E-types set to star at the XK70 Jaguar Festival
E-types are set to play an important role in the XK70 Jaguar Festival at Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb this June. E’s will drive competitively and in demonstration runs up the famous hillclimb course, dazzle visitors to the two-day event in static displays, be the subject of live forums on the Festival’s stage, and participate in setting a new Guinness World Record for the greatest-ever gathering of XK-badged and XK-engined cars. The aim is to bring together at least 700 XK-related cars - and yours can be one of them.
The most famous E-type coming to the Festival is the low-drag Lightweight model known by its registration number, ’49 FXN’. Two of the three men responsible for this car’s unique modifications, driver Peter Sargent and mechanical engineer Sami Klat, will also be there. Together with the late-Peter Lumsden, Peter and Sami made the E-type go faster with an approach to R&D which often seemed more scientific than Jaguar’s - and despite a lack of assistance from the factory which suggested disapproval, their privately-entered car mixed heroically at Le Mans with works-supported Shelby Daytona Coupes and Ferrari 250 GTOs.
Another exotic Lightweight E-type appearing at the Festival is ‘4 GXO’. Although Jaguar originally completed only 12 of the 18 Lightweights planned, ‘4 GXO’ has the 14th shell built in-period. This was so badly damaged in Peter Lindner’s fatal crash at the Montlhéry track in 1964 that it was thought beyond repair - but when Classic Motor Cars (CMC) bought the remains from the Rosso Bianco Collection in 2007, company owner Peter Neumark recognised the chance to showcase his team’s extraordinary restoration skills. This exceptional car is powered by a period all-alloy 3.8-litre XK engine from the Walter Hill Collection, mated to an original ZF gearbox from Eagle E-types. Eagle currently own this car, and will also be bringing to the Festival a totally original 3.8 Roadster with only 51,000 miles on the clock, the Eagle Speedster driven by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear, and the sensuous Eagle E-type Low Drag GT Coupe.
XJ220C at Le Mans
Other cars at the event will include XK120s, 140s, and 150s; C-types and D-types; XJR-5 road and race cars; the XJ220C raced at Le Mans in 1993; and three of Jaguar’s legendary Group C racers, including the 1987 World Sportscar Championship-winning XJR-8. The man who signed-off that racing programme and who brought Jaguar back from the brink of bankruptcy, Sir John Egan, will be a Guest of Honour. So too will be Keith Helfet, the former Chief Stylist who designed the XJ220 supercar and the 1990s F-type concept.
The XK70 Jaguar Festival will feature a competitive hillclimb on Saturday 9th June, high-speed demonstration runs up the hill on Sunday 10th, and a packed programme of entertainment on both days - all in the beautiful countryside setting of the world’s oldest active motorsport venue.
E-type Club members are also offered the chance to enjoy a Platinum Weekend experience, driving to the Festival via the British Motor Museum and Jaguar Collection, with all-inclusive hotel packages.
Another tempting option is the three-day Limited Edition Tour of the Cotswolds.
To be sure you don’t miss out on this delightfully memorable weekend, visit www.xk70.co.uk
