Humph R.I.P.
Humphrey Lyttleton, great Traditional Jazz musician and a genuinely funny man, has died at the age of 86. Long a BBC radio fixture in such programmes as The Best of Jazz and I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, I’ll remember him fondly as a master of innuendo. Arguably the best trumpet player in Britain, his music lives on …
“As we journey through life, discarding baggage along the way, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from desiccation.” Humphrey Lyttelton
Jaguar Sale - Antitrust Hurdle Cleared
Reuters reports that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission have cleared Tata Motors’ purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford.
It’s nice to know that it’s OK by the US that a company from India is allowed to buy a UK-based company.
Update: Motor Authority reports that the deal has also cleared the EU “simplified procedure” for approval.
I guess that it’s time for me to mention that I approve the sale too … I’ve never been keen on car companies run by bean-counters. Sorry, Ford.
Where Was I?
I’ve been asked about the two week gap in posts to this blog recently.
I’m happy to report that there was nothing bad going on, I was busy putting together the new OJOA website, WWW.OJOA.ORG, the first phase of which went live a few days ago.
Things should be back to normal here for a while as I’m taking a short break before tackling Phase II, which involves setting up various pages and a blog under WordPress while maintaining the visual design of the main site.
Give it a try, I hope that you’ll like it.
Jaguar Plans Ahead
The Coventry Telegraph reports on a 42-month scheme that Jaguar Land Rover has launched with the unveiling of a new recruitment programme, offering around 60 Advanced Apprenticeships to youngsters aged 16 and up.
Des Thurlby, human resources director at Jaguar Land Rover, said:
With the two brands investing in the future and a wide range of engineering opportunities and career paths available, there has never been a more exciting time to be an apprentice at Jaguar Land Rover.
Stirling Moss to Lead Jaguar Cavalcade in D Type
Easier Motoring reports that Sir Stirling Moss will drive the famous Long Nose D Type Jaguar, 393 RW, through Bradford, UK on Thursday April 24th. He will be at the head of a parade of famous Jaguars from the The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Collection to open Speedmaster’s new motoring conference centre
The D Type will be followed by a Jaguar C Type, NDU 289; a Jaguar XK120, NUB 120; the Jaguar XKR from the James Bond movie “Die Another Day”; and the Jaguar XK8 “Shaguar” convertible of the Austin Powers movie “The Spy Who Shagged Me”.
A mixed collection, but that’s to be expected in Bradford.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Geoff Polites Dies
Geoff Polites, 60, passed away in his home country Australia today after a long illness.
Dearborn-based Ford credits Polites with leading the team that returned the overall Jaguar and Land Rover business back to profitability. Ford said Sunday it still anticipates completing the deal with Tata in the second quarter.
Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally said in a statement…
Geoff ensured that Jaguar Land Rover was not distracted and continued to focus on the fundamentals of the business during the recent sale process, despite at the time also fighting his own personal health battle.
Jaguar Still The Choice of Villains
Shades of the 60s … The Times Online reports the use of a Jaguar when a suspected armed robber escaped from a prison van in Barking, Essex, UK, with the help of three armed men.
They don’t mention if it was a MkII, the favoured transportation of villains when it was new.
I have a sudden urge to watch a few episodes of The Sweeney!
Jaguar GT3 Racing Car Company Tragedy
Apex Motorsport, responsible for the beautiful FIA GT3 Jaguar XKR pictured above, suffered a devastating blow when company owner Richard Lloyd, and championship driver David Leslie, together with new team member Chris Allarton, were killed in a plane crash near Biggin Hill, Kent, UK on Sunday afternoon. They were on their way to France for testing of the Jaguar race car.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the pilots of the Cessna Citation 501 private jet managed to steer the aircraft away from the heart of a residential area. One house was destroyed and another seriously damaged, but nobody on the ground was injured. A later report suggests that birds may have been drawn into the engines shortly after takeoff.