Only once have I visited Virginia though it was an occasion I won't forget. Jaguar was launching a new XJ Series in 1993 and had booked us into the magnificent "Keswick Hall", which had been developed as a destination hotel by Sir Bernard Ashley, husband of the late fabric designer Laura Ashley. (It is now owned by the company that operates the Orient Express.) This being an automotive site I won't bore you with the details except to say that staying there offered a tiny taste of what it must feel like to be very, very rich. In addition the Jaguar folk had brought along a pair of classics, including the first XJ series and a handsome Mark V Drophead (barely visible in the photo), and set them on the back lawns.

The morning's run took us through Virginia's lush valleys; fabulous driving country by any standards, an ideal place to try the big Jag's handling. By the luck of the draw I was assigned to a V-12. My passenger, whose background at the time was unknown to me, was Karen Millar, the Jaguar North America Club's first and much revered archivist. Being an old racer I was eager to put the car through its paces and assumed that as a Jaguar person she was accustomed to performance driving. One should never assume anything where passengers are concerned, I then discovered, for after the lunch stop my new "friend" was nowhere to be found, leaving me to drive the afternoon's course on my own. Karen, sadly, passed away later that month.

The above is a roundabout way of drawing your attention to the East Coast International Meet of owners whose cars were made by the Jensen Company, including Jensens, Sunbeam Tigers, Austin Healeys, and early Volvo P1800's. It takes place June 27-30 in Staunton, Virginia, just west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, adjacent to Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive and the blue ridge parkway. The affair includes a rally, car show, banquet, tours, and several other fun events. So if you live in the east and own one of the aforementioned makes, "here's your chance for a wonderful weekend". Be kind to your passenger.