Sample Magazine
If you are not yet a member of the XK Club and would like to get a flavour of what you can expect from the XK Gazette, you can download a digital sample using the button below. This is a selection of 'taster' sections from our recent issues.
You can also see some highlights from our latest Gazette below.
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If you require any further information on the XK Club in the meantime, or if would like us to send you a sample hard copy magazine, then please contact our Club Secretary, Sarah, on sarah@xkclub.com or you can call us at the office on +44 (0)1584 781 588.
September's highlights...
Featured Article
XK 200K
As his XK 120 hits a landmark figure, Phillip Haslam looks back at how the adventure started
The magical figure of 200,000 miles occurred on the mileometer of our XK 120 at just gone 11am on a Tuesday morning in the village of Cortijo del Campillo in the Sierra Seca, southern Spain. And just to be clear, that’s 200,000 miles in our ownership since April 2003. Goodness knows how many miles were on the clock before that. So, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I have decided to record a few moments and memories in our journey so far.
The three of us – Yvonne, myself and TFM 278 – have experienced some amazing times together, by far the most of them magnificent, but inevitably with a few hiccups along the way. The 22 years since our experience began deserve a bit of background to start with, but then there are so many tales to tell that I hardly know where to begin. I suppose the beginning is a good place.
A very busy working life had to come to an end sometime, and I was aware that I would need something to keep me occupied in the forthcoming years. We had visited the Silverstone Classic several times in the mid-1990s and became aware that the ownership of a classic car might just fit the bill.
Through a series of strange events, I found myself the owner of a fairly unusual car: an Allard ‘M’ Type. She was a rather strange creature with pleasant, sweeping lines, powered by a thumping 3.6-litre Ford V8, and with quite the most ugly hood arrangement. Events were entered, good times were had, and all of a sudden the bug had bitten.
After a year or two, the Allard was exchanged for a stunning 1933 Aston Martin Le Mans, which, having been owned by Sir Malcolm Campbell, came with significant provenance and...
XK News
E-type wins class in Italian concours
The second Concorso d’Eleganza Varignana 1705 was held in Italy from 27-29 September. Hosted by the Palazzo di Varignana resort near Bologna, it comprised 35 cars that were arranged into six
classes and judged by a panel comprising Stefano Pasini, Stephen Bayley, Alessandra Giorgetti, François Melcion, Gianni Mercatali, Adolfo Orsi and Peter Read. Best of Show was awarded to a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB owned by Giuseppe Matildi, while the ‘British Postcards’ class was topped by Andrea Baroni’s 1963 Jaguar E-type
roadster. Other class winners included a Bugatti Type 35A, Alfa Romeo 2500 SS Villa d’Este, Porsche 904, Group 4 De Tomaso Pantera and a 1940 Auto Avio 815.
Editorial
Faye Bentley has just phoned with some very sad news. Though not unexpected because he had been very ill for some time, we have lost one of the greatest-ever XK devotees: our very own David Bentley. Though many members and XK owners
may never have met David, he helped hundreds, probably thousands. It was David who built an unrivalled XK archive over more than 60 years. His knowledge and his records were an invaluable source for those wishing to trace the history of their XK. A quietly spoken, modest sort of chap, he was an absolute gentleman who was always happy to help other enthusiasts.
I think it was Jeremy Wade’s idea originally. In the very early days of the XK Club, he suggested I tried to persuade David to contribute a monthly article to this magazine. He did not need much persuading. ‘Where are they now?’ answered queries, shared discoveries and worked through every single example of the rarer models, such as the right-hand-drive 120 FHC, 120 DHC, 140 OTS, 140 DHC and 150 OTS. He started with issue 16 in January 1999 and retired 221 issues later in 2017. It must have seemed tedious on occasions to have to produce three pages every month. In reality, he was in XK Heaven.
We all owe him the most enormous debt of gratitude but, although we shall miss him terribly, his legacy will live on. A few months ago, a very weak David telephoned to offer his unique archives to the club. It was a moving gesture but typical of this very fine man. He made it clear we would need at least a van to move it all, which gives an indication of the size and scope of his life’s work. It will, of course, be known as The David Bentley Archive.
Philip Porter