To celebrate the 50th birthday of the XJ Series 1 in September 1968, the Jaguar Breakfast Club staged a special event at JLR’s prestigious Classic Works facility in Ryton, Coventry.
Three hundred and seventy five Jaguars and Daimlers assembled for the day including over 200 XJs ranging from Series 1 to the very latest XJ575, all exhibited in model groups to create a breath-taking, fifty-year timeline spanning not only the decades but the entire frontage of JLR’s mammoth building. The extended XJ family was also represented with XJS and XJ220s and even a replica XJ13 on parade.
The nearby headquarters of JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations served as a display area for other Jaguar models with several early XKs, Mark 2s and E-types right through to an F-TYPE SVR revisiting its conceptual home.
Inside the stunning workshop areas visitors mingled with staff who enthusiastically discussed all aspects of the varied work taking place including the recreations, the “reborn” projects and general restoration and servicing of classics. Within the enormous collection area, home to JLR’s own incredible vehicle store, a series of presentations took place including a history of the XJ with Jaguar historian Nigel Thorley; the role of JLR Classic and its dedication to parts supply with Calum McKechnie; and the star guest of the day was Norman Dewis OBE Jaguar’s fabled vehicle development engineer and test driver whose skill as a raconteur is undiminished, even at the age of 98, as held the floor in thrall with what might be best described as “confessions of a test driver!”
