Landmark Jaguar is The Special One for José

José Mourinho with the 100,000th Jaguar F-PACE

Manchester United’s flamboyant manager José Mourinho made a surprise visit to Jaguar Land Rover’s factory in Solihull to watch employees build his new car – the 100,000th F-PACE.

Mourinho, known as ‘The Special One’ from his days at Chelsea, wore bespoke Jaguar overalls and made his way directly to the factory floor to oversee the production of his car and helped the team as it moved along the production line.

Mourinho said: “It was an amazing experience to visit Jaguar’s factory and see all the cars, technology and hard work that goes into developing such a beautiful car. Jaguar is a brand that I have been involved with for many years.

“Back in 2014, I was the first UK customer to receive the F-TYPE Coupe and now to become the 100,000th Jaguar F-PACE customer is something that is very special.”

Upon arrival at the factory, the football manager rekindled his day job with a team talk to the employees, motivating them and talking about having pride and passion in their work, and the products they deliver.

José Mourinho polishes off his new wheels

It’s a thumbs up from José

The F-PACE is the fastest selling Jaguar vehicle ever and is currently the fastest Jaguar vehicle to reach the 100K sales mark.

In 2016, Mourinho test drove the F-PACE as part of an extreme high-performance driver training experience in the Arctic Circle. This tested his ability to cope with high speed drifting and full throttle ice driving on a 60km frozen lake at Jaguar’s extreme testing facility in Arjeplog, Sweden.

It’s not just Jaguar that has turned to the glamourous world of the Premier League – or for that matter, Manchester United – to promote its cars.

Aston Martin has teamed up with England and Old Trafford legend Rio Ferdinand and the Rio Ferdinand Foundation in a bid to inspire the next generation of talent.

Rio Ferdinand

With six Premier League titles, one Champions League and a FIFA Club World Cup title to his name, Ferdinand, a lifelong customer and fan of Aston Martin, will also take on the role of Aston Martin Brand Ambassador.

The Rio Ferdinand Foundation (RFF) works to provide a pathway for youth development by inspiring young people and providing the tools they need to tap into their natural talents and reach their potential. For the next three years, the RFF will select one person per year to join the Aston Martin Apprenticeship Programme.

Ferdinand said: “Since setting up the RFF in 2012, it has been a huge source of pleasure for me to see these young people make positive choices and create a good life for themselves and their families.

“I have always been a fan of Aston Martin so it’s an honour for me to become a Brand Ambassador but it is even more of an honour to be able to use this association to help the RFF inspire the next generation.”

Aston Martin places great importance on its Apprenticeships Programme – current President and CEO, Andy Palmer, started his career in the industry as an apprentice.

Earlier this month, 30 new Apprentices started work at the manufacturer’s Gaydon headquarters. They will be given a full grounding across a range of Aston Martin’s business areas including manufacturing, CAD engineering and design, learning all the time from expert engineers and technicians.

Dan Balmer, President of Aston Martin Lagonda UK and South Africa, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Rio as an Aston Martin Brand Ambassador and look forward to working with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation. Both (we) and the RFF realise the importance of investing in people and I’m excited to see how the young people put forward by the RFF develop within Aston Martin.”

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