One of benefits of participating in events organized by your local Jaguar Club is the variety of place, people and activities you will experience. Until now, I never paid too much attention to Equestrian Show Jumping beyond an occasional glimpse on TV, while paying as much attention as Figure Skating, Lumberjack Championships or Street Luge... It was one of those sports I had never been exposed to. This changed when for the third year in a row, South Florida Jaguar Club members were invited by Jaguar North America to display a selection of vintage Jaguars at the last American Grand Prix Association Championship event of the 2001 / 2002 season. I had missed the previous events because of scheduling conflicts with the Amelia Island Concours and I never had the chance to attend. Held in Wellington, FL, an upscale town just west of Palm Beach well known for its Polo Club and equestrian facility, the event attracts Olympic level riders and horses who compete for the championship and significant cash prizes. TV coverage is provided by ESPN as Show Jumping is becoming a popular sport in the US ever since US riders experienced success in the Olympics. The series title sponsor is Budweiser but Jaguar Land Rover is one of the main sponsors, with one of the prizes being a twoyear lease on a new 2003 S-Type. New cars are displayed in prominent locations near the main arena and the ever expanding Jaguar line is getting a lot of attention. The only problematic detail was the need to be there by 8 am so that the horses wouldn't be frightened by the sound of the cars when they enter the arena. This meant an early Sunday morning wake up time... complicated by the change to Daylight Savings Time... which explained why some of our members who had RSVP'd didn't show up Sunday morning. Thankfully traffic was light on an early Sunday morning and my 70 mile drive took just under an hour. Despite the early time, a few drop of rains on Palm Beach County early Sunday, turn out was a respectable 15 cars which were lined up up along the path leading to the arena for spectators to enjoy as they walked in. XKs, E-types, Mark 2s and XJSs were all represented as a proof of Jaguar's prestigious heritage providing a chronological display leading to the current production models displayed by Jaguar.
Interestingly, another type of cat could be seen on the other side of the path : the C.A.R.E. Foundation,  a refuge foundation for endangered species, had a display with a live, furry, purring and breathing Florida Panther named Kesha...Please visit their site www.thecarefoundation.org as they need help; they have to move to a different location so that they keep providing shelter to their animals and continue their educational programs. Oh, and they also have a rescued Jaguar in their shelter someting very rare. The hospitality tent and new car display, organized for Jaguar Land Rover by Mach 2 Management's Courtney Coates, provided our members with a nice place to sit, relax and enjoy each other's company. Lunch and refreshments were provided as well all this right on the edge of the arena giving us a great view of the action. Show Jumping seen by someone completely new to this sport, represents an incredible contrast. On one side, you have the grace, elegance, posture of the riders and their horses but while they jump or gallop only a few feet away, you are reminded of the sheer mass and power of these thoroughbreds. A contrasting combination which in fact reminds me of a Jaguar... elegant and graceful but ready pounce and leap forward. Yes, I'm talking about both the big wild cats and our cars...    There is also an element of danger as injuries from a fall can be serious and despite all the training horses can be frightened by noises or sights and overreact. The strong breeze which kept us cool seemed to make some horses nervous especially when flags or tents would move in the wind. Most of the morning saw the lesser classes competing while crowds started to come in right before the main event started early afternoon.  After presentation and official introductions, the course designer rode the course in an XKR convertible commenting on each of the obstacles with a wireless microphone... Most of us were paying more attention to the car and its captivating 20" alloy wheels than to the description of the course itself... I wonder how hard it was for the driver to stop himself from turning of traction control and just enjoy the 370 hp he had under his right foot ! The 25 competitors had to jump over about 20   obstacles, some as high as 5 to 6 feet and a couple of horizontal water jumps. Most obstacles are sponsored by various companies, including Jaguar of course with an elegant white and blue fence with 2 silver leapers... They are timed  and must complete the course within the allocated time, incurring penalties if they exceed this time. With the main event under way, it was easy to feel the tension in the arena as you would for any top level competition where participants have worked hard to reach the ultimate step in their discipline. In horse jumping, points are lost whenever a horse knock an obstacle down or refuse to jump and whenever a competitor would finish his or her run without a fault, the crowd's reaction would tell the story with a cheer. After all participants completed their run, the top eight would run again in a jump off. At the end of the competition, SFJC co presidents Chris Canning and Brad Cline were invited to present the awards to the winners. This was the final event for the 2001 / 2002 AGA season and in addition to the cash prizes, the series winner received a 2 year lease for the new 2003 S-Type displayed in the Arena. Our members didn't leave empty handed either courtesy of the Jaguar crew who held a raffle for door prizes and most if not all members went home with a gift. Spending a day at the Equestrian Grand Prix was an enjoyable experience and provided a close up look at a popular sport which I knew little about; like other members I look forward to the next one in 2003. And yes now have a better understanding of Equestrian Show Jumping, it's definitely a notch above "Lumberjacking" or Figure Skating... the bar falls or doesn't fall... no French judge needed !		The Revised 2003 S-Type :   Jaguar Land Rover had various new cars on display and available for test drives, X-type, XJ8, S-Type, Freelander, etc... but one car was particularly interesting : the revised 2003 S-type which will go on sale May 6th.   Externally, it doesn't appear to be very different from the first generation S introduced 3 years ago. The distinctive styling is mostly unchanged except for some minor details like the grille which now incorporates the Growler badge. Visually, the interior is probably the most obvious revision and also the most needed as the original S-type interior was not quite on the level of the other Jaguars, even the entry level X-type. The model on display featured a black sports interior with dark stained maple wood and perforated leather. The difference is obvious especially with the wider center console design which is now  better integrated into the dash and which features more wood.   Mechanically, the 2003 S-type received a completely redesigned suspension and new drive trains options. Driving enthusiasts will be happy to learn that the base 3 liter V6 model is now available with a 5 speed manual gearbox, something that European drivers have enjoyed since the S-Type's debut in 1999.   The V8 model is now powered by a new 4.2 liter version of Jaguar's AJ V8 magnificent all aluminum engine,  producing 300hp. It can also be ordered with an optional new 6 speed ZF automatic transmission, a first in this class. Thankfully, Jaguar chose to keep its trademark J Gate shifter which provide manual control of the automatic gear box while giving the driver sensory feedback of the selected gear based on arm position, something push button shifters and slapstick can't do.   But the big news is the new S-Type R boasting the 400 hp supercharged V8 engine, 6 speed automatic transmission and sports suspension / wheels, a package which can launch the car from 0 to 60 in just over 5 seconds, making it the fastest Jaguar saloon ever produced.   These new engines and transmissions are also expected to be introduced in the new XJ8 expected next year as well as the XK8 and XKR sports cars in the near future.
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About the author - Pascal Gademer is the webmaster / newsletter editor of the South Florida Jaguar Club and webmaster for JCNA. Owner of a restored and upgraded (for reliability and performance) 1972 series 3 E-type 2+2, he doesn't miss an opportunity to drive his E-type to various events (concours, rallies,..) often regardless of distances. His daily driver is another Silver Coupe, a 2000 XKR.

Posted 4/8/2002

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