FOR many Land Rover owners the closest they may ever get to offroading is taking their 4×4 over a kerb – which could go some way towards explaining the success of the Land Rover Experience events.

These are held at various locations around the country and offer drivers the opportunity, if only for an hour or so, to experience the iconic marque’s true capabilities. I’ve been lucky enough to do it twice and believe me, driving a £90,000 automobile through a swamp is an experience which should be on every motoring enthusiast’s bucket list.

The same is true of track day experiences. This is where ordinary mortals can get behind the wheel of a race-ready Ferrari or Aston Martin and for a few minutes can indulge their inner-Hamilton as they go on a three-lap blast around circuits such as Silverstone or Brands Hatch.

So, if racing thoroughbreds such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche, McLaren etc do all this just think how great it would be if you were able to get behind the wheel of say, a Jaguar C-Type or a Le Mans winning D-Type, maybe even the one-of-a-kind XJ13.

Well, wish no longer.

For the first time, Jaguar fans from all over the world will soon have the opportunity to drive these classics, along with many others from a unique collection of historic Jaguar cars.

The Jaguar Heritage Driving Experience launches in November at the Fen End test facility, near the historic home of Jaguar Land Rover in the West Midlands.

A variety of experiences will be available, from one-hour drives to half-day Le Mans 24 Hours race-themed specials and a full-hospitality ‘Grace and Pace’ driving programme.

The move has been made possible following the launch earlier this year of the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations division.

So far, the division has been responsible for the production of six new lightweight E-Types, which have reportedly all been snapped up for seven-figure price tags. It is also going to produce the 250-limited edition Project 7 F-Type, a five litre supercar which promises to be the fastest Jaguar ever to hit the road.

It also has responsibility for the marque’s sporting heritage and looks after a collection of cars unrivalled in the eyes of many.

The new experiences will offer drivers the unique opportunity to take the wheel of cars including a Le Mans-version D-type, the legendary E-Type and Jaguar’s new F-Type R Coupé.

To enable drivers to experience fully the thrill of driving such a car, the SVO has purchased an established 200-acre testing facility at Fen End, in Warwickshire.

Many of the vehicles in the collection will be driven by members of the public for the very first time, having been prepared for high octane test action following Jaguar’s recent purchase of over 500 outstanding British heritage cars from a private collector.

John Edwards, managing director, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said: “This is the first experiential offering from our new division and is the first time in Jaguar’s history that we have made a collection of vehicles of this calibre available for ‘arrive and drive’ experiences. It’s an extremely exciting new project that underscores the very essence of what Special Operations is all about – celebrating heritage with our eyes firmly on the future.”   

The collection includes many iconic Jaguars, charting over 100 years of beautiful, fast cars from pre- and post-war road racers and Le Mans champions, to later sporting saloons and grand tourers. A variety of drive packages will be available, allowing visitors to experience a particular era or to journey through Jaguar’s history right up to the present day.

Here are just a few examples of what’s on offer.

Jaguar Experience (ranging from £95 to £250):

From passenger rides to driving alongside a seasoned professional (including some recognisable faces from the world of motorsport), visitors can choose from individual models – including an XK150 or Mark 2 saloon – or selected pairings such as the Series 1 and Series 3 E-type. There’s also the option to drive heritage cars alongside their modern counterparts, such as an E-Type with a factory-fresh F-Type.

Le Mans Experience (£750):

Re-live the experiences of legends such as Mike Hawthorn and Duncan Hamilton for half a day, with drives in the iconic C and D-types that dominated the world famous 24-hour endurance race in the 1950s.  This package will also feature drives in the XKSS and F-Type R Coupé. The package includes lunch – provided you’re not too excited to eat!
    
Grace and Pace Experience (£2,000):

This is a full day of driving Jaguar Heritage legends, from post-war racers to sports saloons, coupés, roadsters and much more, including the new XFR and F-Type R Coupé models.  The Grace and Pace day will also feature opportunities to drive creations from the company’s Special Operations division, and includes chauffeur-driven transfers in classic Jaguar saloons to a lunch venue.

The first visitors to Jaguar’s Heritage Experience days will also be invited to exclusive guided viewings of the ‘Perfect Ten’ exhibition, installed at Fen End for a limited period following its recent launch at the Jaguar XE reveal at Earls Court, London.

The ‘Perfect Ten’ is made up of iconic Jaguars selected by a distinguished panel including design director Ian Callum, Lord March, of the Goodwood Estate and AC/DC front man Brian Johnson.  The selection includes the ultra-rare SS100 and the one-of-a-kind and priceless XJ13 (pictured).

More on the creation of the Jaguar ‘Perfect Ten’ can be seen in this short film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evq7wcq09H0

The facility at Fen End will also feature a new branded merchandise outlet – where items from the recently launched Heritage ’57 Collection will be available.

For more information on the experiences, visit http://jaguarheritagedriving.com/, email bookings@jaguarheritagedriving.com or telephone 0333 577 0156.

Italian Job for MTC Minis

CONTINUING the nostalgia theme, a team of graduates and apprentices from the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry are set to recreate scenes from the classic Michael Caine film ‘The Italian Job’ after restoring three classic Minis and taking them across Italy on a 16-day trek.

The team took on the daunting task of restoring three original Minis – one of which is 1965 vintage – and making them sufficiently roadworthy to get to and from Italy. The Minis, christened ‘Mike’, ‘Tango’ and ‘Charlie’ (M,T and C) will be driven from Turin to Trento, taking in the testing mountain roads of Piedmont and Trentino, plus a drive on the famous Monza circuit.

The trek is to celebrate the 25th year of The Italian Job Mini Car Rally, in which hundreds of Minis are making the drive across Italy, recreating scenes from the famous 1969 film. The rally is raising money for Variety, the children’s charity which aims to raise the quality of life of deprived children.

The six-strong MTC driving team, plus two support staff have renovated and repaired all three cars themselves to get them roadworthy. They are being sponsored by MTC members Sandvik Coromant, DMG Mori-Seiki, Blaser, IMechE and Hexagon Metrology and Siemens. Rugby Borough Council provided the team with their initial sponsorship.

MTC chief executive Dr Clive Hickman said the trainees had taken on a big challenge but were more than capable of rising to it.

“This is a great experience for the trainees, and is also developing valuable skills in engineering, problem-solving and fundraising. I am very proud of them,” he said.

Toyota GT86 revamp makes models more affordable

TOYOTA’S acclaimed GT86 is undergoing its most significant series of changes since launch in 2012 in an effort to make it more accessible to a wider audience.

The Japanese company has created a new UK model line-up, with a lower entry price and more choice.

The new GT86 Primo reduces the entry-point of the range by more than £2,000 to £22,995, while an introductory incentive is offering a further discount of £500.

The four-model range will also comprise the new Aero and special edition Giallo. The Aero is equipped with full body kit, including large rear spoiler, while the Giallo is finished in exclusive yellow metallic paintwork.

New features include shark fin antenna, carbon-effect dashboard trim and tyre pressure warning system.

Toyota said all the versions retained the original’s winning combination of a front-mounted normally aspirated 2.0-litre ‘boxer’ engine with rear wheel drive, mounted on a well-balanced chassis with a low centre of gravity.

The Primo comes with 17-inch alloys, limited-slip differential, aluminium sports pedals, air conditioning, power-folding door mirrors, front fog lamps, twin tailpipes, the Toyota Touch multimedia system, Bluetooth and a new tyre pressure monitoring system. Available exclusively with manual transmission, the new GT86 Primo is available to order now, with customer deliveries from January.

The official on-the-road price for GT86 Primo is £22,995, cutting the cost of getting behind the wheel of a new GT86 by £2,115.

The classic GT86 remains at the heart of the range. Additional features (compared to the Primo specification) include a rear spoiler, keyless entry, push-button start, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, dusk-sensing HID headlights, LED daytime running lights and the option of automatic transmission.

Prices for the manual version are £24,995 (automatic £25,995).

The Aero body kit is topped off with a set of 18-inch OZ Ultraleggera alloy wheels with an anthracite grey finish.

Prices for the Aero are £27,495 for the manual (automatic £28,495).

The special edition Giallo, priced £27,495, features exclusive black leather seats (heated for the driver and front passenger), a black GT86 side decal and gloss black door mirror housings. Customers can also add optional single-stripe bonnet, roof and boot decals at no extra cost. Just 86 examples are available for UK customers, each one individually numbered.

Toyota has also created a new optional Carbon Pack, available for all versions of GT86. It adds carbon-effect door mirror covers and rear bumper protection plate, plus rear parking sensors.

Music quality on board can be pumped up with the addition of a JBL Pack, comprising nine speakers and a 440W DSP amplifier.

The Toyota Touch multimedia system can be upgraded to Toyota Touch with Go to provide satellite navigation, controlled using the centrally mounted 6.1-inch touchscreen display.

The GT86 and GT86 Primo can be specified with black or silver twin-line side, bonnet, roof and boot decals, while combination leather and Alcantara seats with front seat heaters are available for the GT86 and GT86 Aero models. Full leather seat upholstery is also available, for all models apart from Giallo.