Norman Dewis Tribute
With an invitation from the event organisers to the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club to put on a ‘Tribute to Norman Dewis’ on the Hall of Fame in Hall 3 we were again delighted to work with Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust to create a display of iconic cars that were associated with Norman during his working life at Jaguar. C-type (NDU 289) which ran in the 1953 Mille Miglia, the unique XJ13 Le Mans prototype in which Norman had a close to death experience at MIRA in 1971 and the oldest surviving E-type convertible (77 RW) which Norman famously drove through the night to the 1961 Geneva motor show. The display was supported by a ‘Tribute to Norman’ on each of the three days of the show conducted on the ‘Live Stage’ by Wayne Scott.
Powering JEC Racing
A prime location in Hall 2 opposite the main entrance for our JEC Racing stand we were delighted to welcome many club members and to be able to promote our 2020 racing programme. With Race Retro being such a strong draw for the UK’s massive club racing scene our Competition Secretary Chris Robinson & Racing Coordinator Colin Porter were able to meet and recruit potential new drivers for our XK & Hawthorn Series as well as our Saloon & GT Championship. Club Sponsorship & Events Manager Andy Webber joined them to discuss future sponsorship opportunities. The stand featured eye-catching images and graphics designed by our own Mike Manconi and his team at Trendy Design.
To find out more about our race championship visit: https://jec.org.uk/racing/register or contact Colin Porter on : [email protected]
Silverstone Auctions
Silverstone Auctions first sale of 2020 got off to a fantastic start with their competition car sale on the opening day (Friday) of the Reis Race Retro show.
The auction catalogue was full of stunning competition cars from historic examples to the most recent Jaguar F-Type GT4. With significant interest and enthusiastic bidding, a sales rate of 70% was achieved with £1.5 million in sales.
Harry Whale Silverstone Auctions Sales Manager commented on the weekend: “We always enjoy coming to Race Retro, such a great show and for us and a great way to kick off the year. We had some very notable cars on offer and the bidding for Lot 220, the Subaru Impreza WRC S12B , was fascinating to watch with one very determined bidder ensuring he was going to be taking it home.Our classic car sale on Saturday had some superb cars on offer and with James Bond very much in the news, it was appropriate that our highest selling car was the Silver Birch DB5.”
Lot 440, the 1965 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 was a very special car, having been treated with significant love and attention by Eagle, the E-Type re-engineering specialist. During their care, it gained a few upgrades, which only improved the car but retained its good looks. The new owner clearly approved at it was sold for £233,438.
Another lot with a wonderful story was Lot 226 the pair of Jaguar F-Type SVR GT4 race cars and spares that were sponsored during the 2019 season by the JEC. A project created and funded by Superdry founder James Holder for the Invictus Games Foundation, gave injured servicemen the opportunity to compete in motorsport at one of the highest levels. Huge sums of money were put into this project and now provide a future opportunity for the new owner, who purchased the cars for £213,750.
Elsewhere at the show
Le Mans 1988 winner for Jaguar, Andy Wallace appeared on the live stage at the show on Sunday to share some of his fascinating stories from driving for TWR racing the Silk Cut Jaguars. Legendary car designer Tony Southgate was also part of the star studded line up of guests throughout the weekend.
We were also joined on our stand by JEC Racing Champion from the 2019 season Chris Boon who is still celebrating from his incredible victory in his XK8 last year.
