The Advert
It started with that evocative advert in a classic car magazine, the old steam train, the 30’s Bently and a white XK 120 on a downhill bend on a sunny Indian mountain road. The call was too great, 30 days and 4000 miles across India, crossing plains, deserts, the Himalayas and Kathmandu. All that was needed was a domestic exit pass, a travelling partner and a car.
The exit pass. I summoned up the nerve and asked my wife, driving across India for a month? No problem, you said no problem?
Nothing can be that simple, there will be a heavy price to pay downtrack but for now one agreed, two to go
The partner. To share a room and a car for 30 days needs some careful thought. The requirement was for a navigator, mechanic, photographer and friend. Many thoughts passed through my mind but in the end I asked Jo my youngest brother and Pete my oldest friend. To my surprise both said yes and both gained that all important exit pass.
The Car.
A Bently was ideal but beyond our budget so the only choice was a Jaguar but which one. For India it had to be pre 50’s and that narrowed it down to an XK or a saloon. Pete and I used to drive a Mk4 3.5 litre reg no JKR 609 (where are you now) in the 60’s and so for nostalgic reasons that is what we decided on, a Mk 4.
There was a beautiful one on offer, a 1948 3.5 originally registered JYW 411 and later reregistered MSU 229 that appeared very sound and within our price bracket. For advice I went to Derek Hood of JD Classics in Chelmsford. For over 10 years he has been a good sea brake on my worst ideas and had previously done a fabulous job of restoring a MK2 for me.
His advice was to buy a MK5 for the stronger chassis and the all important hydraulic brakes, so that is what we did. NKN 325, a 3.5 grey Mk5 saloon, was duly purchased although we had no idea at the time that it was a well known and highly regarded car with a great history including some continental touring.
The preparation
The car being in good condition the work needed was to prepare it for a rally across India. Derek Hood again proved that there is no substitute for experience and was very clear on the work needed if the car was going to go rallying.
WORK REQUIRED
(JD Classics version 4)
Engine and brakes
Suspension and bits
Install new battery
Fit new brake master cylinder
Overhaul starter motor
New battery cables
Front disc brake conversion
Overhaul carburettors
Install new wiring loom
Modify rear brake assembly
Overhaul carb linkages
Fit battery isolator switch
Replace all engine gaskets
Overhaul starter motor
Fit spare battery in boot
Regrind crankshaft and fit new bearing shells
Upgrade front lighting
Replace all water and flexible hoses
Overhaul cylinder head and convert to unleaded fuel
Fit new alternator
Overhaul radiator and fit electric fan
Fit new piston set
Fit oil cooler
Replace thermostat housing
Reface flywheel
Fit canister oil filter conversion
Overhaul water pump
Fit new clutch assembly
Fit uprated engine mounts
Fit new core plug set
Replace drain tap
Fit new propshaft UJ’s
Fit sump guard
Fit new shock absorbers
Fit new fuel pump
JD Sport ignition system
Fit new rear axle bump stops
Fuel pump safety guard
Modify distributor
New rear spring bushes
Fit auxiliary fuel pump
Fit fuel pump guard
Insulate ignition leads
Electrics and cooling
The rebuild There is a great joy and satisfaction in seeing your car being slowly assembled with the understanding, care and attention to finish that only comes from experts with years of experience and a true love of these great cars.
JD Classics make you feel good about your car. Pat and his team create the cars while Derek Hood makes you believe that with enough money he can make it all work in the end. The temptation is to go on and on, there is always something else to do that makes good sense.
The car was due to be ready by September, due to a combination of more hours needed and less cash supplied it was pronounced ready only in the new year and for a first run I took it out to Heathrow airport to collect my mother in law.
The RAC
It looked truly fabulous on the back of a RAC low loader cruising down the M4. It had all worked perfectly but a weak brake spring on the pedal led to the brakes locking up. Soon fixed by JD Classics and 750 miles of enjoyable and very well admired running in later it was back with Derek for the final checks before shipping to India.
It has done what?
No it can’t have seized, the thermostat jammed ! No, not all 6 pistons, the bore is not too bad, can I delay shipping, can I calm down? No, it must be with the shippers in 2 days.
Derek phoned with the good news, Its working and on its way to the Port on his transporter to keep it out of the early years snow. Pat and his team must have worked through the night after finding new pistons and parts from around the country.
On your marks, get set...
Saturday March 17, 2001
The night before the rally is due to begin, Jo pauses to admire the beauty of Udaipur and reflect on the vagaries of local driving.
Tomorrow morning the 15 classic cars taking part in the Jewel of India rally will take the green flag on the start of our epic 6,000km journey across India and Nepal. We have spent the last 48 hours in tortuous negotiations to have the cars, which have been shipped out of the UK, released from customs.
Now that's completed, we are resting up at the famous Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur. It really does live up to its reputation as one of the world's most romantic hotels, set in the middle of Lake Pichola with views across to the imposing City Palace, the residence of Arvind Singh Mewar, the Maharana of Udaipur and head of India's Maharajas. While all of India's aristocrats were stripped of their powers in 1947 when independence was declared, he is still known affectionately by the locals as king. Arvind is patron to the rally (he has his own classic car collection in Udaipur where our Jaguar was much admired), and he held a stunning party for all the rally drivers last night on his private terrace overlooking the lake.
During the day, the lake is tranquil and serene, the silence broken only by the sound of women doing their washing at the various gnats around the lake, but the city really comes into its own at night, when the various temples and palaces around the lake are lit up: 'magical' is the only word which comes close to describing it.
From Udaipur, the rally will drive east through the jungles made famous a century ago by Rudyard Kipling, before crossing the dusty plains of northern India and climbing up through the Himalayas into Nepal and Kathmandu. From there, we will head for the highest of the old British hill stations, and then back down to Rajasthan.
This vintage car event has served to crystalize the notion of English eccentricity in the locals' minds. They can't get their heads around the idea of shipping all these perfectly preserved restored and valuable cars out to India, only to trash them over 6,000km of frequently unforgiving roads. Although the roads in the cities are in fairly good repair, we're already experiencing other hazards - namely, Indian traffic. Despite the fact that the race hasn't yet begun, we've suffered our first casualty: today, a lorry crashed into the back of the Rover as it stopped to turn right, forcing it into the local body repair shop. Drivers show only passing concern for keeping to the right side of the road, traffic lights are decorative rather than functional, and buses and lorries hog virtually the whole road, forcing traffic to get out of the way or face the consequences. Driving at night is even more of an adventure, since many lorries don't bother with headlights. One bit of advice we have received is that lorries tend to indicate right when it is safe for other drivers to overtake. The only worry, then, is that they will occasionally indicate right when they actually intend to turn right...
Wish us luck!
Ravi Shankar-Yoga(1).mp3
