We met with Tim at a ‘dry Silverstone’ (for Silverstone is never warm, only wet or dry), eagerly awaiting our short slot with the man that has spearheaded Jaguar’s heritage arm’s recent revolution.
From our initial exchanges, the energy Tim has for the Jaguar brand and its History is obvious. The man has owned a Daimler 2.5 V8 for a start, a connoisseur’s choice, if for nothing else than its rarity.
But with a ruthlessness typical of someone raised by the German auto-industry, Tim does not strike us as one who is happy to sit back and enjoy the rich annals of Jaguar’s history. Instead he brims with ideas for the future, an impressive attitude for the Director of a department that naturally finds itself looking to the past.
While Jaguar has never failed to acknowledge their history in the past, many have felt it hasn’t been done in the right way for years. A history as gilded as Jaguar’s should not be treated as an afterthought, some fans cried.
Well, boy were Jag listening.
It’s by now we address the elephant in the room, and get on to what has brought Jaguar Land Rover Classic to the foreground in recent years, the ‘continuation’ cars.
First we saw the ‘missing’ E-Type Lightweights, with Jaguar producing the first new E-types in forty years.
Then, came the series of XKSSs, which were never originally built due to a fire, now finally coming out of Jaguar’s gates. We can’t wait to see one of the cars in the metal, with one coming to the Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival next month. In fact, it will be the final car in our parade.
Tim however, is keen to express that these cars are more than a publicity stunt.
“When we built the Low -Drag, this was a car that was a derivative of the normal road car, so we learnt a huge amount about restoring those cars. The same of the XKSS, this was a car that had elements of C-Type, D-Type and XK’s, what better way to learn and gain knowledge to a completely different generation of engineers.
The age mix that worked on these projects was split and a good number were on the apprentice scheme. Now we have learnt a great deal and we can have confidence that there is not much our restoration team could not take on.”
While Tim is clearly proud of the two continuity models, it is evident that the vision for Jaguar Classic is far larger and much more long term than these two projects.
Indeed, Tim makes it clear that Jaguar Land Rover Classic’s aim is far more wide-ranging in appeal than a limited number of million-pound sports cars.
“It is not just cars though that we are working on, traditionally Jaguar has never been able to deliver on the supply of parts in the way we would want it to. If we are going to be able to restore Jaguars of history and have faith in our technicians then we need to supply them with parts that we have an equal amount of faith in too, but this is not an overnight solution, it will take time.”
The ambition of Jagaur Land Rover Classic is impressive, and the strides that have been made in recent years is remarkable. The company has lead the way in terms of ‘continuity’ cars, with Aston Martin now imitating and surely more to follow.
If JLR Classic can make a meaningful difference to the supply and quality of parts for all historic Jaguars however, and offer a good-as-new restoration service, Tim will surely have done something remarkable.
THE ROYAL WINDSOR JAGUAR FESTIVAL
The Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival will be an event like no other. Set in the majestic surroundings of Windsor Castle, the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club has been invited by the Prince Philip Trust Fund to assemble a unique Jaguar display and parade with the ultimate goal of raising funds to support this great cause.
The Prince Philip Trust Fund raises money to help young people living in the Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, having been established using a small sum of money taken from contributions to fundraising events that took place during Her Majesty The Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977. Since this modest beginning, the Trust Fund has benefited from a number of special fundraising events including several car rallies, and it is in this tradition that the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club is organising the Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival.
Booking is now open for the Festival Welcome Events on Friday 5th May, Long Walk tickets on Saturday 6th May or to join us in the evening at our Festival at Windsor Racecourse. For more details or to book, contact us here.
