Priceless XK120
The original XJ6
Racing D Type 
We motoring buffs often enjoy drooling over the unobtainable. Reminiscing over the old cars, reading great tales of their racing history, and the feats of the very capable and famous drivers that have piloted them to victory in the past. Yet few of us, even us motoring scribblers, always get the chance to drive the objects of our dreams.
And then one day I got a telephone call from Jaguar. ‘Would I be interested in driving one of the Jaguar Heritage cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year?’ All of a sudden a full diary just got empty - Yes please!!! (no pretentious subdued enthusiasm here!)….but what do you want me to drive? “Well we’ll be taking a few cars to the event so you’ll need to come over to the Heritage Museum at Brown’s Lane for a few familiarisation drives”. By the time Jaguar’s PR Manager Ken McConomy put the phone down I was there.
1950 Jaguar XK120 Open 2 Seater
It was kid in a sweetie shop time as the Jaguar Heritage staff rolled out the ‘Goodwood Selection’. My back was turned looking at the rest of Jaguar’s greatest ,when a startling noise hit me Vrooom!! Vrooomm!! I nearly jumped out of my skin, ‘’What the Bloody hell’s that!’ I thought as I turned to look at the source of my near coronary. It was Jaguar’s most famous XK120, ‘NUB 120’.
This Jaguar XK120 is the most famous of its kind in the World, and more than any other was the car that put Jaguar’s motoring credentials on the map, being the most successful of all racing XK120s’ ever made. Originally, the car was privately owned by Ian Appleyard, and his wife Patricia, daughter of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons, who acted as navigator. NUB 120 missed victory in its very first racing event - the 1950 Tulip Rally in Holland- by a quarter of an inch, but went on to win the 1950 Alpine Rally, with a successive victory in the following year, and later adding the RAC Rally and the elusive Tulip Rally to its string of victories.
Looking at the cockpit from a distance and reflecting on my 6 ft frame, I wondered if I would actually be able to get into the car! Was everyone this short in the 1950’s? I was forced to sit bolt upright in what turned out to be a surprisingly spacious yet oddly uncomfortable cockpit, with a Great Big Steering Wheel. Clearly this was an era when the driving position for a sporting Jaguar was second priority to a powerful engine and smooth sloping lines.
Yet the result of this curious power with beauty equation was a car with exceptional on road performance, leaving an impression even by today’s standards. The secret of this car’s competition success was its rugged chassis, it’s highly reliable new 3.4 litre engine and its lightweight all –alloy body.
Turn the key, press the button and the noise is deafening, sharp, crisp and clean. The engine is remarkably responsive and free revving; you just can’t help but love that piercing sound. The instant quick - release racing handbrake is your starting line reminder of the purpose of this machine, as we begin our drive into the World of historic Jaguar motoring
The effort required for low speed manoeuvring explains the logic behind that big steering wheel and once you’re building up a decent cross Country rhythm and flow into the bends there’s understeer aplenty from that heavy front nose. Of course there’s no synchromesh on the gears so double declutching is the Way – all adding to the fun of stepping back in time, when you really had to drive car’s to get something out of them. Much more enjoyable than the modern stuff of today that do all the sorting out when you get it wrong. In the 1950’s it was down to you mate!
I soon found that out when searching for some firm braking into a bend. It just didn’t happen, so I entered the bend a little on the fast side and had no choice but to find out how good chassis and suspension would be to get me round the bend. No trouble! said NUB 120 – gimme what you’ve got! So me and NUB said goodbye to sloppy brakes and went for the gas pedal instead. It took the bend sweetly, rubber firmly planted to tarmac with just a little body lean for effect. Eureka! I’d hit the ‘Sweet Spot’, finding out that this XK120 was most at home driven hard! - not poodling around.
That little episode generated some confidence behind the wheel as NUB and I soon started overtaking a range of modern computer sodden four wheeled paraphernalia and got on with some real driving, totally engrossed, and truly enjoying myself. Brown Lanes security barriers lifted to welcome me home. The security guard smiled, while I grinned like a child eager for my next ride, and for once feeling that I had actually been able to drive again.
1956 Jaguar D Type ‘Long Nose’
Next up for the drive, and six years on in time, was the 1956 Jaguar D Type ‘Long Nose’.Fresh after successfully competing in this year’s Mille Miglia, I had to get MD Stuart Dyble’s permission to drive this car. As the engineers sought his attention on the phone I prayed and promised the Lord that I’d go to church every Sunday if Mr. Dyble said ‘yes’. My prayers were answered and I was soon in the cockpit of this historic racing jewel.
The noise alone is just mindblowing! My tape recording of it is playing as I’m writing this, and it’s just so dramatic, purposeful, loud, and unpretentiously dead serious. Yet despite the intimidating sound, the Long Nose is surprisingly driveable straight away, and quite remarkably requiring much less familiarisation effort than the XK120, which was of course primarily a road car.
Yet this car was so clearly designed for the circuit rather than the road. The clutch, for example, has to be treated like an ‘on/off switch’ – the power has to be set just right, and the clutch allowed to grab with just enough throttle pressure to propel the car somewhere into oblivion. You need to get it right - gently looking for the biting point stuff will just lead to a stall. You soon get used to it though, and before you know it you’re ‘proper driving’ again, heeling and toeing, working with the car’s remarkably balanced flickable handling through quick bends, wallowing in that indulgent throttle note, and the eagerness of of the car to respond to your commands.
In no time we were ‘making progress’ –every road vehicle ahead simply dismissed with ease and great noise might I add. – this 50 year old car was so powerful, light, controllable, and user friendly that only its crude cockpit controls, outsized steering wheel and seat-to-chassis feel giving away it’s age. It’s extraordinary that a car of this age can sit and cruise with such refinement at 150 mph for most of the day. I’m gobsmacked; it’s a credit to the engineering of the day..
1968 Jaguar XJ6 4.2 litre Saloon
Twelve years down the line, 1968 in fact , Sir William Lyons turned his talents to a car very similar to an accomplished luxury saloon many of us drive today; the 4.2 litre Jaguar XJ6. For the first two years of its’ life this was Sir William Lyons own personal car. .
The ‘big XJ’ looks and feels a ‘quality product’ oozing craftsmanship, and modest ,understated, yet traditional British styling. It really is the car 60’s Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson should have swapped his old Rover 3.5 litre for. Behind the wheel though, I can put myself in the shoes of Sir William Lyon, driving his latest crowning achievement to work everyday.
Indeed, it must have been a truly pleasant experience, for the on-road refinement of this classic luxury saloon was light years ahead of its time. Of course it feels dated, and the imperfections of its time show, yet the all leather/wood veneer interior, spacious classic design, and smooth powerful engine are the magic that has kept us buying XJ’s for the last 38 years.
As befits an occasion of this kind, I was able to share the driving privilege with photographer Garth Dale and his two assistants – the four of us passively engaged in conversation on all subjects bar the historic saloon we were driving. Yet What better compliment could William Lyons and his team wish for? – the XJ6 proving so instantly relaxing and comfortable that its passengers were oblivious to its virtues.
Yet we are behind the wheel of a Jaguar, meaning comfort also comes with power, refinement and hopefully a committed enthusiastic driver behind the wheel (is it coincidence that so many XJ drivers wear leather gloves?). The recipe clearly worked for the …nth generation of the vehicle is still built to this day…
Some 6 years later came my next little taster – the Jaguar E-Type S.3 V12.
I just had to spend a few minutes admiring the endless line of Smiths clocks lined up along the dash- a unique E Type feature and a sophisticated design for the time, giving the pilot all the information a fighter pilot ‘needed’ for his tool.
This time the V12 starts to talk with the turn of a key. There’s no growl but a subdued and threateningly powerful hum. Love it. Dab the throttle and the svelte rhythm oozes from the twin exhausts. Immediately you sense hints of Jaguar’s modern DNA – gone is the rawness of that wild 4.2 V6 in the original car, the George Best era was clearly yesterday to this 5.3, ‘refinement’, ‘comfort’, ‘long speed touring ability’ became the ‘new ‘ order of the day. No doubt sad news for the purist of the day; the later E Types had clearly softened up somewhat – and you can see this new DNA in the successor XJS, and XK8 of old.
What is remarkable is the level of refinement this V12 E Type achieves. If not for the styling giveaways the refinement alone is not far off modern day cars! The four speed manual gearbox adds to the fun of playing with the handling dynamics of a large front engined rear wheel drive car – but let’s face it,manual boxes were never Jaguar’s thing so the refinement is spoiled somewhat by lack of fluidity in the gearchange . No doubt owners of the day would enjoy using the torque and range of third and fourth gear to have some decent overtaking fun – but straight line motorways are the place where all this V12 power comes into its own.
By the end of the day I must have looked proper stupid walking around with a permanent grin having sampled so many wonderful Jaguars bound for the Goodwood Festival in just one single day ……..bar one.
The 1954 Jaguar D Type, a factory prototype was out at the workshop for repair. This car travelled to France in 1954 for the Le mans test session where development driver Norman Dewis, broke the lap record by 5 clear seconds. Shame really, I would have loved to have driven it. Maybe another time…….
Baby to the Bathwater…..the 1954 Jaguar D -Type at Goodwood
Sunday July 9th . The Big Day and I was ready for the early morning drive to the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed. Jaguar personnel had me down for one of the early morning drives. “Get there early!” warned Jaguar’s Mr. Ken McConomy. And so I did. I prayed again, this time for good weather, but as I failed to keep my promise by going to Church every Sunday after Stuart Dyble kindy allowed me to drive the Long nose ‘D’, the heavens took their revenge and it simply poured with rain. Great.
Much as I’d been up the hill as a passenger many times, this was to be the first time I’d actually be driving the hill climb myself. I hadn’t a clue which way ‘the circuit’ went and it seemed unlikely that I’d get a chance for a sample run beforehand. Gulp.
As soon as I arrived , racing suit and helmet in hand, Jaguar personnel ushered me quickly to be signed in and have my gear checked at the scrutiny area of the Drivers Club. I was beginning to feel like a proper racing driver when I noticed Derek Bell and Stirling Moss doing the same. My Jaguar colleagues told me I’d be driving the E type V12 – well, at least I’d driven it before so I knew the car.
Just as I had lifted the pen from signing the indemnity form clearing everyone and everything from having anything to do with me if it all went wrong, the chap from Jaguar minding me received a call on his mobile. “Kevin will be driving the 1954 D Type now, and not the E-Type, and he’s out in five minutes” ! Panic, panic…..this was the one car I hadn’t driven and now here I was taking the car on the hill climb in the rain. Oh don’t worry , says my Jaguar aid, it’s just like the long nose you drove at the Museum. ‘Cool’ I thought. And the rain poured.
As I was rushed celebrity style to ‘my vehicle’ I heard that the day before, being a perfectly sunny and dry day, Nigel Mansell crashed an historic F1 car into the barrier, and later in the same day one of the Ferrari test drivers did the same in a brand new 599. Encouraging news; if two of the World’s most skilled drivers can get it that wrong, then maybe little old me just could get it wrong too.
So there I was driving the hill for the first time, in the wet , in front of 20,000 people, and in a 40 year old racing car with near on zero grip in the wet. As I waited at the start line ready for my run, my Jaguar minder popped over with a few encouraging words. “Just remember Kevin that the car bites and it’ll catch you out in the wet so be careful, and by the way it’s worth one and half million pounds!”.
Before these kind words I had closed my eyes memorising the lines and curves of the hill climb circuit I’d seen just a few minutes before. – I planned to go into the first right hander fast with a bit of attitude sliding the back end for show, and then slip a royal wave to the round of applause as I powered up the straight.
As the countdown came reality took over, 5…4..3..2…1…GO! I decided to avoid life long embarrassment and drive with as much care and concentration as I could.
Good thing, because as soon as I lifted the clutch the D Type spun its wheels and fishtailed left and right for what seemed like forever until we both decided forward was the best way to go. I took that fast right hander like I was on my driving test only (although mirror and single would have looked really stupid) and it was only the sudden sight of thousands of people and the flashing of camera that encouraged me to put some attitude into it and enjoy myself.
The drive up the straight was brilliant, and I was soon getting the feel of this ex record breaker, but I could see there was a tight left hander after the straight, that bit of the climb where people get caught ..Oh my God, I thought of Nigel, thought of Ferrari, and decided ‘brake EARLY and save your soul!’ – good thing I did, because it was the first time I had sampled those old brakes and if I hadn’t braked earlier my car may no longer have been worth 1.5 million.
In no time I was crossing the finishing line and lining up for the multitude of claps and greetings given to every driver by the stewards and crowds as they taxi the cars back to base. A happy ending to a true Jaguar Fairy tale…and I loved every single minute of it.
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