As veteran crooner Rick Astley resonated around the Silverstone Circuit to bring the curtain down on The Classic after three days of incredible historic motor sport, there was a moment of reflection to be had on what was a superb weekend for all classic car lovers but a particularly special weekend for Jaguar fans.
The move to a new date over the end-of-summer August Bank Holiday weekend proved to be a success with packed grids and more fun-fuelled off-track displays and activities than ever before. In total, more than 100,000 people attended over the three days with more families taking advantage of a long weekend at The Classic than ever before.
The ‘Best of British’ bill featured no fewer than 20 incredible retro races spanning 10 decades of motorsport history enhanced by interactive driving experiences, breath-taking extreme sports demos, crowd-pulling Formula 1 displays, race sims, stunt shows plus thousands of glittering classic cars sparkling in the sunshine.
Britain’s most celebrated sports car driver, Derek Bell, led an incredible parade of legendary Group C idols to mark the 40 years since Silverstone witnessed its first race for the cars back in 1982. This line up of course included not one but six TWR Jaguars from the XJR6 through the XJR12. Even better was to see these cars on track alongside their arch nemesis of the day – the Porsche 956 and 962s. The occasion was a truly rare opportunity to see all these vehicles together in one place and proved goosebump inducing for any true Jaguar racing fan!
The Stuart Graham ‘Scarf and Goggles’ Trophy, which is presented annually to what is judged to be the most admired car on track at The Classic was awarded by Derek Bell. Bell joined Stuart Graham to present the trophy to arch Group C enthusiast, collector and racer Henry Pearman who helped to curate the incredible collection on show.
There were seemingly celebrities around every corner with Top Gear presenter turned farmer Jeremy Clarkson attending with his renowned Diddly Squat Farm Shop which had its first pop-up store at Silverstone while fellow car show presenter, Mike Brewer and Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley, from the Discovery Channel’s globally successful Wheeler Dealers show, were sharing their passion and knowledge with the tens of thousands of enthusiasts. An eclectic collection of great road and racing classics also came under the Silverstone Auctions’ hammer – the most notable lot being the unique black Ford Escort RS Turbo created specifically for the personal use of Diana, Princess of Wales which sold for an incredible £650,000. What caught our eye however was the MOTUL liveried TWR XJS European Touring car that sold for £230,000.
The feast of racing was packed with Jaguar attractions including the International Trophy for pre-66 GT cars which was packed with E-types battling it out, often with each other. Julian Thomas and Calum Lockie winning the fiercely fought 50-minute encounter in their 1965 Shelby American Cobra Daytona, less than two seconds clear of James Dodds in his solo driven 1965 Jaguar E-type. Sir Chris Hoy, sharing the drive with Marco Attard, was also in the mix this year contesting the International Trophy in a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Sunday morning’s MRL Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy was won outright by Roger Wills in his 1958 Lotus XV with the 1955 HWM shared by Fisken and Martin Stretton pipping the similarly aged Jaguar D-type of John and Gary Pearson to top honours among the Woodcote Trophy runners by a bonnet length. Ben Mitchell then made it two out of two in the second of the HSCC Historic F2 sprints before James Cottingham and Harvey Stanley teamed up in their 1961 Jaguar E-type to take top honours in the coveted Royal Automobile Club Historic Tourist Trophy (MRL Pre ’63).
Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club members had the best seat in the house with over 100 Jaguars parked up on Woodcote banking, overlooking the circuit with the usual warm welcome and hospitality on offer from the club. Not only that, but there were examples of Jaguar royalty on display with the first ‘R9R’ XJR15 on show alongside the Nürburgring Taxi and the personal XJ6 of Sir William Lyons.
The racing element of JEC life was captured well with the Swallows Racing transporter lorry providing much needed shade and shelter for the guests whilst a full line up of Swallows Racing prepared Jaguars were on display also.
Sunday afternoon saw the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club members taking to the track for a track parade to celebrate 100 years since the foundation of the early beginnings of Jaguar, Swallow Sidecars.
F1 fans enjoyed Lewis Hamilton’s championship winning Formula 1 cars displayed together for the very first time and, in another world exclusive, a stunning showcase of James Bond cars from the latest 007 film No Time To Die, soon to go under the hammer with Christie’s in support of various charities.
“Once again, The Classic has served up a phenomenal festival weekend to a record crowd,” confirmed a happy Nick Wigley, CEO of The Classic promoter Goose Live Events. “There really was something special for absolutely everyone to enjoy in the wonderful sunshine at Silverstone over three memorable days of entertainment both on and off the Grand Prix circuit. As ever, the non-stop racing has been action-packed, and the anniversary track parades equally outstanding – in many ways that’s a given. The addition of so much more family entertainment and attractions, though, has added yet another dimension to what’s now a real fun-fuelled summer bank holiday festival.”
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