In 2021, the Pays de Loire/Brittany region organised a major celebration for the 60th anniversary of the Jaguar E-type. The event brought together owners from across France and was later featured in Jaguar Enthusiast Magazine and Friday Spotlight. For many who attended, it set a benchmark.
Now it’s time to do something to mark 65 years.
Earlier this year, several E-type owners approached the Regional organiser, Jean Danais and asked whether plans were already forming for the 70th anniversary. His response was pragmatic. At 76 years old, he felt that 2031 was too distant to promise anything. But the conversation sparked another idea: why wait for 70 when 65 offered a meaningful link back to March 1961?
That was how the 65th anniversary event began and Jean Danais contacted those who had taken part in 2021. Fifty previous participants responded positively. With that level of interest confirmed, the decision was made: the region would mark 65 years since the E-type’s launch with a new gathering, carefully timed to echo the original debut at the Geneva Motor Show on the 15th of March 1961.
The chosen dates are 14th –15th March 2026. The timing is deliberate as discussed above. The anniversary weekend sits almost exactly 65 years to the day since Jaguar unveiled the car in Geneva.
Afternoon at Lohéac
Proceedings begin on Saturday afternoon at the Circuit de Lohéac, near Rennes. Lohéac is well known in French motorsport circles, not only for its rallycross events but also for its welcoming approach to historic vehicles.
Participants will take part in a controlled track afternoon. This is not about competition or lap times. Instead, it offers owners the rare opportunity to drive their cars on a closed circuit in a safe and structured environment. A parade session is planned, allowing all cars to circulate together — an opportunity for photography and filmed coverage.
Alongside the track activity, animations and informal displays will create a festival atmosphere. Owners and visitors will also have access to the nearby Musée de l’Automobile de Lohéac, widely regarded as one of the most impressive motor museums in France. Its collection spans decades of European automotive history, providing context for the E-type’s place within a broader timeline of engineering and design.
The combination of circuit driving and museum access creates a fitting bridge between past and present: cars in motion, and cars preserved.
Evening at Domaine de la Ferrière
On Saturday evening, the event moves to the Domaine de la Ferrière. The setting shifts from trackside energy to a more reflective atmosphere.
The programme includes a structured discussion and debate featuring E-type specialists. Rather than repeating familiar praise, the intention is to examine the car with technical and historical depth: its development, its evolution through different series, and its lasting influence within Jaguar’s range.
There will also be product presentations aimed specifically at women — an acknowledgement that the E-type community includes many partners and enthusiasts whose interests extend beyond the technical detail of the car itself.
The evening concludes with a formal dinner at the Domaine, followed by overnight accommodation on site. The aim is to create space not just for speeches, but for conversation — owners sharing restoration stories, driving experiences and personal connections to their cars.
Sunday: Road Trip to Clisson
If Saturday focuses on circuit and discussion, Sunday returns to the road.
Participants will depart for a 90-kilometre road trip to Clisson. The route has been designed to showcase the Breton landscape, offering the kind of flowing secondary roads that suit the E-type’s character: open stretches interspersed with small villages and rolling countryside.
The destination is “Hellcity”, a distinctive area within the wider Hellfest site in Clisson. Hellfest is one of Europe’s largest heavy metal music festivals, attracting around 150,000 visitors each year. Outside the festival season, the site retains its dramatic architectural style, inspired by industrial and gothic themes.
Sixty-five years after its debut, the E-type continues to bring friends together on circuits, in hotels, and along country roads. In March 2026, in Brittany, that connection will be felt once again. Contact Jean Danais: jddiffusion@wanadoo.fr .
