Page 31 - Aug 2022

A. She was rasied as a Ford Mustang girl but I Jaguar Super V8. Although you advise other people
showed her the error of her ways! not to buy projects, I'm betting you have at least one

Q. Where is NBCC in terms of members these project of your own and have probably had some big
days and are you glad to see people who don't own restoration challenges over the years. Would I be
British cars joining up just for the fun of driving and right?
enjoying other car people?
A. Our biggest challenge at the shop has been a
A. We had a high of 221 member families in 2018 1950 Alvis TB14 that we recently finished. it was
and we are at 208, now, for 2022. I don't have any disassembled in the 1990s. First, we had to
idea of the average age of the members but I don't loosely reassemble it to see how it was supposed
understand why people my age look so old. to look and what it was missing. Then we had to
take it back apart and restore it. That took about
The younger generation doesn't seem to be as car
five years but the car is doing well now.
crazy as the older generations were. I think it will
certainly be more difficult to keep younger people At the shop we modify and fabricate things daily.
involved as we move away from internal There are so many parts and pieces that are not
combustion engines. You just aren't going to get available so we have to repair the originals or
people in their 20s and 30s interested in old fabricate new parts whenever possible. It may also
cars--in old anything really. That's why I say the shock you to learn that many new parts we buy
more the merrier for anyone, with any sort of car, don't fit or function properly so they require
that wants to join the NBCC. It's all for the common modification. This business is not as plug and play
good. as most people think. And yes, I have my own
project-- a 1976 Mini that I'm restoring.
Q. You clearly practice what you preach since your
own daily drivers are a 2001 Jaguar VDP and a 2002 Concludes on page 32

Left : Tail of the Dragon image by Eifel Kreutz for istock

Above and right : A Damon
Jaguar takes on the Tail of the
Dragon, a road not for the faint of
heart or the less than roadworthy.
Cindy and JD believe that once an
owner of a classic British car
develops confidence in his or her
car, the result is life-changing,
resulting in taking on challenging
excursions like this one with
confidence.
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