British at the Bend Adelaide Exotic Spotting (20,000+ members) wrote the following article on the first British at the Bend event and mentions the great display JDCSA put on. Whilst many missed the casual, relaxed atmosphere of All British Day at Echunga the opportunity to see E Types, F Type, S Type, XJ-S and an XJ6 (sprinter), at full noise on the track was a great replacement.
Adelaide Exotic Spotting Due to the cancellation of All British Day, The Bend Motorsport Park picked up the pieces and hosted their own version of the event, a version where attendees could hit the track as well as the usual Show and Shine. The Show and Shine area took place in the general paddock area behind the pits. In this space, maybe 100 cars were on display, much smaller than the 800 or so cars that All British Day attracts but a very nice selection none the less. Among these, a range of modern and classic vehicles from the likes of Jaguar, Bentley, Lotus, MG and many more. Of the highlights, this newly finished Jaguar C-Type recreation; taking part in what I believe was its first event since completion.
You can’t have a British automotive show without the great Jaguar E-Type. Several E-Types made the trip, with multiple in both the Show and Shine as well as competing on track. Always a special sight but made even more special on this occasion with the E-Type celebrating 60 years next month!
capable of 542 horsepower and a top speed of 341 km/h. Interestingly, the car got its ‘220’ name as it was anticipated to reach 220 miles per hour. However, the final car was only able to reach 213 miles per hour; enough for the Fastest Production Car title but not the number they were aiming for.
One of the more common faces of the event was the Jaguar XJS. Generally, a rare sight on the roads, they were almost at Commodore levels at the Bend.
Lurking behind the 220, lay another British beast, the McLaren Senna GTR! Part of The Bend’s new Pit Lane Garage which essentially acts as a trading house for rare exotic cars, it is one of just 75 GTRs produced and one of two that made it to Australia.
Another rare beauty was the firstgeneration Aston Martin Vanquish S. Sitting alongside the new Vantage, it provided a good perspective of how design at Aston Martin has evolved without changing their iconic shape. Later on, in the day, a stunning Aston Martin DB6 rocked up! In terms of modern British cars, a Lotus Exige 410 S was one of the highlights. Finished in Lotus’s stunning yellow, it was hard to not be mesmerised by it. Inside the Welcome Centre, the British themed continued. Sitting centre stage, the stunning Jaguar XJ220. Once the world’s fastest car, the iconic beast is
Also, in the Welcome Centre, another McLaren Senna, an Aston Martin DB6, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Aston Martin Vanquish and a whole lot more. It was a good first-time event and good to see some older British cars hitting the track. It would have been good if some of the Welcome Centre cars went out for some demonstration laps, watching the Senna GTR and XJ220 on track would have been an incredible addition to a good event.
Yes! There is now a Jaguar XJ220 on display in South Australia (The Bend). It’s been over 15 years since we last saw a XJ220 here. That was during the 2005 Classic Adelaide. PAGE 34
THE OFFICIAL MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE JAGUAR DRIVERS CLUB OF SA
