Series – All the Episodes Here
Cars We Love & Who We Are #56
Jaguar earned its place in the pantheon of great marques with sports cars boasting an illustrious history of racing success. Jaguar’s high performance road cars featured sculpted often sensuous exteriors with interiors that cosseted occupants with fine leather seating and handsome exotic wood trim. In sum, Jaguar has a history of producing cars possessing charismatic character that punched way above their market share in defining driving pleasure. However, recent times have not been kind. The glorious and storied Jaguar brand has more than fallen on hard times. It has imploded.
A resurrection when in such desperate straits demands a strong vision and bold action. Clearly the bold new brand message set by Jaguar Managing Director Rawdon Glover calls for delivery by a RuPaul band of stoics strutting in a Crayola parade. Its stated intention calls to generate buzz and attract buyers for a new, soon to be revealed EV Jaguar. This new Jaguar sports a price tag double the MSRP of a present day Jaguar. Jaguar’s expressed objective calls for moving up market to successfully battle with Bentley and the like while, at the same time, casting aside anyone who previously had the desire and money to purchase a Jaguar. Initial response would indicate that the latter, casting aside, part of the re-branding has been a grand success. Glover, proud parent of a campaign anchored in ideology rather than marketing savvy, lashed out at detractors decrying their “Vile hatred and intolerance.”
As I do not feel any more vile or intolerant than the next guy, I would like to take a fair look at Glover’s Candy Land campaign.
Jaguar’s Trans-formation into the New Coke of Automobile Re-branding
Historically Jaguar does not stand alone in suffering withering criticism of an automobile branding effort. Nissan’s 1989 introduction of its new Infiniti brand experienced almost universal ridicule. At the top of the complaint list loomed the ultimate sacrilege in automobile advertising. Commercials never showed the car. Like an albatross hung around Infiniti’s neck critics mockingly tattooed the whole effort the “Rocks and Trees” campaign. Word had it that Izusu even considered but never produced an Infiniti parody ad with Joe Izusu perched on a big rock playing a flute while a soothing voice off-camera softly uttered Zen-like reflections on nature. Some say Infiniti has never recovered.
Conversations With People We Value #56
On a spectacularly brilliant 1970s autumn day my trusty 1963 23-window VW van valiantly labored up Boston’s storied Beacon Hill. My van’s upgraded 40-hp Beetle engine’s twin exhausts saluted the stately townhomes of Boston’s Louisburg Square home to such luminaries as Edward Kennedy, John Kerry and Carly Simon.
Three nurses I knew had accepted positions at Mass General Hospital. I had volunteered to help them move. Now, conveniently parked by their building’s entrance I began shuttling their belongings from my open van into their apartment. Exiting the building for my next load, I did not remember having moved my van. I did remember the man on a ladder painting the trim on an adjoining building. Unfortunately in focusing on his painting, he had not seen the person(s) who had stolen my van. I was devastated.
In the ensuing 50 years automobile crime has done nothing but gain sophistication and grow. Personally experienced thefts still hurt just as much. Luckily law enforcement sophistication has grown as well. Chris Connolly a recently retired 30-year veteran of the New York City Police Department served as the senior member of the NYC Auto Crimes unit. This is one of his stories.
New York City Automotive Crimes and the Man Who Solved Many of Them Part 1
Chris Connolly with his Hurst Olds
Twenty four-year old Chris Connolly joined the New York City Police force in 1993. As a lifelong car enthusiast it did not take him long to find a natural fit in the NYC Auto Crimes division. Stationed in the Bronx, Chris, over decades, built a reputation as the go-to guy for auto crime investigation and expert courtroom testimony. In 2023 Chris retired with a wealth of experience and a treasure trove of stories. We begin with the “cloning” scam.
Chris prefaces his story saying, “I tell people all the time don’t put your license plate or VIN online. When at a “Cars and Coffee” or such, if the VIN shows through the windshield, black out the last six digits of your VIN.”
With cloning, somebody locates a car they want to steal, in this case a new Mercedes-Benz CL55 sitting on a dealership lot. The thief then assumes the role of the car’s owner, by counterfeiting a fake title, and with faked documents goes to another M-B dealership and orders a duplicate key. Then using a […]
Roads We Remember #12
Trim Castle photography: Burton Hall
Trim Castle looms defiantly as the largest medieval Anglo-Norman fortification in all of Ireland. Dating back to 1179, its grounds have hosted King Richard II and Henry V both noble centerpieces of Shakespearean plays. Centuries later late 20th century audiences around the world would witness its towering castle keep and impregnable walls when featured in the Academy Award–winning film “Braveheart.” Now, this past spring an invitation to a family wedding at Trim Castle presented the perfect opportunity to check a, too long, empty box. I would at last visit Ireland.
Once there, I discovered ancient back roads threaded through the Emerald Isle’s rich culture and glorious natural beauty that posed challenges for the unsuspecting and ill prepared driver.
Now, join me in the left lane as I explore Ireland’s back roads.
The Charming Terror of Driving on Ireland’s Back Roads
With a nod to Ernest Hemingway, I have a pretty good crap detector. It goes on alert every time I feel that I am being up sold for no purpose other than the up seller’s benefit. Thus, I found myself poised to reject the suggestion by the Hertz counter person at Shannon Airport to maximize the insurance coverage on my rental, a little Romania-made Dacia (Yes, I never heard of a Dacia before either). Even more off-putting it was a costly increase. Add to that my spotless record of never paying for extra rental car insurance dating back to the Nixon administration. However, something drew me in. Whether it being his kind avuncular demeanor, a projected unhurried sincerity or his Irish
M Motorway
accent I found myself considered his reasoning. Lacking any experience with Ireland’s left lane mandate versus America’s right lane rules, I considered my incident-free rental record stood in greater jeopardy. The punitive financial penalties should an uninsured event occur gave me pause as well. Finally the sage wisdom of my beloved and pragmatic Elaine came to the fore. She said, “Baby, we are spending bags of money to drive the length and breadth of Ireland, the extra cost compared to the total cost borders on insignificant considering the huge peace of mind it affords us in an unfamiliar country.” You got to love her logic. I bought the […]
Here’s this week’s question:
“Little Bastard ” was the nickname given to a Porsche by its owner. What event made it famous?
Answer to last week’s question:
Chrysler is known for its “Hemi” engine. To what does the term “Hemi” refer? Hemispherical combustion chamber
About the blogger
Burton Hall has written for an automotive client list that includes Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Maserati, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Peugeot and Volvo. He has also written for The Washington Post, AutoWeek, Corvette Monthly, Jaguar Magazine, BMW Magazine, Hemmings.com, Hagerty Magazine and numerous auto restoration buff books.
A member of the Society of Automotive Historians, he, in 2014, created and has since taught the adult school program “Collectible automobiles as a passion.” In 2020 he originated and has since produced the Drivin’ News blog.
As a classic car hobbyist, He owns a 1961 Corvette that he bought in 1967, a 1953 Jaguar XK120MC Drophead Coupe that he restored after finding it disassembled in a barn in 1980, a 2003 BMW 330i he bought new and a 1951 MG TD that presently serves as a planter and centerpiece in his garden. All are great drivers, except the MG which has a few bugs.
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