CF Jaguar XF Unveiling Bash a Blast

When Checkered Flag throws a party, it's REALLY a PARTY!  And that was the case yesterday evening when Checkered Flag Jaguar held a bash to unveil the new 2009 Jaguar XF.  Win'sGal and I got to help out (actually, Win'sGal did all the heavy lifting, both literally and figuratively ... I had the "job" of reporting on the occasion for the Checkered Blog, which means I got to socialize and snap pix.)  Both the car and the party itself drew raves.

A little background: As we reported here on the Checkered Blog recently, the XF is big for Jaguar and Jag fans.  Not only does it replace the S-series, it's a new design direction for the marque.  The car on show at Checkered Flag Jaguar yesterday is owned by Jaguar, which is taking it around the country as a preview for when the vehicle officially arrives in dealerships this March.  Checkered Flag Jaguar staff spent much of the day training on the vehicle, so they can answer all and any questions about it.  Then, the party got underway at 5:30 (well, that was the official start time, but people began arriving around 5 p.m.) and lasted a little past the dealership's official close time of 9 p.m. 

I got this photo of sales manager John Page with the car before the crowd came.   John told me that this particular car had absolutely all available XF features, except one - the heated steering wheel.  You can see that it is a very different look for Jaguar, and very stylish.

And it wasn't long before the car was surrounded by a crowd of guests -- as you can see here.

Of course, an important aspect of any car is how it feels to get behind the wheel.  Petrina Young was among the many who got inside to find out.

But, the car, while the star of this soiree, was not the only attraction.  Skip Hancock and Anna Gunn with the Skylark swing jazz band provided entertainment. Skip tinkled the ivories on his electronic keyboard and Anna supplied the vocals.  Everyone was talking about how great they were -- I felt like I was in some sophisticated big city club.

 

And then there was the food ... provided by Cuisine & Company and absolutely superb.  Below are some pictures of the "crispy asparagus straws" (asparagus spears surrounded by gruyere cheese, rolled in phyllo, sprinkled with parmesan and baked) and "tenderloin on horseback" (thinly sliced marinated beef tenderloin served on a garlic crouton with a creamy horseradish sauce.") Yumm ...

To sum it all up: About the car, the general consensus was "surprising and stunning."  About the party -- well, let's put it this way:  more than one person suggested that "Checkered Flag should do this every night."  BTW, Checkered Flag is currently taking pre-orders for the XF, which is scheduled to be available this March.  If you'd like to pre-order or simply learn more about the car, please call (757) 490-1111 and ask for the Jaguar sales team ... they will be more than happy to assist you!