Just in time for the 80th anniversary of the Jaguar brand, the Jaguar Heritage Team has set out to celebrate arguably the most spectacular race of all time. Under the motto "18 drivers, 9 Jaguar Heritage sports cars, 1093 miles" we went to beautiful Italy for three D-Types, three C-Types, an XK120OTS, an XK140DHC and an MkVII. Many well-known stars from show business and racing were again among the drivers and navigators. Jodie Kidd, TV presenter and current host of The Classic Car Show on Channel 5, didn't let herself be there again this year. Her mobile base, a Jaguar XK120OTS, was affectionately named "Betsey" back in 2014.

What is striking this year is probably the large, bearish-looking MkVII, where many spectators wonder what a family limousine has to look for on the race track. Far from it, this vehicle, which was also the fastest sedan of its era, has a presentable racing history.
Introduced in 1950 as the successor to the Jaguar MkV, the MkVII was further developed by Jaguar in 1954 into a weight-optimized "M" version. Ronnie Adams/Frank Biggar/Derek Johnston won the Rallye Monte Carlo in 1956. Stirling Moss also took the honours as a driver of this type. There's probably only one thing left to say: "Happy Birthday Jaguar".

In recent months, newspaper scaly and headlines have read: "On the way to the classic" or "Big big cat dies out" and, in fact, Jaguar stopped production of the Jaguar XK this summer. The reason for the hiring, according to the company's executive board, is the creation of capacity for the production of new models.
At the beginning of 2015, the Jaguar XE will be launched to recreate the mid-range segment, and an SUV that will break new ground in Jaguar is also in the works. In order to say goodbye to the Jaguar XK, a special edition was launched as a coupé and convertible, the Jaguar XK66. This edition, limited to 66 vehicles, is intended to commemorate the 66 years of production in which the Jaguar XK was built.
The Jaguar XK will be succeeded in the sports car segment, which was released this year, Jaguar F-Type. This repeats history, because we can all remember it well when the Jaguar E-Type took over the Jaguar XK150 on 15 March 1961 and ended an era that only began in the spring of 1996 at the Geneva Auto Saloon with the Jaguar XK8 (factory name X100). This was so painful at the time that the name XKE was lovingly retained for the E-Type in America. We know the old adage: 'All good things are three'. So it remains to be seen whether the success story XK will be repeated again.

Also this year, from 15 to 18 May, Europe's famous car race took place through one of the most beautiful Italian landscapes and cities, the Mille Miglia. The Jaguar Heritage Racing Team competed with 10 spectacular vehicles. Many Jaguar XK120s from the early years were on display, including the ex Sir James Scott Douglas from 1951 from the Scottish racing stable Ecurie Ecosse, which was auctioned last year at auction house Bonhams. The XK120 was preceded by the always good-humoured American TV presenter and lover of classic automobiles - Jay Leno - and Jaguars Design Chef Ian Callum, there was good mood and fun. At the wheel of the C-Types were the likes of AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson and Le Mans winner Andy Wallace. With the start number 410 there was also a 'Long Nose' D-Type at the start, controlled by Bruno Senna and Martin Bundle. Supported and accompanied, the Jaguar Heritage Racing Team were driven by a larger number of television teams and VIP guests in Jaguar F-Type Coupés. Here is a small excerpt of snapshots.