Dan Dunham (aka Nigel Flopstalk)
Spouse: Susan (married 57 years)
Date joined the VBAC: April 1, 1990 (April Fool’s Day) (Charter Member).
British Cars Owned:
2. 1966 Jaguar E-Type FHC; owned since 1982
1967 Jaguar 420G; owned since 2012
Unique? Nah. Both cars are what I would consider nice drivers. They stand well at judged events but are rarely top of their class. Bridesmaid is a common term for this type of automobile.
Reason for Choosing British Cars?:
I was originally looking for a C-1 Corvette. I was having a hard time finding what I wanted. My friend the late Dick Van Rozeboom suggested that I broaden my search to Jaguars. I discovered that swoop-doopy E-Types were priced in the same range and that they rode and handled better, and, were a bit less “brutish” than the “plastic” cars.
On a cold, wet February morning an E-Type coupe’ popped up in the Sunday classifieds in the Fresno Bee. It had grace. It had style. And, being a “tin top”; it was warm and toasty inside. Little did we realize that the warm and toasty aspect carried over into the one hundred plus days of Fresno’s summers. (A bespoke a/c unit solved the problem.)
We nicknamed her: Sybil, a fine old name for a fine old English sports car.
The saloon (420G) came later. I had been searching for a Jaguar Mark II or mid- sixties S type when this huge Jaguar 420 G showed up on Craig’s list in San Jose. Are you ready for those famous last words: “It’s not the car we want but it’s only one hundred 180 miles away and I want to go look at it.” It has resided in our garage since 2012.
We nicknamed him: Chauncey.
Memorable trips: There have been many memorable events with our Jaguars. The most recent has been attending the Motherload Four Hundred with my grandson, Daniel.
Daniel and Dan have done the 400 two years running first with the E-type and then with the 420G. It has been the most wonderful bonding experience an old man can have with a grandchild (Daniel is 22 this year).
Other Interests: Dan is a published photographer. He gardens. He likes all things mechanical (“Let’s see if it can be improved”). He reads extensively and is the defacto mayor of the 400 block of East Michigan Ave, Fresno, CA.
