The XF Cotillion (and associated experiences of an armchair car gal)
It’s a truly rare event for most of us in this world to see a new car introduced to society before it’s available to the masses. Sure, you read about them in car magazines and see spy shots on blogs, but nothing compares to making a hand-on-leather-and-metal, in-person acquaintance. This past week, I got to do just that. Jaguar held a preview party for its brand spanking new XF in the lobby of the peculiarly angular Hamilton building at the Denver Art Museum…and I had a ticket.
Since I’ve never been to the Hamilton building, nor have I ever been to the 4-wheeled version of a cotillion, I had no idea what to expect. So, with open eyes, a curious mind, and wearing a helmet to protect my head from the building’s pointy corners (no, not really…or did I?), I pushed my way through the Hamilton's revolving front door into automotive preview unknown. Once inside, I took a breath and paused to take it all in. To my right, a white (yes, white) Jag XF surrounded by an odd mix of 40+ men and a smattering of, um, arm-candyish women. (None of whom had abided by the “urban-chic” dress code mentioned on the event ticket, by the way. Everyone was more “suburban tacky” tempered by a skosh of “somewhat moneyed”, than urban chic.) To my left, a DJ was rockin’ some very, very loud rap music, which complemented the car and attendees perfectly, as you can certainly imagine. Straight ahead of me was the bar. I straightened the French cuffs on my urban chic shirt, tucked my urban chic handbag firmly under my arm, and made a bee-line for THE BAR.
With my urban chic shoes only a couple strides away from a glass of chardonnay, my progress was arrested by a 5’ 5”, 50+, teddy bear of a lady killer. He was a long time, loyal Jag owner, as were most of the people at the event, and was more interested in how I could’ve possibly arrived unattended than discussing the fine details of the XF. (Note that this would be a common theme for the rest of the evening.) Regardless, he broke the ice for my preview experience and sweetly ushered me into the unfamiliar (and ever so strangely uncomfortable) realm of Jag owners…who attend these sorts of things for the people, even more so than the car, according to my snuggly, diminutive, charming friend.
Before we
proceed further with this story, I’d like to take some time out for a service
announcement to Jaguar: Please identify
your employees in some way at these events, such as to make it obvious to whom
I should direct my questions when I’d like to learn more about the car at hand. It took me an unnecessarily long time to
figure that out and would’ve allowed me to avoid chatting up those swingers
that nice couple. Now back to your
regularly scheduled blog post.
Once I found myself a Jag rep, convinced him that I was actually interested in the car and was not just milling around waiting for my husband/boyfriend/sugar daddy to order one for me, I did get some decent info. (I’ll write a separate post for all of that. And did I mention that the car was white?) After my cup had runneth over with XF factoids and I had grown weary of telling people that yes, I was there by myself, no, I did not currently drive a Jag, and yes, I actually was there because I was interested in the car, I quietly slipped away from the XF and out of the pointy Hamilton building back into the Denver night. Away from the throbbing music, away from the Jag lovers (who were mourning the lack of a leaping chrome cat on the hood of the XF), and away from my first automotive preview party. What a memorable ride.
I think both the XF and I made our society debuts that night. For the XF, it was a chance for Denver-area Jag aficionados to lay their eyes and hands on one of three revolutionary (for Jag) cars currently touring the country. For me, it was a chance for an armchair car gal to test her automotive mettle and see if she could swim upstream through a river of testosterone to extract the desired details about this (white, did I tell you it was white?) XF. And she did.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you look to your right, you’ll not only see a new Jaguar XF, but an equally unique Greater North American High Desert Car Gal. She’s a rare species, though fortunately for her kind, quite hearty. We’re not sure how many of her particular type exist, but consider yourselves lucky to have seen her in exceptional urban chic plumage (albeit in this man-made, unusually loud, and sharp-edged habitat). In the wild, you’d be lucky to even catch a glimpse, though a sighting is typically marked by rapidly departing taillights.
