COFFEE CLUB No. 5
SPONSORED BY @dovermans.hereford
Part 1/2
Mark, and his Jaguar XK140, Suffolk Jaguar SS100, 1930 Ford Model A!
In progress: 1934 Bentley Special (part Rolls Royce), 1936 Bentley Carlton Drophead.
Preferred brew method: French Press.
Mark LOVED our dark roast, Giulietta!
As the Carburettor Coffee Club continues to grow, we welcome Its first official sponsor. As you’ll find out, this post is very special...
Under the new management of Stewart; Dovermans Is Hereford’s Premium car sales and service centre, specialising in German marques such as Porsche Mercedes and BMW. With over 50+ vehicles in stock, head down to see some of the wonderful cars available, or even just a chin wag and coffee! ☕
Now, on to the visit!
As we rolled through the Herefordshire countryside, we arrived at Mark’s picturesque thirteenth-century property. The location itself had @jamie_bufton_photo polishing his lens eagerly…
First out of Mark’s garage was the Jaguar XK 140. As you can see, this car is nothing short of artwork. Sold with a lightweight body, in competition spec, this is a very rare car indeed. At the time of production, the American Car Club dubbed it as the “fastest car in the world”. To add to its aura; this particular XK140 was bought new by none other than Cary Grant (for our younger followers, ask your parents / grandparents!). Further to that little piece of provenance, the car was actually bought by Mr Grant for none other than Audrey Hepburn. How’s that for a previous owners list?! 🤯
To our further amazement, Mark reverses out a Suffolk SS100. While this may look like a pre war classic, we assure you it certainly isn’t! Mark reveals a 4.2 litre engine from a 1971 Jag XJ6. Hiding behind the faux drum breaks lie four large disks. This thing can run with the big boys and will easily do over 140 mph! Only 320 of these ‘restomods’ were made, so drink it in while you’ve got the chance folks!
Following a brew of our delicious Italian dark roast, ‘Giulietta’…
Mark took us back into the garage to view his ongoing projects!
On the way, we stopped at his 1931 Ford Model A pickup truck, initially built in Canada for the New Zealand Market. Can you believe it’s still got its original interior and paint! This pickup is also Mark’s favourite car — “It won’t get anywhere fast, but it will always get there!”
Inside the garage lurk two BEHEMOTH projects. Firstly, we have an amalgamation of a Rolls Royce and a Bentley — inside, there’s a Bentley engine, and on the outside it’s equipped with a Rolls Royce chassis and exterior panels.
Following on from the amalgamation, we have a nut-and-bolt restoration of a 1936 Bentley Carlton Drophead. The chassis is light enough for one person to pick up! This is the ONLY model built with the body that Mark’s restoring himself. We’ll check back in with Mark at the end of his two-year deadline for these projects!
Thanks for having us Mark, it was a pleasure. 😍