This weekend’s Vancouver JCNA Concours was a great event. In my case
it resulted in D6 score of 9.976 and a “first in class” placing. I
had the judges ask me about three points of authenticity, all of which
I was able to clarify since my car is “correct” in those areas. The first
was the black “furflex”. On my 82.5 xj6 it IS furflex and different from
the style used on the later Series III which had a sort of canvass finish
facing the dooropening. The earlier cars, like mine, have the “fur” finish
all round. The second was the rubber driver’s mat insert. On the earlier
Series III, like mine, it is a mat with small rectangles and a “cat”
logo. Later mats are much plainer. The third and most interesting is the
question of coachstripes. The judge thought my single, copper coloured
stripe was “non-authentic”, saying that it should be a double gold stripe.
Not so. The double stripe was first used on the xj6 in 1983. Before that
a single stripe was used, the double being reserved for the xj12. I have
not only brochures to prove this, but proof inside my (original paint)
door edge! As virtually all xj cars of this vintage have had at least one
repaint, and re-striping with a double stripe, it is easy to see how
a judge might make this mistake. The JCNA rule about confirming with the
entrant before making “non-authentic” deductions, is a well founded one,
and in all three of these questions, proved its worth.
Gregory Andrachuk,
Victoria, Canada