Classic Cars: History of the Jaguar

The Jaguar brand wasn’t always the automobile legend we know it as today. It was actually a motorcycle sidecar manufacturer originally, and was founded under a different name, the Swallow Sidecar Company, in 1922. Co-founded by 21-year-old Billy Lyons and neighbor William Walmsley in Blackppol, Jaguar’s legacy has always been about style.

The Jaguar name was made relevant by the production of a series of eye-catching sports cars, such as the XK 120 of 1949, which was developed into the XK 140 and XK 150, and the E Type of 1961. These were all successful vehicles and were prime examples of Lyon’s motto of “value for money”.

The sales slogan for the Jaguar vehicles, which acquired the “Jaguar” name in 1935, was “Grace, Space, Pace”. The exact text of this slogan varied, but always included these three words, as this was what embodied a Jaguar vehicle. After WWII, Jaguar certainly made a name for itself as a producer of stylish, high-performance vehicles.

Although Jaguars were always about style, it wasn’t until the mid-1950’s that they were introduced as luxury vehicles. By then, jaguar cars were recognizable for their distinct styling cues, such as a chrome grill and the leaping jaguar emblem. Through the 50’s and 60’s, Jaguar luxury cars grew larger with each redesign, topping out at more than 200 inches in length by 1970.

The Jaguar brand has quite a distinct history, and is still going strong today. Currently, Jaguar produces 4 distinct models; the XK high-performance coupe and convertible, the XJ luxury model, the mid-size “executive” XF, and the X-Type which is among the upper tier of all luxury cars available today.

Whether you own a classic Jaguar or a modern one, Condon Skelly has the Insurance Policies to keep you financially protected. We’ve been helping our customers protect their classics with affordable, industry-leading classic, antique, and specialty vehicle insurance since 1967. We’re a group of collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals who specialize in insuring all types of collector vehicles. For more information, please contact us today at (866) 291-5694.

Specialty Car Insurance: The Legacy of the McLaren Brand

McLaren Automotive is a British car manufacturer of high-performance vehicles, established in 1989 as a producer of road cars based on Formula One technology. Bruce McLaren, father of the McLaren brand of automobiles, started a racing career as a teenager in a modified 1929 Austin Ulter that had been given to him by his father. McLaren was just as talented of an engineer as he was a racer, and so in May of 1966 he developed his very own Formula One car. This vehicle debuted at Monaco and qualified in 10^th place with Bruce behind the wheel.

In early 1970, work began on the McLaren M6GT, with the plan to take an M6 Can-Am car and develop a couple body that would be competitive in long distance racing. McLaren had always wanted to build his own road car, but also have it be the fastest and quickest accelerating car in the world that translated the brand’s expertise on the race track. Together with chief designer Gordon Coppuck, Bruce McLaren planned to refine the prototype, eventually aiming to produce up to 250 cars per year. However, other than the original prototype that became his personal transportation, there was only one other M6GT ever built.

Enthusiasts speculate whether or not McLaren’s dream would have taken off. Tragically, on June 2^nd of 1970, Bruce McLaren was doing a test run at Goodwood when the tail section on his M8D lifted at 170mph. He spun off the track and was thrown from the vehicle, resulting in his untimely death at the age of 32.

While dreams of the fastest road car ever disappeared with Bruce McLaren, the brand lived on. In fact, the John Barnard designed McLaren MP4/1, developed in 1981, is said to be the most significant car in McLaren’s long history. The McLaren brand has continued to thrive, with its most recent model being the elegant McLaren P1, described as the “ultimate expression of aerodynamic expertise” by McLaren employees.

No matter what type of specialty car you own, it’s important to protect it financially with the right type of Specialty Car Insurance Coverage. At Condon Skelly, we know how exciting it can be to start a classic car collection. We’ve been helping our customers protect their classics with affordable, industry-leading insurance coverage since 1967. We’re a group of collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals who specialize in insuring all types of collector vehicles. For more information, please contact us today at (866) 291-5694.

How Much Should You Spend on a Classic Motorcycle?

Back in February 2014, we looked at what factors may help you determine the market value of a classic car, either for selling or for buying purposes. Hemmings Collector Car Marketplace provides a very specific guide to use when doing so, but what if you are looking to buy a classic motorcycle instead of a car?

Determining the value of a vintage or classic motorcycle can be tricky, but it’s an important part of your buying process, especially since your classic motorcycle insurance policy will be affected by this value. Experts recommend having a professional motorcycle appraisal done, but motorsport expert John Glimmerveen offers the following basic factors that affect the value of your bike.

Pricing trends.  The market value of the bike you are looking to purchase may be decreasing. It’s important to do your research online and through other resources for your specific classic motorcycle to determine if it is in fact decreasing in value, remaining stable, or increasing.

Repair costs. Will it cost you more to make repairs than it will to buy the bike? If those repairs won’t raise the value to a profitable amount, the bike not be worth the purchase. This will vary though on whether you are looking to get the bike into riding shape or make it museum quality, which brings us to the next factor.

Purpose. If the purchase is being made as an investment, and you intend to restore it, you may be willing to pay a little more than if you were to purchase for riding pleasure only. When it comes to rare motorcycles, enthusiasts are usually quick to buy if it looks good, but if you are buying it to ride, the mechanical functionality is much more important than its looks.

Rarity. How many are on the market?

At Condon Skelly, we know how exciting it can be to buy a classic motorcycle or start a collection of antique vehicles. We’ve been helping our customers protect their classics with affordable, industry-leading classic motorcycle insurance coverage since 1967. We’re a group of collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals who specialize in insuring all types of collector vehicles. For more information, please contact us today at (866) 291-5694.

Classic Motorcycles: The History of Board Track Racing

If you are an avid antique motorcycle fan, you’ve likely heard of the popular motorsport, Board Track Racing. Prevalent in the U.S. during the 1910s and 1920s, this event was a competition that took place on circular or oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks. The reason for the use of these board tracks were in part because they were not expensive to construct. Unfortunately, they did lack durability, and because of this they required a great deal of maintenance to remain in use. Most tracks only lasted for three years before being abandoned.

Due to the lack of safely built tracks, called motordromes, the sport of Board Track Racing was a risky one. Riders were able to reach speeds of more than 100 miles an hour, meaning that when a crash happened, it was devastating. Crashes weren’t rare either; riders who went down faced being pelted with splinters from the boards and often times spectators were injured as well. Some crashes were even fatal.

Despite all this, people flocked to the races at board tracks from Denver, to Milwaukee, to Long Island. By the mid-1920s, however, the novelty of the sport began to wear off and it was losing its appeal. Newspapers had begun to refer to motordromes as “murderdromes,” and local governments even starting closing some of the tracks. Race officials and the motorcycle manufacturers that sponsored racing teams tried to implement safety measures, but it didn’t help. By the early 1930s, Board Track Racing became obsolete.

At Condon Skelly, we appreciate the history behind antique and classic motorcycles, trucks, and cars. Since 1967, we’ve been helping our customers protect their classics with affordable, industry-leading insurance coverage. We’re a group of collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals who specialize in insuring all types of collector vehicles. Please contact us today to learn more at 800.257.9496. 

Classic Motorcycles: History of the AJS Motorcycle

During the early 1900s, a man named Albert John Stevens built engines for use in the frame of motorcycle manufacturers along with his brother. In 1909, the brothers finished their first complete motorcycle, a British bike virtually identical to motorcycles manufactured under the Matchless brand, but named AJS, after Albert himself.

The Stevens brothers eventually formed their own business, called A.J. Stevens & Co. (AJS) The company was known for building singles and V-twins in the years before World War II and took home several trophies in the early days of TT racing, which would help their sales for many years. The company existed from 1909 to 1931, manufacturing both cars and motorcycles, but went bankrupt at the end of their run, and as a result, joined forces with the Matchless Company to form Associated Motor Cycles (AMC). Although both lines continued under their own names, they became synonymous in construction, differing only in badging and trim.

Though created after the formation of the AJS brand to AMC, the most notable bike produced is perhaps the 1954 AJS E95 Porcupine Racing Motorcycle. The Porcupine was built for speed, and was described as the “Holy Grail of British motorcycles”. This bike is the only twin-cylinder motorcycle to have ever won the 500cc World Championship, and was one of only four E95s to be built, deeming it as a “legendary” bike by many enthusiasts. The Porcupine features an exposed clutch, an AC fuel pump that requires the bike to be stood on its rear wheel for priming, a full 54bhp, and a streamlined design.

No matter what type of antique or classic motorcycle you own, it’s important to protect it financially with the right type of Classic Motorcycle Insurance Coverage. At Condon Skelly, we know how exciting it can be to start a classic car collection. We’ve been helping our customers protect their classics with affordable, industry-leading insurance coverage since 1967. We’re a group of collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals who specialize in insuring all types of collector vehicles. For more information, please contact us today at (866) 291-5694.

Classic Trucks: The 1957-58 Ford Ranchero

Dubbed as “American’s first modern car-pickup hybrid”, the Ford Ranchero was introduced for the 1957 year. According to sources from Consumer Guide- Automotive, Ford Rancheros are among the most collectible artifacts of the 1950s, with a far reaching influence.

So what was the Ford Ranchero? Basically, it was a two-door Ranch Wagon with the rear roof section cut off and a bed liner slipped over the floor pan. The concept for this vehicle was introduced much earlier, in 1932, in Australia. Ford of Australia called this vehicle a “Ute” (Utility): a roadster with the body section behind the driver replaced by a fleetside bed. In 1957, the open-bed Ford Ranchero joined Ford’s wagon lineup and was joined by the more wagon-like Ford Courier Sedan Delivery.

The Ranchero was first offered in two trim levels and was built on the corresponding automobile assembly line, but sold as a truck through Ford’s truck division throughout the model run. The two models were the basic standard model; marketed to traditional pickup truck buyers such as farmers, and the custom model; available with extensive accessories such as stainless steel bodyside moulding and two-tone paint. The custom model picked up most of its options and accessories that were available on the Fairlane line.

While the Ford Ranchero rushed into popularity in 1957, with 21,705 being produced, a year later Ford attempted a facelift on the model. Only 9,950 were produced this year. The Ranchero still lived on for many more years though, ceasing production in 1979. For many collectors, however, nothing compares to the first 1957-1958 Ford Ranchero.

Whether you own a classic Ford Ranchero or any other type of classic or antique car, it’s important to protect it financially with the right type of Classic Car Insurance Coverage. At Condon Skelly, we know how exciting it can be to start a classic car collection. We’ve been helping our customers protect their classics with affordable, industry-leading insurance coverage since 1967. We’re a group of collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals who specialize in insuring all types of collector vehicles. For more information, please contact us today at (866) 291-5694.