Jaguar is again making its mark at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with a unique display of its past, present and future sports cars.
FUTURE
Jaguar's final engineering prototype of the new XKR makes a special appearance just a week before the global debut of the new supercharged sports car at the British International Motor Show. This one off vehicle – painted in a modern interpretation of the Primrose Yellow used on E-Types of the 1960s – has been specially prepared for the Goodwood ‘hill’ by a team of Jaguar engineers and designers; a modern day version of Jaguar's 'Saturday club'.
Jaguar's Chief Engineer, Vehicle Integrity Mike Cross will drive it up the hill in a skilled demonstration as part of the action.
This new supercharged sports car builds on the excellence of the XK and will be available as a Coupe or Convertible; with all the attractions and attributes of the XK, but amplified in 'R' form to complement the extra power and performance.
PRESENT
Next, having just claimed the prize of 'Car of the Year' and 'Best Coupe' at the Auto Express New Car Honours 2006, the new XK is continuing to turn heads and will be on display and taking part in the hill climb at the Festival. So far this year more than 1,000 UK customers have taken delivery of the new XK. Globally, Jaguar has already sold more than 8,000 XK's, with the order bank still growing.
PAST
And finally, as always Jaguar is not only preserving its rich motoring heritage but keeping it oiled, fuelled and very much alive as clearly demonstrated by the magnificent 1953 C-Type,
1956 long nose D-Type, 1954 short nose D-Type and famous 1974 group 44 E-Type racing car which will all make appearances at the Festival.
The 1956 Le Mans-winning Jaguar D-Type will also be on display and taking part in the hill climb at the festival, in its second public appearance this year following a recent lap of honour at Le Mans to mark the 50th anniversary of its victory.*
Geoff Cousins, UK Managing Director at Jaguar Cars, said: "Goodwood's celebration provides the perfect platform to showcase the rich lineage of the XK on home turf. Following the resounding success of the XK since it went on sale earlier this year, we are confident that the much awaited XKR will also continue to build on the momentum the car has generated and this exciting last XKR prototype will offer festival goers a dramatic insight into its appearance and ability."
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is open from Friday 7 July to Sunday 9 July 2006. All Jaguar cars will be on display and heading up the famous Goodwood hill climb.
* 1953 JAGUAR C-TYPE
The C-Type brought Jaguar its first victory in the Le Mans 24-hour race. The XK120 had demonstrated its abilities in racing and Jaguar set to work to create a competition version – the XK120C, or C-type.
Using the XK120’s engine and transmission they devised a more rigid, lightweight tubular chassis. This was fitted with a handsome wind-cheating aluminium body, designed by Malcolm Sayer. The engine was tuned to 260bhp and the brakes and suspension were improved.
Three cars were entered for the 1951 Le Mans. One of these won at an average speed of 93mph.
1956 JAGUAR D-TYPE 'LONG NOSE'
This was the penultimate D-Type, built in March 1956 and originally fitted with the latest specification fuel injection engine. It was allocated to the Jaguar works racing team, and was entered for the Reims 12-hour race which it won, driven by Duncan Hamilton and Ivor Bueb.
In 1956, the 24-hour race at Le Mans was held later than normal, at the end of July, to allow for reconstruction following the disaster in the 1955 race.
1974 JAGUAR E-TYPE GROUP 44 RACING CAR
The E-Type was to experience a renaissance late in its career, with the V12-engined Series 3 model.
In 1974, Mike Dale of British Leyland Motor Inc, decided to enter the E-Type in the Class B production car championship of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Two independent companies were chosen to prepare and race the cars, Huffaker of California for the West Coast races, and Group 44 of Virginia for the East Coast races. Group 44 had been founded 10 years before, and had an impressive list of race victories.
The E-Types swept all before them for the season, with the Huffaker car driven by Lee Mueller scoring a total of three victories and the Group 44 car driven by Bob Tullius five. In 1975, Tullius won seven races, including the Road Atlanta national finals, and took the SCCA Championship.
1954 JAGUAR D-TYPE 'SHORT NOSE'
Even among D-Types this is a unique car. It is the factory prototype for the machine which set the seal on the Jaguar Le Mans legend, culminating in a hat-trick of victories from 1955 to 1957. With its advanced monocoque construction and beautiful low-drag body, it maximised the potential of the XK engine, offering over 170mph while remaining tractable enough to be driven on the road. Indeed the works cars were driven from Coventry to Dover, onto the ferry, and then down the main roads to the French circuit.
1956 JAGUAR D-TYPE
Half a century ago, Ninian Sanderson and Ron Flockhart were victorious in the Jaguar D-Type, entered by Ecurie Ecosse. The 3.4 litre car completed 300 laps, a distance of 4034.929 kilometres, on its way to victory. This 1956 Le Mans winning D-Type is now owned by Cavallino Holdings in the USA.
