JAGUAR HERITAGE NEWS – February 2013 report

JAGUAR HERITAGE TRUST NEWS
ISSUE 1 - DECEMBER 2014
Welcome to the first issue of ‘The Trust’ – a new
newsletter for the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust
(formerly known as Jaguar Heritage).
Some detail elements of the new corporate
identities for both JLR and the Trust are still
being worked out and will be communicated in
due course.
Based on popular demand for continued news
about the goings-on in the Jaguar Heritage
world, this trial edition of ‘The Trust’ has been
put together as a Christmas Special. Further
issues may follow in the New Year, frequency to
be decided. It focuses on the various activities
and events that have involved the JDHT team or
its vehicle collection – many of which continue to
be in support of the parent Jaguar Land Rover
business.
Roles & Responsibilities:
This is another area that is still under review. At
this stage not very much can be said other than
that the Jaguar Heritage Trust will continue to
exist and will continue with its primary role of
preserving its historic vehicle collection and the
archives of Jaguar Cars Ltd.
All enquiries relating to the Trust’s vehicle
collection or its extensive archive of images,
artefacts and documents should continue to be
sent to the normal points of contact as detailed
on the Trust’s website (click here).
As reported in the final few editions of Jaguar
Heritage News, the new JLR Heritage business
operation is continuing to expand its range of
activities – with the Heritage Driving
Experiences being the most recent addition –
and communications about these will be
handled by JLR via the www.jaguar.com website
or through press releases.
Recent Events Round-up:
Turning to other topics, the last couple of
months have continued to be busy ones for the
Heritage Trust team with many diverse events,
both big and small, placing demands on the
vehicle collection.
Naming & Branding:
To avoid the confusion that has existed over the
last few months over the ‘old’ and ‘new’ Jaguar
Heritage, it has been decided that the JDHT will
now be referred to as the ‘Jaguar Heritage
Trust’.
At the end of September, we received the sad
news that Gary Davies, former TWR race
engineer, had died. Gary, often known as Taff,
cut his teeth in motorsport with the Theodore
Racing F1 team where
he was number one
race mechanic in the
‘70s. He then joined
Tom
Walkinshaw’s
new team in the early
‘80s and played a part
in building the XJS
ETC car that won the
championship in 1984.
The Jaguar arm of the new JLR Heritage
business will be known as Jaguar Heritage and
is adopting a new logo as shown below:
From there the team moved on to the World
Sportscar Championship, and Gary helped to
build, test and prepare the race cars for several
seasons – which culminated with the Le Mans
victories in 1988 and 1990.
This new logo and identity is being used as the
umbrella for the whole range of JLR’s Jaguar
Heritage activities – Heritage Parts, the Browns
Lane Workshop, the Driving Experiences etc.
Gary helped JDHT in more recent years with
work on the collection’s Le Mans winning XJR-9
from 1988. As a tribute from all Taff’s friends at
the Trust, this car was put on display outside the
The logo previously used by the Trust (with the
words ‘Jaguar Heritage’ underneath the Jaguar
lozenge) will be progressively phased out.
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Bear pub in Stratford, where the wake took
place on September 29.
1976 Broadspeed XJ12 coupé and also the
1984 ETC championship winning TWR XJS –
the carrot being a potential front cover shot in
Motorsport when the feature is published!
Moving into October, focus continued on some
of the racing cars from the Collection which
were required for a photo shoot towards the
end of the month. The purpose was for a
forthcoming article in Motorsport magazine
being penned by well-known auto journalist,
Andrew Frankel.
After a damp start, conditions improved on the
day and Andrew had the chance to sample all
the cars. With assistance from the support
team, all four cars were driven in convoy for
some exciting (and rare) tracking shots. Look
out for the finished article in Motorsport
magazine early in the New Year.
The initial request from Andrew was for the
Trust’s 1983 XJR-5 Group 44 car that made its
dynamic debut at last year’s CarFest North
event, following a lengthy rebuild by technician
Richard Mason.
Following the success of his ‘Friends Reunited’
article about the Jaguar XJ-S which appeared in
the October edition of Jaguar World magazine,
journalist Mike Taylor was asked to do
something similar for the XJ40.
Once again, he turned to the Trust for help with
identifying suitable people to interview and
suitable examples of the XJ40 to use for photos
and to stimulate the discussion. A key member
of the original XJ40 programme team was
Malcolm Oliver who was the Engineering Project
Manager, reporting to Jim Randle, Engineering
Director. Malcolm is now happily retired and
living in California so the interviews were
scheduled for October 14 when he was paying
a visit to the UK.
The XJR-5 Chassis 009 undergoing preparation in the
Heritage Trust workshop
The venue chosen for the shoot was Blyton Park
in Lincolnshire which can accommodate noisier
vehicles like the XJR-5! Once the venue was
established, Andrew enquired whether it might
also be possible to bring along the Trust’s other
Group 44 car – the 1974 E-type V12.
Malcolm Oliver, Jonathan Partridge and Paul Walker
Alongside Malcolm were Paul Walker, who was
variously in charge of NVH (noise, vibration and
harshness), the Engineering Workshops and
then became Chief Trim Engineer during the life
of the XJ40 programme, and Jonathan Partridge
It was then suggested that to complete the
ensemble of V12-engined race cars from the
period, it would be a good idea to include the
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who was the saloon car Product Strategy
Manager in Sales and Marketing.
significant milestone recently when, after a
complex re-build, he was ready to start the
mighty 5.0L V12 engine for the first time.
The three old hands duly assembled at the
Heritage Trust’s workshop where they were
reunited with two XJ40s – a 1988 XJ6 3.6 car
with the rare tweed cloth trim, and a 1994
Sovereign 4.0 which was the last XJ40 built.
To witness this momentous event, he invited
many of the key former Jaguar employees who
had been involved in the original engine
development programme.
Following some
introductory speeches, the honour of pressing
the starter button fell to Jim Eastick who was reliving a similar experience 50 years ago when
he started the first prototype V12 in the
presence of William Heynes, then Jaguar’s
Engineering Director.
Admiring the XJ40 toolkit – still a standard fit in 1988!
The conversation flowed and there was much
reminiscence about the trials and tribulations of
this project which, in many ways, became the
bedrock of the Jaguar business and paved the
way for the subsequent expansion under Ford
ownership and the new models that followed.
Frank Philpot speaking while Peter Wilson and Jim
Eastick look on just prior to the start-up.
The 2014 event was witnessed by William’s son,
Jonathan Heynes, together with Richard Hassan
(son of Walter), Frank Philpot (Jaguar
Experimental), Brian Martin (Electrical), Peter
Jones (Competitions) and Peter Wilson
(Competitions and author of a definitive book
about the XJ13 project).
Look out for the finished article in a future
edition of Jaguar World.
At the end of October, a special event took
place up in Bishops Castle, Shropshire at the
home of Neville Swales. As some readers may
know, Neville managed to acquire one of the
very rare prototype quad-cam Jaguar V12
engines (XJ6/2) of the type used in the XJ13
back in 2010.
This inspired him to start a
project to create a toolroom copy of the XJ13 as
it was when first built in 1966.
Neville has been steadily progressing this
project in the spare time he has from his day job
as an IT Consultant (amongst other things, he
runs the Trust’s website) and reached a
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the last of the old newsletters, ‘The Perfect Ten’
were selected by Lord March, Brian Johnson
(lead singer of rock band AC/DC) and Jaguar’s
own Design Director, Ian Callum, as the ten
most important and iconic Jaguar cars of all
time.
The engine duly fired-up although with one or
two worrying noises that turned out to be
nothing more serious than a starter motor that
failed to disengage!
The cars were set against an enormous
background image of a racetrack pit lane
(eventually identified as the Hungaroring).
Jonathan Partridge supported the press days
and volunteers Eric Baptiste and Stuart McEvoy
did sterling service as ‘Heritage Ambassadors’
for the three customer days.
Neville Swales with his recreated XJ13 bodyshell
For a more detailed report, more pictures and to
read more about Neville’s project, visit his
website blog by clicking here.
November was a busy month for the new JLR
Heritage operation with the launch of the Jaguar
Heritage Driving Experience in the middle of
the month, followed immediately by the Classic
Motor Show at the NEC – the largest indoor
classic car event in the UK.
The Heritage Driving Experiences are taking
place at the Fen End test track facility
purchased by JLR earlier in the year from
ProDrive – in many ways an appropriate venue
given its previous use by Lucas for brake testing
in the 1960s and 70s. Prior to the Lucas years,
it was a military airfield, RAF Honiley, and
housed a number of squadrons that defended
the Midlands during the Second World War.
Post-war it was taken over by the Royal Naval
Reserve who flew some of the first jet fighters
including the de Havilland Vampire and the
Supermarine Attacker.
Over
the
same
weekend, the
Classic Motor Show
took place at Birmingham’s NEC. Sponsored for
the second year by Lancaster Insurance, the
show was more popular than ever with 65,000
visitors over the three days who were treated to
a vast display of 1,800 cars being showcased by
250 Clubs.
The launch week of the driving experiences
included Press Days on November 11 and 12,
followed by the first customer days over the
weekend November 14-16. Invitations for the
media days went to all the main Jaguar Clubs so
look out for write-ups in forthcoming magazines
– there has already been plenty of online
coverage, one of the most comprehensive being
Letitia Mace’s excellent article in Xclusively
Jaguar. Click here to view.
The Trust’s main involvement was in providing
‘The Perfect Ten’ selection of cars from its
collection for static display in the event welcome
centre – an impressive temporary structure
erected on the edge of the track. As reported in
The Jaguar stand this year was being run by the
new JLR Heritage Business and was used to
showcase some of its new projects including the
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light-weight E-type recreation and the Browns
Lane Heritage workshop. Two of the cars on
the stand were also from the recently acquired
James Hull collection – a concours condition
1954 XK140 OTS (the 2nd right hand drive car
built) and an XKR 100 Coupé, one of a limited
edition built in 2001.
The weekend after this, Norman was out and
about once again, joining around two hundred
other delegates attending the annual Andrew
Whyte Memorial Lecture event on November
23. Organised with the usual skill and energy by
Bob Beecham of the Jaguar Drivers’ Club, this
25th staging of the event took place in the Visitor
Centre at Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich plant.
As in previous years, the Jaguar Heritage stand
was located amongst the stands of the main
Jaguar and Daimler clubs which had their usual
mouth-watering display of immaculate classic
vehicles – the Mark V on the JDC stand and the
SS1 Coupé on the JEC stand being particular
treats!
After a convivial buffet lunch the attendees were
ushered through to the theatre where they were
greeted by one of the new Jaguar XE saloons,
an early prototype that had been taken off its
normal duties at Solihull and brought over
specially for the occasion!
On November 20th, the St.
Pancras Renaissance Hotel
once again played host to the
International Historic Motoring
Awards which are sponsored by
EFG and Octane magazine.
The Trust’s famous 1954 D-type prototype set
the scene outside the hotel taking centre stage
alongside two other classic vehicles (this
month’s teaser is to identify them!).
The lectures then commenced, starting with a
double act as Martyn Hollingsworth and David
Fairbairn told the story behind the JLR Special
Operations project to re-create six light-weight
Jaguar E-types. This provided a fascinating
insight into the painstaking detail with which this
project is being executed.
This was followed by
Jonathan
Heynes,
son of former Jaguar
Engineering Chief,
Bill Heynes talking
about his father’s
time
with
the
company both pre
and post-war. The
talk was illustrated
with a number of
Norman Dewis with Trevor
Although Jaguar itself did not pick up any
awards, we were delighted that former senior
Jaguar test engineer and latterly famous
raconteur, Norman Dewis, now a sprightly 94,
received the Personal Achievement award. This
was for his very active role in this year’s
celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Dtype Jaguar; one of a long list of iconic cars in
whose development he played a pivotal role.
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Groom and Nigel Webb (behind)
fascinating old photographs, many never seen
before, which complemented Jonathan’s factfilled resumé of the Jaguar business during this
historic era.
After a refreshment break, the raffle draw and
an auction for a Stuart Spencer picture of the
light-weight
E-type
‘car zero’ (all to raise
money for charity), the
lectures resumed with
Nick Miller, Vehicle
Programme Director,
talking about the new
XE and some of the
ground-breaking technologies that it will
incorporate.
These joined a 1935 SS100, 1953 C-type and
1962 race prepared E-type which the organisers
had obtained from private owners, as well as the
latest F-TYPE Convertible.
Nick was followed by the keynote speaker for
the day, well-known journalist and TV pundit,
Quentin Wilson. With a nice link to the origins of
the event, Quentin told the story of his longstanding love for the Jaguar brand which was
stimulated by a meeting with Andrew Whyte
many years ago after he had entered a
competition! The event concluded with a brief
tribute by Brian Ekin to former Jaguar CEO, Sir
Nick Scheele who died earlier this year.
Thanks are due to Heritage volunteers Stuart
McEvoy and Geoff Smith who signed up to look
after the cars and help man the stand for the
duration of the show.
Coming right up to date, one of Germany’s
biggest motorsport vehicle events, the Essen
Motor Show, took place from November 29 to
December 7. Some time ago, the Trust was
contacted by the organisers of the Classic Car
hall (SIHA) who wanted to put on a special
display to celebrate Jaguar’s forthcoming 80th
anniversary - which will no doubt be the subject
of many more celebrations next year.
In
keeping with the overall motorsport theme, they
wanted to display a selection of vehicles to
showcase Jaguar’s illustrious motorsport history.
Other News:
Although the bulk of the Trust’s car collection is
made up of Jaguars, it does also own a very fine
selection of 29 Daimlers and 4 Lanchesters. On
top of this, the Trust also has curatorial
responsibility for four early Daimlers that had
been used by various members of the Royal
Family but were returned to the Daimler Car
Company in the 1930s to add to the company’s
own historic vehicle collection. In 1968 it was
decided to place these cars with the Royal
Mews Museum and these were then moved to
the Sandringham Estate in the 1980s to form
part of the museum being established there.
Each of these cars is fascinating in its own way
– both in terms of its specification and, of
course, its illustrious usage! A visit to the
Sandringham Museum is strongly recommended
for anyone visiting Norfolk, but to give you a
head start, here are pictures and descriptions for
these four famous and unique Daimlers.
To this end, five cars were duly prepared and
shipped to Germany – the 1954 D-type
prototype, 1976 Broadspeed XJ12 Coupé, 1983
XJR-5, 1984 TWR XJS and the 1988 Le Mans
winning XJR-9.
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1900 Daimler Mail Phaeton – reg. A7:
1914 Daimler TB45 Brougham by Hooper:
"The action of the Prince of Wales in ordering a
six horse power automobile from the Daimler
Company (a British Company by the way,
although the name implies otherwise) will
assuredly give a great fillip to the industry.
Now that the Prince has become a chauffeur,
society may be trusted to follow his lead. His
action is all the more noteworthy because he
has always been such an ardent lover of horses
and it will show that the driving of an automobile
is not necessarily incompatible with a love for
horseflesh. The Prince has, it is known, for a
long time past, taken interest in self-propelled
machines and is now an authority on the
subject.”
This distinguished vehicle was delivered to His
Majesty King George V in December of 1914. It
is a 45hp Daimler Brougham.
The body was built by Hooper & Co. Ltd, Coach
Builders and Motor Coach Builders, and is of
extraordinary quality. The car departed from
convention in having a remarkably spacious
interior due to the omission of ‘occasional
seating’ as well as the large windows which are
fitted into frames with a ‘special device‘ that
allowed them to be opened to any height without
rattling.
‘The Car’ magazine had this to say of the
bodywork: “The design of the coachwork is quite
new and it is to a certain extent reminiscent of
the old sedan chair, especially as regards the
treatment of the roof and the lines of the front
pillars...”
The chauffeur was not so lucky, however, since
the car in its original condition did not have the
enclosed driver’s compartment that it now
displays. His only protection then was a leather
curtain on a spring roller which extended from
the front of the passenger compartment to the
top of the windscreen.
This was how The Country Gentleman
magazine announced the acquisition of the very
first Royal car, the 6 horse-power Daimler Mail
Phaeton purchased by the future Edward Vll.
He had apparently experienced many drives in
motor cars before finally deciding to buy one.
The Prince was undoubtedly influenced in his
decision by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu who was,
as we know, already a great motor enthusiast;
but the final credit goes to Mr Oliver Stanton, the
Prince of Wales's cycling tutor, for persuading
him to purchase a Daimler.
In January 1900 the Prince saw this vehicle and,
after a number of modifications, it was delivered
to him in June of that year.
The car was gradually altered over the following
years, including a new bonnet and a
professionally coachbuilt rear seat as well as a
distinctive Surrey top with a fringe.
This was the first of a great number of Daimlers
bought by the Royal Family and it was restored
to full working condition at Beaulieu as a tribute
to Her Majesty The Queen's Silver Jubilee.
It has been entered by the JDHT in the London
to Brighton Veteran Car Run a number of times,
most recently in 2001.
1924 57 HP Daimler Shooting Brake:
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That’s all for this edition. May I wish all of
you a very happy Christmas and prosperous
New Year.
This magnificent six-cylinder sleeve-valve
‘shooting brake’ – illustrating the origin of this
now generic description - was the first of four
new vehicles, commissioned from Hooper & Co.
(Coachbuilders) of Piccadilly for the personal
use of King George V, to be delivered in 1924.
The exterior is finished in varnished wood with
the scuttle and bonnet grained and varnished to
match – the ultimate ‘woodie’!
The brown leather interior accommodated up to
eight people on seats which were hinged and
divided. A varnished rack to carry twelve guns
was included.
The outstanding new mechanical feature of this
vehicle was that it employed brakes on all four
wheels, providing additional stopping power and
protection against skidding.
1929 Daimler Double-Six 30 Brougham
Contact Reminder and Update:
A reminder that all enquiries relating to Jaguar
Heritage Trust vehicles or event support should
be sent to [email protected] or by
calling
our
general
enquiry
number
+44 (0) 24 7656 4420.
For further information on any of the items in this
newsletter or copies of any of the images,
please contact:
Jonathan Partridge on +44 (0) 24 7656 4431 or
e-mail [email protected]
This Daimler Double-Six was purchased by King
George V for his personal use and was
delivered to the Royal Mews in 1929. A similar
car described as an “enclosed Limousine” was
also purchased for Queen Mary.
The coachwork by Hooper is referred to as a
“Brougham”. Amongst many special features
the woodwork inside is of dark polished
mahogany with fittings of silver and white ivory.
The rear compartment is trimmed with blue
Vaumol leather.
In addition the Royal “identification” lamp has
been fitted to the canopy and the car has been
painted in the Royal Colours with the
appropriate heraldic decoration.
After Royal service the Brougham was returned
to the Daimler factory where it unfortunately
suffered badly during the war years. After its
transfer to the Royal Mews Museum in 1968 it
underwent a comprehensive restoration to bring
it back to the fine condition in which it is now
displayed.
© Jaguar Heritage Trust – December 2014
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