Jaguar World (April 2023)

The April 2023 edition of Jaguar World includes the following feature stories:

◊ XJ40XJR: Revisiting the first Jaguar to wear the XJR badge: the early TWR developed XJ40.

◊ XK150 Special: Bonkers and absolutely brilliant all at once, this self-built XK150 special has a real air of the exotic.

◊ 20 Years of Jaguar Diesel: The brand’s future may be all electric, but it was 20 years ago that Jaguar unveiled its first ever diesel car and its first four-cylinder engine since the SS days.

◊ S-Type at 60: Was the S-Type simply a modified Mk2 or a model in its own right? We drive one and try to decide.

◊ Twin Test - XJS v XK8: So similar and yet so different, the XK8 meets the car it was partly based on. Just don’t mention the DB7.

◊ History: Jaguar and Daimler: William Lyons acquired Daimler for its factory space but ended up making buses and V8 powered Mk2’s.

◊ Buying the XK X150: All the info you need if you’re in the market for the advanced all aluminium coupe.

◊ Workshop - X350 Subframe: Replacing the rear subframe on the X350 generation of XJ.

◊ Q & A: Injector failures and turbocharger rebuild worries.

◊ Workshop - IRS Adjustment: The correct way to adjust the end float on the classic Jaguar rear end.

◊ From the Archives (See below) .

From the Archives

Fans of the Mk 1 probably need to cover their eyes this month as we unearth an archive print taken at Staffordshire venue Hednesford Hills Raceway back in what we reckon is the early 1970s.

Back then of course a Mk 1 was just another old banger which explains why the track’s owners had modified one to serve as a ‘safety’ car. As you can see, one of its functions was to carry the winning driver on a victory lap and with the phrase ‘Health and Safety’ still some way in the future, the conversion involved little more than bolting what looks like a bus seat directly through the bodywork.

Despite the high centre of gravity and the lack of any kind of seatbelt for the roof-mounted passenger, the lean on the body suggests the driver is cracking on a bit, which must have made for a white-knuckled ride.

Intriguingly, the car was supplied by a Birmingham breaker, Meadway Spares which was still in business until very recently, but Hednesford Raceway is still going strong as part of Spedeworth Motorsports. More at www.spedeworth.co.uk.