Ten Years with Brucie

On the 4th of November 2020 I will have owned Brucie for 10 years, which is longest I have ever owned any car, so I am celebrating this anniversary with a photo-story that briefly illustrates this major landmark. Affectionately known as Brucie, his name is a corruption of Spruce Green, the colour of this stunning 1997 X300 Long Wheel Base 4 litre Sovereign.

It has been 10 very good years and Brucie is an integral part of Xclusively Jaguar, with Brucie’s Diary being a feature of my website and newsletter from the time I first owned Brucie until very recently when I had to question whether it was Brucie’s own diary anymore, as most of the time I was reporting on other Jaguars, while Brucie was safely tucked away at home.

I will review Brucie’s Diary in time and feature past highlights in future issues of the magazine, adding Brucie’s Diary to occasional editions where there is something of relevance to report.

There have been so many happy memories with Brucie, and on this, our tenth anniversary, here are ten of my best memories with Brucie …

1

Brucie with XJ13 at Norman Dewis Day on 26th May 2013 when Jaguar Heritage had brought a batch of important cars to the Mike Hawthorn Museum. Most people departed as Norman’s talk ended, but I hung around, hoping to hear XJ13 being fired up and driven onto the transporter. I was in luck, and seeing my opportunity I parked Brucie next to XJ13 to take a couple of photos, at which point one of the Heritage volunteers even offered to take a picture of me with Brucie and XJ13.

2

Brucie autographed by Norman Dewis at the Mike Hawthorn Museum in April 2015 to celebrate the occasion of Brucie’s 18th birthday!

3

Brucie pays a return trip to his former home to visit his first owner, Andrew Panter. It was during this visit that Andrew said that he had always wanted to do a parade of Jaguars through Windsor Castle and he asked me if I knew who he should contact. At the time I was on the JEC Events Committee, so I set the wheels rolling from there.

4

Brucie was one of the 250 Jaguar, Daimler and SS cars that paraded through Windsor Castle as part of the Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival in May 2017. Andrew Panter was one of the dignitaries seated in the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle

5

After the parade through Windsor, Prince Edward came down to Frogmore to meet Brucie and some of the other cars that I had chosen for the parade.

6

The XJ220 Reunion at Weston Park in June 2012 was the first event I was asked to organise so I was able to get a picture of Brucie with the XJ220 Concept car as it arrived from Jaguar Heritage the day before the event.

7

Brucie and I at the grave-side of Mike Hawthorn in 2013, paying our respects to a great motor racing hero.

8

I was invited to Classic Nostalgia Weekend at Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb in 2013 by CMC, where Brucie met Jaguar D-type OKV1

9

Brucie with my XJ40 (Opium) on the lawn at Wroxall Abbey, a picture that made centre fold in the JEC magazine, August 2018

10

On 11th August 2018 we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Xclusively Jaguar at The Mike Hawthorn Museum with some of our most important sponsors and supporters. Dinner on the 11th was followed by a visit to the museum on the 12th where we unveiled a new exhibit, which to my amazement turned out to be Brucie! How my friends had managed this good humoured conspiracy in order to surprise me I still cannot fathom, but after his unveiling Brucie was driven all the way back to Scotland, with quite a story to tell his Jaguar siblings!

Story taken from Xclusively Jaguar Magazine - November 2020 issue.

Read the full issue here.