My son Chuck and I towed our Texas based 1965 E Type Jaguar into Kennebunk, ME, where we were to overnight. From there it was a short drive to Kennebunk port and our first view of the beautiful coast of Maine. We enjoyed an unforgettable meal at Mabel’s Lobster Claw restaurant. Chuck consumed a beach sized load of steamer clams and I devoured a 2lb lobster.

Sunday, May 17

On to the Harrasseeker Inn, Freeport, ME (Shoppers note: home of L. L. Bean.) for Rally registration. When we arrived there were already about thirty five beautiful vintage cars in the parking lot, including a 1938 Buggati Type 57 Tourer, a 1935 Auburn 852 Speedster, as well as several 300SL Mercedes, a clutch of Astons and several Ferraris.

After a very fine dinner we went to bed, anticipating tomorrow.

Monday, May 18

Fifty five cars set off bright and early for two rally stages before lunch at the Owl’s Head Transportation Museum (old cars and airplanes). Then, out in the afternoon for two more rally stages under the first of four beautiful days of sunshine. At the end of the day we had a perfect rally score, along with four others. We became impressed with our rally talent - a mistake many rookies make. The only thing that sounded a note of caution this day were some funny noises coming from somewhere underneath the car.

Another wonderful evening of food and rest at the Samoset Resort on beautiful Penobscot Bay.

Tuesday, May 19

Cruising along after we had nailed the first checkpoint, Chuck slipped our car into 5th gear and was just remarking what a great ‘cruising’ gear it was when RRRIPPPPPP!! The engine started to rev freely, scaring Chuck, who exclaimed, "My God! What has happened?" I said the car had just slipped out of gear and told him "No problem, just put it back into gear" ----- so he did. Nothing! We were heartbroken! Defied by our car while leading the rally! Noticing that we had also lost the speedometer, we stopped. Cautiously, we tried the other gears. They all seemed to be OK, even though there were some grinding noises accompanying our progress. We even tried reverse, which also seemed to be OK, despite its proximity on the gate to 5th.
 
 
From the side of the road in rural Maine we called our car’s father protector in Austin, Texas, Dan Mooney of Classic Jaguar (USA), Inc. He was under a car, hard at work, so we left our distress call with his secretary, Misty, and motored on. We finished the leg, despite some clanking and grinding noises, and were still leading the rally, along with several others who also had a perfect score. Another call to Dan. Can we continue? By that time Dan had already spoken with the transmission (Borg Warner JT5) builder, Paul Cangialosi of Medatronics Corporation, in Florida. Apparently 5th gear is on its own shaft and the gear itself must have come loose and struck the adjacent electronic sensor for the speedo. The good news was that 5th gear operates entirely independently of the other four forward gears. Hooray! Even though it would make some grinding noises from time to time, we could motor on without fear of doing any further damage.

That afternoon Chuck made a respectable showing in the gymkhana, the first of four speed events in the rally. At the end of the day we still had a perfect rally score after eight legs, with only six more to go. We spent the night at the Sugarloaf Ski Resort, high in the Maine mountains.

Wednesday, May 20

Right out of the box our illusions of invincibility were shattered when Dad screwed up the driving and came a second late into the first checkpoint. Later that day, Dad did the speed event of the day: three laps round an oval track. But he only went round twice! Can he count? Only sometimes. Thankfully, the official let him try again. On his second chance he counted right.

We spent the night in the high mountains of New Hampshire and ended the third day in a three way tie for second. Two rallyists still had perfect scores. A fine dinner on a restored 1924 dining car, moving along slowly on an 8 mile short line railroad, completed our day.

Thursday, May 21

The last day! Right off Dad was another second late at the first checkpoint, ending any realistic chance of an overall win. But we were still far ahead in our class, so we concentrated on trying not to do any more damage to our score. Chuck came in perfect on the second leg, before our speed events. At Oxford raceway we had two speed events: a 1/8 mile drag race and an oval track course with an road course in the middle. There was a 427 AC Cobra in the rally that smoked everyone in the speed events, as well as a very fast C Type ‘replica’. The second time out, Dad drag raced the C Type, got a great start and was way ahead at the second shift, but shifted into the non-existent 5th gear instead of the intended 3rd. There is nothing more disappointing than coasting across the finish line in a drag race!

On the last leg of the rally, Chuck proved that he, like Dad, was not invincible, arriving a second late at the checkpoint.

We found ourselves back at the Harrasseeker Inn for the closing dinner. There we heard that we were 6th overall in the rally, and first in our class. We received a nice trophy for our class win. Inexplicably, the officials moved that growling, snarling Cobra out of our class in the speed events, so we won our class in that one too!

As Chuck remarked to me at the end of the last day: " If anyone who really knew how to drive a car brought a car like ours, prepared by Classic Jaguar (USA), Inc. to this rally, they would post some unbelievably eye popping times in the speed events." 

This rally was really well organized and a TON of FUN. We met a lot of new ‘car guy’ friends. Many thanks to Rich and Jean Taylor, who manage this annual event.

Best news of all: Rich and Jean are having a similar four day rally in Texas. Mark your calendars for November 8-13, 1998 in San Antonio.

Finally, our thanks for all the mechanical and spiritual support we received from Dan and the guys at Classic Jaguar (USA), Inc.

Charles T. Goolsbee
1965 Classic Jaguar (USA), Inc. modified E Type Roadster
 
 
 

My son Chuck and I towed our Texas based 1965 E Type Jaguar into Kennebunk, ME, where we were to overnight. From there it was a short drive to Kennebunk port and our first view of the beautiful coast of Maine. We enjoyed an unforgettable meal at Mabel’s Lobster Claw restaurant. Chuck consumed a beach sized load of steamer clams and I devoured a 2lb lobster.

Sunday, May 17

On to the Harrasseeker Inn, Freeport, ME (Shoppers note: home of L. L. Bean.) for Rally registration. When we arrived there were already about thirty five beautiful vintage cars in the parking lot, including a 1938 Buggati Type 57 Tourer, a 1935 Auburn 852 Speedster, as well as several 300SL Mercedes, a clutch of Astons and several Ferraris.

After a very fine dinner we went to bed, anticipating tomorrow.

Monday, May 18

Fifty five cars set off bright and early for two rally stages before lunch at the Owl’s Head Transportation Museum (old cars and airplanes). Then, out in the afternoon for two more rally stages under the first of four beautiful days of sunshine. At the end of the day we had a perfect rally score, along with four others. We became impressed with our rally talent - a mistake many rookies make. The only thing that sounded a note of caution this day were some funny noises coming from somewhere underneath the car.

Another wonderful evening of food and rest at the Samoset Resort on beautiful Penobscot Bay.

Tuesday, May 19

Cruising along after we had nailed the first checkpoint, Chuck slipped our car into 5th gear and was just remarking what a great ‘cruising’ gear it was when RRRIPPPPPP!! The engine started to rev freely, scaring Chuck, who exclaimed, "My God! What has happened?" I said the car had just slipped out of gear and told him "No problem, just put it back into gear" ----- so he did. Nothing! We were heartbroken! Defied by our car while leading the rally! Noticing that we had also lost the speedometer, we stopped. Cautiously, we tried the other gears. They all seemed to be OK, even though there were some grinding noises accompanying our progress. We even tried reverse, which also seemed to be OK, despite its proximity on the gate to 5th.
 
 
From the side of the road in rural Maine we called our car’s father protector in Austin, Texas, Dan Mooney of Classic Jaguar (USA), Inc. He was under a car, hard at work, so we left our distress call with his secretary, Misty, and motored on. We finished the leg, despite some clanking and grinding noises, and were still leading the rally, along with several others who also had a perfect score. Another call to Dan. Can we continue? By that time Dan had already spoken with the transmission (Borg Warner JT5) builder, Paul Cangialosi of Medatronics Corporation, in Florida. Apparently 5th gear is on its own shaft and the gear itself must have come loose and struck the adjacent electronic sensor for the speedo. The good news was that 5th gear operates entirely independently of the other four forward gears. Hooray! Even though it would make some grinding noises from time to time, we could motor on without fear of doing any further damage.

That afternoon Chuck made a respectable showing in the gymkhana, the first of four speed events in the rally. At the end of the day we still had a perfect rally score after eight legs, with only six more to go. We spent the night at the Sugarloaf Ski Resort, high in the Maine mountains.

Wednesday, May 20

Right out of the box our illusions of invincibility were shattered when Dad screwed up the driving and came a second late into the first checkpoint. Later that day, Dad did the speed event of the day: three laps round an oval track. But he only went round twice! Can he count? Only sometimes. Thankfully, the official let him try again. On his second chance he counted right.

We spent the night in the high mountains of New Hampshire and ended the third day in a three way tie for second. Two rallyists still had perfect scores. A fine dinner on a restored 1924 dining car, moving along slowly on an 8 mile short line railroad, completed our day.

Thursday, May 21

The last day! Right off Dad was another second late at the first checkpoint, ending any realistic chance of an overall win. But we were still far ahead in our class, so we concentrated on trying not to do any more damage to our score. Chuck came in perfect on the second leg, before our speed events. At Oxford raceway we had two speed events: a 1/8 mile drag race and an oval track course with an road course in the middle. There was a 427 AC Cobra in the rally that smoked everyone in the speed events, as well as a very fast C Type ‘replica’. The second time out, Dad drag raced the C Type, got a great start and was way ahead at the second shift, but shifted into the non-existent 5th gear instead of the intended 3rd. There is nothing more disappointing than coasting across the finish line in a drag race!

On the last leg of the rally, Chuck proved that he, like Dad, was not invincible, arriving a second late at the checkpoint.

We found ourselves back at the Harrasseeker Inn for the closing dinner. There we heard that we were 6th overall in the rally, and first in our class. We received a nice trophy for our class win. Inexplicably, the officials moved that growling, snarling Cobra out of our class in the speed events, so we won our class in that one too!

As Chuck remarked to me at the end of the last day: " If anyone who really knew how to drive a car brought a car like ours, prepared by Classic Jaguar (USA), Inc. to this rally, they would post some unbelievably eye popping times in the speed events." 

This rally was really well organized and a TON of FUN. We met a lot of new ‘car guy’ friends. Many thanks to Rich and Jean Taylor, who manage this annual event.

Best news of all: Rich and Jean are having a similar four day rally in Texas. Mark your calendars for November 8-13, 1998 in San Antonio.

Finally, our thanks for all the mechanical and spiritual support we received from Dan and the guys at Classic Jaguar (USA), Inc.

Charles T. Goolsbee
1965 Classic Jaguar (USA), Inc. modified E Type Roadster