The Annual JOCLA Concours was held at the USS Iowa Battleship in Los Angeles, CA after a three year absence.
The Jaguar Owners Club of Los Angeles’ held its annual Concours d’ Elegance at a new venue this year, the grounds of the Battleship USS Iowa Museum in Los Angeles. Members of Classic Showcase were on hand to not only enjoy the show, but to assist one of our collector clients with campaigning an E-Type we recently restored for him. The L.A. Club had been trying to schedule a reservation at the venue for several years, and club president and SW Regional Director Mark Mayuga was finally able to schedule the event for May 15. Proceeds of JOCLA’s concours fee included a donation to the Battleship Iowa Foundation, in support of the museum, and entry in the Concours included a fascinating tour of the ship as well.
The event started with some cool weather in the morning, with fog rolling in as Club members and Concours participants were busy making sure their cars were ready for judging. JOCLA President Mark Mayuga officially started the event at 9:30am, first with a brief owners meeting, followed by a judges meeting before announcing “rags down” 30 minutes later. Southern California’s 3 major Jaguar clubs – Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Inland Empire coordinated judging for the event, and as the morning gave way to the afternoon, sunny skies prevailed providing great conditions for the event. Numerous attendees took tours of the USS Iowa before having their cars judged, while others toured the ship after the event. The Concours included a great representation of Jaguars from the classics of the 50s & 60s to the modern styles of the 2000s up to the 2010s. Some of the models being judged were XK-120, XK-140, XK- 150, E-Type, Mark II, XJ6, XJ8, XJS, XK8, XKR, XJR, X-Type, and a beautiful C-Type Replica.
Concours judging ended around 2:30 pm and found many participants venturing over to the nearby “Whale and Ale English Pub” located near the event for food and drink, and more importantly for the Concours awards ceremony. After enjoying traditional English food like Fish & Chips, Bangers and Mash, and Shepard’s Pie, JOCLA President Mark Mayuga, along with sponsor Clive Collins from XKS Motorsports began the awards presentation. While the highest champion division score was 99.99, two driven Series 3 XKEs entries received perfect scores of 10 in the D4 class. Our collector scored 99.380 for his 1966 Opalescent Gunmetal Grey E-Type – a terrific result for the Coupe’s first concours event! This was a very fun day at a truly historic and unique venue, and all of us at Classic Showcase would like to thank all the Jaguar Clubs for providing such a fun filled Jaguar event!
The Battleship USS Iowa Museum is a maritime museum located at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, United States. The museum's main artifact is the USS Iowa (BB-61), lead ship of the Iowa class of battleships. USS Iowa (BB-61) was the lead ship of the last class of U.S. Navy battleships to be built by the United States. The battleship was originally commissioned in 1943, and served during World War II, the Korean War, and through the Cold War. Iowa earned 11 battle stars during her career and hosted three U.S. Presidents, ultimately earning the nicknames Battleship of Presidents and Big Stick. Iowa was awarded to the Pacific Battleship Center on September 6, 2011 for display at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California – home to the United States Battle Fleet from 1919 to 1940.
On October 27, 2011, the battleship was relocated from Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet to the Port of Richmond, California for painting and refurbishment. On May 27, 2012, Iowa was towed underneath the Golden Gate Bridge on her 75th anniversary for final placement at the Los Angeles Waterfront. Iowa opened in Los Angeles on July 4, 2012 to a crowd of over 1,500 supporters and veterans at Port of Los Angeles Berth 87. The USS Iowa Museum offers daily tours, group programs, education visits, special events, filming, military ceremonies, and is in the process of starting an overnight program. Daily tours include visits to see the largest guns (16"/50 caliber) on a U.S. Navy ship,
officers ward room, President Roosevelt's cabin, armored bridge, missile decks, enlisted berthing, mess decks, helicopter deck, and other areas. The ship is located at the Los Angeles World Cruise Center and has over 2,100 parking spaces available. Iowa has played various roles in films and television series including NCIS: Los Angeles, American Warships, Bermuda Tentacles, and Dark Rising. Iowa is home to annual American-focused events including the City of Los Angeles Veterans Appreciation, a Memorial Day Celebration, and September 11 remembrance.