For many members and JCC participants, Saturday was the big day; time to unleash the trailer queens onto the field and present them to the scrutiny of the judges. Obviously, not all Jaguars proudly displayed in front of the Chateau Elan winery are trailer queens and many spent friday afternoon preparing the cars they had driven in the rally or on the slalom course. Seriously, the JCNA concours program allows any Jaguar owner to participate at the level that they wish : trailer queens in the Championship division, well enjoyed cars in the Driven division, or even just Display Only for these members who just want to be there and enjoy the show.

A large variety of Jaguars were on display, ranging from early SS to the mighty XJ220 and including a selection of new Jaguars presented by the local dealer, Hennessy Jaguar, and of course the all new 2007 XK prototype flown from England in by Jaguar.

Careful planning went into the display setup with cars gouped by model instead of by class giving more visual impact to the large classes like E-types and XKs. One car that was missed on the field was Mike Fulton's SS Saloon; it turned out that Peaches suffered an axle failure friday evening and could not make it on the field under her own power. A true gentleman, Mike declined offered to help pushing the car on the field.

When it comes to the beauty of Jaguars, pictures are worth thousands of words and there is little that can be said... just click on the gallery links in the side bar... Overall the quality of the entries were just spectacular with no less than five perfect scores (four in Champion, one in driven). Chief Judge for the concours was Jim Hendrix assisted by Mike Kiazek.

The closing event of the 2005 JCNA Challenge Championship was the traditional award banquet held in the Chateau Elan grand ballroom. Concours results were announced early on and awards presented with one of the most awaited moment being the presentation of the best of show. This coveted award went to Terry Love of the Illinois Jaguar Club for his 1974 E-type OTS. His car, restored by Stew Jones in 1998, already won best of show at the 2001 JCC in Franklin Tn. Pirelli Tires, long time supporter of JCNA events, had offered a gift certificate for a free set of Pirelli tires which was to be awards to the best overall competitor in Slalom, Rally and Concours. With a first in class in slalom and first in rally, it was no surprise when Gary Hagopian's name was announced, and considering how he drives his car we all know that Gary can always use a new set of Pirelli!

The highlight of the evening was the presentation given by Jaguar's director of Design Ian Callum who flew in from Coventry for the occasion. During his presentation Ian covered the basic design qualities of past Jaguars, as early as the SS1, as well as a look into the future. Using drawings rarely seen before, he showed the origins of the RD6 concept and explained the challenges which made building the F-type concept impossible. He also used a good dose of humor to explain why those who claim that the Xk8 bonnet opening is just like the Ford Taurus have it all wrong... It turns out his own brother lead the Taurus design and found the inspiration in his own Jaguar E-type.

Ian concluded his presentation by showing a drawing for a mid engined sports car which could be in the works in the future, something that would help Jaguar enthusiasts get over the disapointment of the cancelled F-type... His presentation went a long way in reassuring us about the future of the marque.