Jaguar E-Type sculpture at Goodwood.

A striking iteration of the Jaguar E-type, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year, will be the centrepiece at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Made out of steel tubes, the distinctive shape of the world's most-loved sports car is captured in a truly jaw-dropping manner – the result soars 28 metres into the air in front of the beautiful backdrop of Goodwood House.  At 150 tonnes, the installation weighs the same as 122 Series 1 E-types and took 10 days to install by a firm specialising in bridge building.Echoing the curved fuselage of the car itself, the sculpture has been created using half a kilometer of painted steel tubes 1,200mm in diameter. Originally intended for use in gas pipelines, these are constructed from 12mm thick steel and machined to very high tolerances. Much of the metal was donated by Tata Steel, a subsidiary of Jaguar’s parent company. Appropriately for the car that earned itself a permanent place in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the E-type’s sensual shape has been recreated and transformed into a work of art itself by world-renowned sculptor Gerry Judah. The design process began in January and was followed by detailed engineering calculations and planning stages that lasted four months.Previous Goodwood installations have incorporated actual cars into the design but Judah explains why this year was different: “The E-type is famous for its shape but too small and delicate to hoist into the air. I thought I would like to express the form of the car itself without any embellishments."As well as the soaring sculpture, visitors to the event will be able to see an array of Jaguars past and present. Naturally the E-type will be taking centre-stage but also taking to the Goodwood Hillclimb course will be its famous C and D-Type racing forebears and the XK120 that founded the Jaguar sports car lineage. The current award-winning XF, XK and XJ will also be present and the stunning C-X75 concept car, that has already wowed crowds worldwide, will provide a glimpse into Jaguar’s future.Geoff Cousins, Managing Director, Jaguar UK said: “Jaguar has always been proud of its heritage and we feel particularly honoured to have been asked to provide the Goodwood sculpture for a second time. The E-type captures the essential beauty, drama and passion of every Jaguar – engineering and design DNA that is equally apparent in the current range.”

Read More

Jaguar XF makes a trip from factory to Germany on a single Tank of Diesel.

LUXURY cars and low-cost motoring are two phrases that don't usually go together - but the new Jaguar XF might just change that.

The XF, equipped with a 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine, promises to be the most efficient Jaguar yet produced.

And to prove it, Jaguar has completed an epic journey from the factory in which it was created at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham, to Munich - a distance of 816 miles - on a single tank of diesel.

The XF passed through four countries, taking in a mix of winding country roads, motorways and dense urban traffic. The XF, with just over 3,000 miles on the clock at the point of departure, consumed just 64 litres of fuel to average a remarkable 57 mpg.

Despite its keen focus on economy, the XF 2.2 produces 190 PS and 332 lb ft of torque, allowing the XF to accelerate from rest to 62mph in just 8.5 seconds before reaching a top speed of 140mph.

The XF 2.2 emits just 149g/km of CO2.

Read More

Jaguar E-Type Named UK’s Favourite Sports car

Marking it's 50th anniversary the Jaguar E-Type has been named as the UK’s favourite sportscar in an online vote of race fans and classic car enthusiasts.

“Britain is famous for its sportscars but until now no one has ever been able to say which one is the best. That’s a long-running debate we have now put to rest,” said Silverstone Classic Event Director, Nick Wigley.

The iconic Jaguar collected nearly a quarter of the votes cast, easily beating the similarly iconic Morgan and the TVR Griffith into second and third.

The vote was set-up by organisers of Silverstone Classic (July 22-24), the world’s largest classic motorsport festival that this year features a celebration of the iconic E-Type.

The highlight of the celebration will be two headline races during the weekend, both with 58 cars expected to take to the Silverstone Grand Prix track from the new brand new Silverstone Wing paddock. Organisers also hope to set a world record with over 1,000 road going examples making up a cavalcade around the 3.66 mile circuit.

The 2011 Silverstone Classic is set to be the biggest event yet with over 100 historic F1 cars expected for the weekend, as well as a grid of Group C sportscars that will race into the dusk on Saturday night. The program also includes a celebrity race, using identical Morgan cars, with drivers including TV chef Heston Blumenthal and Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Brendan Cole raising money for the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.

Read More

Jaguar E Type celebrates 50 years.

Launched in 1961, the Jaguar E-Type will be celebrating its 50th birthday at this year’s Silverstone Classic (July 22-24) with a host of special races and displays. Jaguar owners clubs in the UK are forecasting the greatest showing of Jaguar E-Types ever assembled, with a large number of examples to be brought from all over the world.

The on-track schedule includes two races dedicated solely to competition versions of the Jaguar E-Type, while a record grid of more than 50 race-prepared E-Types is predicted. In total, more than a thousand racing and road-going E-Types are expected to join the event.

“With so many E-Types on and off the track, it’s going to be a fantastic occasion – the world’s biggest and best celebration for one of the truly great sports cars,” said Nick Wigley, Event Director. “What’s more, the Silverstone Classic offers the perfect place and timing for the world to celebrate such an important milestone in automotive history. After all Jaguar designed and produced the E-Types just up the road at Browns Lane in Coventry and the very first UK sales commenced in July 1961. It’s going to be an absolutely amazing occasion – a party no classic car fan will want to miss.”

Highlighting the legendary Jaguar’s central role at this year’s Silverstone Classic, one of the very first Jaguar E-Types produced was featured on the event’s exhibition stand earlier this month at the Autosport Show International.

The historic car on display was the eleventh Jaguar E-Type car made, one of the many contesting the two HSCC Jaguar E-Type Challenge races at the Silverstone Classic in July. These early pre-production cars were sold to selected customers who would race them.

Read More

Jaguar XJ named as the best luxury car for 2010

The British motoring magazine Top Gear has named the Jaguar XJ as the best luxury car for 2010 ahead of its main rivals BMW and Audi.
Writing in the most recent Awards Issue of Top Gear Magazine, Editor at Large Jason Barlow described the XJ as a 'blast from the future', adding 'rarely has a new car slackened so many jaws'.
The Top Gear team lauded the lightweight aluminum architecture and described the XJ as the most efficient luxury car in its class. It has attained a 29-percent segment share during its first six months on sale, establishing itself as the British car of choice, especially among CEOs.
Since its launch the XJ has received more than 20 international honours, including 'Best Luxury Car' from China's Auto News, 'Annual Limousine King' from Quattroroute (Italy), Automobile Magazine's '2011 Design of the Year' and 'Best Executive Sedan' at the Bloomberg Awards (US).

Read More