January 2026 | Issue 786 | Page(s) 3 | Gaynor Cauter
Welcome to 2026 – a new year and a big one for your Club because as of 1 January, we are into our 70th-anniversary year and we are not going to let it pass without a bang! I’d like to think that every member of more than five weeks’ standing will now know that the birthday bash to end them all will be at Brooklands on 11-12 July.
Where better than the home of British motorsport to celebrate what has been a long and, for the most part, hugely successful journey. We’ve weathered a few storms as a Club, survived a pandemic and come out of it stronger and better run than ever before. We have a new Chairman in Tony Merrygold, we have new Areas setting up at home and abroad, and the social side of the JDC has never been stronger. So, let’s hear all about it from you, our members. I want to see photos and read all about what you get up to this year. Wherever you go with your Jaguar or Daimler, I want to see some snaps to share with everyone who reads this magazine.
You will start seeing our new 70th-anniversary logos appearing in all sorts of places from now on, commissioned from designer Mark Baker, who makes such a brilliant job of our display boards at the big shows. And talking of big shows, it only seems a few weeks since we were at the NEC for the Lancaster Classic Motor Show and here we are getting ready for the Practical Classics Restoration Show. We will be there, as usual, on 20-22 March, and we still have a few spaces on our stand if any of you fancy filling it. Do you have an interesting barn-find or project car lingering in your garage in hope of restoration? If so, it might just be what we’re looking for. As long as it’s on four wheels and rolls (or on a trailer) and it’s a Jaguar or a Daimler, drop me a line.
Some of you will have seen the replacement gazebo at the last NEC show – nicknamed ‘Black Hole’ until we sort out some lighting – it is about to be joined by some very flash wheels because we are celebrating our 70 years with a new, long-wheelbase Crafter (and I can tell you… it’s long!). It’s waiting to be sign-written but we will have it with us for the Resto Show and for Spares Day on 12 April, so look out for it. And in case you were wondering what became of our trusty old Transit, it’s good news because one of our younger and more enterprising members has bought it and, by all accounts, it’s going to a very good home.
You will find all the details for booking our Brooklands 70th-anniversary weekend in Club News and you will also find details of the Restoration Show here in the magazine, so get booking and don’t forget to use your members’ discount code for the NEC – CCJGDRVM6.
Not only does it save you money, but it also earns us brownie points towards next year’s stand!
Gaynor
