First, lets get something straight… There is absolutely no way the 150 pictures we have in the galleries can really show you what it was like to be in downtown Franklin TN on July 29th …sorry, you should have been there !

This was one of the largest gathering of Jaguars in North America especially considering the quality of the cars and the rarity of some of them. The location was as good as it can be for such a concours with the streets of picturesque downtown Franklin closed for the day and providing the background. Holding the Concours on downtown streets is a great idea as it brings the cars to the public rather than hiding them away. Of course, downtown means shops and restaurants, perfect to keep the family busy…

According to the official count, no less than 176 cars were officially entered, in Concours, Driven and Display classes

The day started early, around 7 am, when the cars were due to gather at the Marriott for the short drive to downtown. Organizers arranged the cars by class before they were sent on their way for the 5 miles drive; no trailer allowed in downtown which caused some concern to owners of so called trailer queens, some had actually never ran that long a distance or even never used 4th gear.

It was a brief shower however but enough to send everybody scrambling for cover; luckily it cleared quickly and soon everybody was back out drying the cars and getting ready for judging.

In addition to numerous front page articles in the local paper, local interest was raised by using the concours as a fund raiser, partly for the local high school marching band. The idea was simple and effective : have one student by each car collecting small donations from people who liked that car. The most successful ones had learn things about “their” car and were telling the public about it. A total of $ 2651 was raised this way and the presence of the students also attracted hundreds of relative and friends to the show. As a result, the streets were packed with people giving the Concours a real festive appearance.

The centerpiece of the display was without a doubt the town square where the D-Types and C-Types were arranged around the civil war monument in the center; SS cars and early saloons where set on the outer edges of the square.  These rare, unique and history loaded cars are what made the Challenge Championship so unique and special thanks must go their owners who brought or sent these irreplaceable cars for Jaguar enthusiasts to fully appreciate, especially Terry Larson who not only brought his cars but also convinced owners who couldn’t make it to trust him with their prized possessions.

Not as unique but still very special, were the rows of classic and modern Jaguars lined up the street next t the square and the numbers speak for themselves… 21 XKs, 37 E-types, etc… not even counting the 49 Display class cars ! Among judged cars, competition was fierce with many cars receiving high scores. In addition to the two perfect 100 points given to an 74 E-type and to a new 2000 S-type, many cars received scores in the 99.9 range attesting to the quality of the entries.

After the judging ended around 3 PM, it was time to leave downtown Franklin and its hospitality. Time to get ready for the grand finale of the week, the award dinner and especially the guest speaker… Norman Dewis.  See article on the award banquet for more !