The Reno Jaguar Club: A Brief History

By the RJC Founder – Randolph Carleton Wright

September 2007

I had always loved 1960's Jaguars.  In fact, I learned how to drive in a 1961 3.8 Mark 2 sedan which my parents purchased used, but not used up.  That only occurred after one year in the family with a sixteen year old driver and resulted in its highly objected to premature sale.  The loss to an impressionable teenager was unlike that to an automobile, nearly unrepairable.  After years of schooling the impressionable teenager still lived, and acquired his dream car from the 60's, a 1966 3.8S Jaguar sedan in 1983, in spite of the fact that the local dealer hardly recognized the car when presented to the shop for service.  Barely a month later a carburetor fire resulted in the glorious machine being dismantled for an eternity in an errant mechanic's shop.

Undaunted, its owner determined that if there were a Jaguar club in Reno, someone could be found who would do the work in a proper fashion.  After sticking innumerable flyers on Jaguar windshields, 25 stalwart enthusiasts gathered on September 23, 1983 in the Boardroom at the Board of Trade restaurant in Reno, Nevada.  At the second meeting held at the Peppermill Hotel Articles and by-laws were adopted and the first officers were: Randolph Wright, President; Palmer Stewart, Vice-president; LaQueta Armstrong, Secretary; Colleen Banes, Treasurer; and Gunter Heyer, Editor.  Gunter gave our newsletter its name, Cat Talk.

The first issue of 'Cat Talk' was published in October 1983.  That issue contained a roster of 29 excited Jaguar owners and enthusiasts.  However, no cars were listed as the concern was expressed that somehow thieves could find these valuable machines in their garages and make off with them in the middle of the night!  Annual dues were $25.00 and our first dinner meeting was held at Johnny's Little Italy, which provoked the first crisis in the club when several members failed to show, thus falling short of the number given for the dinner to the restaurant.  Our tradition of holding dinner meetings at different dinner restaurants has continued to this day.  Our first driving event was scheduled for November 20, which was a drive from the Rapscallion restaurant to Walley's Hot Springs.  The hot springs were a good idea but the heavy snowfall prevented any of the Jaguars from venturing out of the parking lot, let alone to Jack's Valley, Nevada.  Undeterred, the club made the trip on January 15 anyway.  One of our charter members, Jim Alder raced an XK 120 in vintage races and consequently many of the club's early outings were to Sears Point and the Napa- Sonoma Wine Country and to the Monterey Historic Races.

In 1985 our club held its first all British car meet, aptly named 'A Day on the Village Green.' The President, Randy Wright, also served as the first chairman of the event and gave it its name, drawn from an album by British band of the 60's, The Kinks.  Due to a late start in the year, all available park space was taken in Reno, and the event was held at Mills Park in Carson City, Nevada.  Our dinner speaker that year was John Baker, who currently worked for Porsche Cars in charge of press relations and previously had worked for Bob Tullius and Group 44 Racing.  To top it off, we even got the classic rock station to do a live radio remote from the Village Green in conjunction with a British Rock Invasion Weekend.

The purpose of the event as approved by the board was to put on a community car event that was a unique British theme that would bring all British car owners together.  By doing so it was thought that the club's existence would spread throughout British car owners, and as a community event it would get media attention for the club.  It did.  That first year we had 43 cars register, made the front page of the Style section of the paper, had bangers instead of hot dogs, English ale instead of Budweiser, and the Sierra Highlanders Pipe Band marched onto the Village Green bringing tears to the eyes of many proud owners.  In subsequent years the Sierra Cricket Club put on an exhibition match, there was a British costume contest (picture Charles II with Queen Catherine and Nell Gwynn, or Lord Nelson), and the Sherlock Holmes Society put on a 'mystery'.  We also partnered with the National Automobile Museum, which brought several British cars to the Village Green.  On another occasion Reno's mayor appeared as The Lord Mayor and read a proclamation and declared that day to be "A Day on the Village Green." So many happy days so much gloriously oil spotted grass! And on September 10, 1985 we had a roster of 37 members.  By 1989 we saw 105 cars on the Village Green.

We also had some special cars on the Village Green.  In 1986, current member Jeff Egner showed the spectacular gray XK 120, which he had just restored.  In 1987 we saw an SS 100.  In 1988 the 1964 Jaguar E-type coupe that Merle Brennan used to win the SCCA National Championship returned home.  1989 saw the Los Amigos D-type that finished third at the 1957 Le Mans.

Most recently, A Day on the Village Green was held in the beauty of Lake Tahoe at the Cal-Neva Lodge with Gary Dyer as president and Mike Johnson as Chairman.

Another glorious event was the Tonopah Rallye, which was run annually for several years beginning in 1986 as the inaugural event of the driving season.  Typically the route to and from Tonopah varied from year to year, but as always there was miles of beautiful, empty Nevada two lane black top to play on, with the wonders of The Mizpah as your destination.  In the 1990's there were excursions to The Renaissance Faire and to the Shakespeare Festival at Ashland, Oregon.

The club grew.  President Mat Thomas in 1993 made a determined effort to increase membership and raised it to 112.   Of the early membership there remains Jack & Pat Campbell, Jeff & Sherron Egner and Charlie & Carolyn Manchester.  Iain & Wendy Buxton and Don Johnson have returned after an extended absence.  The club membership to date is 71.

Patti Wilder, who was president last year, was responsible for having her husband establish our website, www.renojaguarclub.com

So please come visit us sometime at our website.  And when you do, put on some good music, whether its Gilbert and Sullivan or The Kinks, and have the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes handy for quick reference.”