On January 10, about 200 brave souls wended their way to the Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Troy, Michigan. The purpose of such an excursion in subfreezing winter temperatures? A Grand Reopening of the JLR Troy facility, including the largest JLR showroom in the US and one of the largest service departments. The primary attendees to this invitation only event were from JLR USA, JLR of Troy (including many Suburban Collection employees), a well-heeled gathering of retail customers, and about 30 members of JCNA and/or JAGM*.
Three of our members (Gary Cunningham, Chuck Diamond and Dave Wathen) had the privilege to display the following cars in the new showroom:
1953 Jaguar XK120 OTS
1966 Jaguar E-Type OTS
1970 Jaguar E-Type FHC
1990 Jaguar XJS V12 Coupe
2004 Jaguar XKR 4.2 Supercharged
Our hosts that evening were David Fischer, Jr, Adamm Davis, and Brian Cupler (the owner of the Suburban Collection, general manager and sales manager of JLR of Troy). They plied us with liberal doses of heavy appetizers and an open bar of our favorite libations. They even served us exotic desserts and handcrafted cappuccinos and expressos. But the star of the show? That was an exquisite example of the all-new Range Rover in Batumi Gold (a beautiful silver/ gold metallic paint) and a black leather interior. The new vehicle has generated so much excitement that the dealership has already taken orders from 141 customers and anticipates selling 30 more as a result of the grand reopening event. That is for a vehicle that will not be delivered for another six months!
The evening was also a great example of the buzz and synergy created when the club and the dealerships get together to throw a party. When it was all said and done, the old Jaguar advertising motto still rang true: Grace… Space… Pace. And so did the current one: The Art of Performance. The next time you visit JLR of Troy, please thank them for a wonderful evening of Jaguars and Range Rovers (and the friendships we have acquired along the way driving those vehicles).
by Gary Cunningham
* Even the new President of JCNA, John Boswell, came flying into town to join us for the festivities
