By Kristina Moskalenko
Nestled in the Warwickshire countryside, some 100 miles from London, Jaguar’s Fen End track stretches over 800,000 square metres—a playground for automotive history. Here, enthusiasts can slip behind the wheel of legendary Jaguars, experiencing the marque not as a static display in a museum, but as a living, breathing machine. Acquired in 2014, the site doubles as both the Jaguar Heritage Driving Experience and a proving ground for the company’s latest innovations. “We chose this location because it sits at the heart of our research, production, and development,” Jaguar Land Rover representatives explained.
Earlier that year, the marque launched its Special Operations division under John Edwards, a unit dedicated to bespoke engineering, design ingenuity, heritage commissions, and bespoke experiences for discerning clients. Out of this initiative came the Jaguar Heritage, focusing exclusively on the company’s historic cars.
The Heritage Driving Experience became its first “live” offering. “Sir William Lyons, Jaguar’s founder, said a car is the closest thing to a living entity a person can create with their hands,” said Dan Connell from the press office. “Our aim is to preserve that dynamism. While we do lend vehicles to the Coventry Transport Museum and the British Motor Heritage Centre, here, visitors can engage with Jaguar’s history firsthand, driving it, feeling it, living it.”
At Fen End, history is not merely observed—it is accelerated, corner by corner, under the roar of a legendary engine.
To bring the ambitious Jaguar Heritage project to life, the company acquired and meticulously restored 546 historic Jaguars from private collections—around twenty of these cars are now available for public test drives. Spanning the full arc of the marque’s history, the collection includes pre- and post-war racing legends, Le Mans winners, classic GTs, and iconic sports sedans.
“Some models will be fully restored and integrated into the track experience. Others will be displayed in museum settings across the country. Our plans for this collection are very extensive,” explains Jaguar Heritage communications officer Tony O’Keeffe.
Among the crown jewels is the D-Type. Only 71 were produced between 1954 and 1956. “The D-Type is undeniably thrilling,” quips AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson, who helped select the museum’s ‘perfect ten’ Jaguars. “But I’d take a C-Type. The D-Type isn’t a car you buy to run errands—it’s for the kind of people who might take the family on a Friday, pull off a bank heist, evade the police, and end up picnicking in Brighton.”
“An almost impossible choice,” admits Lord March, founder of the UK’s celebrated Goodwood Revival, who also helped select those ten cars for the museum. “Standing amid a trio of C-Types, D-Types, and E-Types, picking one is a near-impossible task.” A fitting moment to recall Enzo Ferrari’s legendary praise for the E-Type as the most beautiful car in the world.
The Heritage Driving Experience offers enthusiasts unprecedented freedom: guests can select their own car, immerse themselves in a specific historical era, or take a chronological journey through Jaguar’s evolution up to contemporary models such as the F-Type Coupe R. Some classic cars are fitted with modern control systems, ensuring ease for both seasoned drivers and novices. Each drive includes a professional instructor, making the experience accessible to all.
“For those without a driving license, we’ve created passenger packages,” explains Jaguar Heritage spokesperson Dan Connell. “The first round of the Heritage Driving Experience was a resounding success. Attendees ranged from proud Jaguar owners keen to get behind the wheel of every model, to enthusiasts who simply love the brand, motorsport, and its history.”
The next round of the Heritage Driving Experience opens in March 2015, with reservations available at jaguarheritagedriving.com.
Originally Published in: https://www.vedomosti.ru/lifestyle/articles/2015/03/16/sest-za-rul-vintazhnogo-jaguar
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