JAGUAR ISSUE 4
VOLUME 24
magazine
CONTENTS QUOTE OF THE MONTH “Innovations and technology that we will develop for the race track will continue our race to road philosophy as we share breakthroughs with JLR to support our future production vehicles.” James Barclay, MD JLR Motorsport
2 Editor's Desk / Chaiman’s Chat 3 Quarterly Quirks 4 The Evolution of the Jaguar Mascot 8 A Suffolk SS100 12 Jaguar X300 16 Artificial Jaguars – Imagined 18 Jaguar / Lotus Breakfast Run 20 Jaguar F-TYPE ZP Edition 22 Jackie Stewart 26 Formula E Update 29 Laycock de Normanville Overdrive 32 Your Committee and Contacts Jaguar F-TYPE ZP Edition – p20
The Jaguar Magazine Quarter 1 2024 is the official print publication of the Jaguar Club: Northern Regions, South Africa. www.jagclub.co.za
Volume 24 • Issue 4 1
CHAIRMANS CHAT
FROM THE EDITORS DESK
H
ello all and a very warm welcome in 2024. In general, I find even number years to be easier to navigate than odd number years, e.g. 1967 the year I was born, was generally a tough year, all those nappies and crying weren’t great. 1985 when I finished school and flunked my A-Level Maths meaning I lost my place to study at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London was a bit of game changer and in 1993 I was involved in a mining accident at Kloof Gold mine and was stuck underground for three days before being rescued. In 1996 I got engaged to Ayn, and this was further supported with two wonderful children born in 2004 and 2006 so the Odd v Even trend continued in my favour. In 2014 I decided to start my own business and more recently in 2019 when we first heard the term COVID-19, well, the least said about that the better and I have funny feeling that 2024 will be better than 2023. So, in line with the best guesses from various sources from across the www here are some predictions for the coming year: • Global population to reach 8 118 835 999 • World sales of electric vehicles reaches in excess of 9 million • Oil price at $150/barrel as the green transformation begins to splutter amid rising costs • A slouchy, oversized bag (called an Emotional Support Bag) which can hold everything you need for work and give you something to snuggle up to will become the must have fashion accessory • Robert F. Kennedy Jr will win the 2024 US presidential election • Global Internet traffic grows to 348 Exabytes (that’s a 348 million trillion Bytes) • 22% of people think it is likely Earth will be struck by an ELE asteroid, 56% don’t and 22% don’t care My prediction is that the JCNR will have a wonderful 2024 with lots of exciting driving events and interesting places to visit and those that don’t join us on these trips will be less happy than those that do.
Bob There really is no time for wallowing in the miseries of life: we don't have all the time in the world, we have all the world, and not enough time – Craig Stone
G
reetings from the dam
I’ve spoken before of my enthusiasm for the JCNR and its members – I believe it to be one of the finest marque clubs in South Africa. Anne and I experienced the passion, camaraderie and hospitality of some of our fellow Jaguar devotees in December last year. Not in Johannesburg, but down in southern Gauteng.
It started with the sight of Mornay van Niekerk’s SS100 on the TLC / JCNR Heidelberg run in November. I approached Mornay – who lives in Vanderbijl Park - and asked if I could do an article of the car for our magazine – to which he replied with a definite “yes”. Then there was an outstanding invitation from Marion and Gareth Williams-Wynn to visit them at their home in Vaal Marina. And lastly, Kobus van Wyk and his C-Type. I had compiled an article for our last issue – without, I confess, having seen the completed car. So, that box needed ticking. A few phone calls and a plan emerged. Kobus, perchance, lives on the same road in the Vaal as Gareth and Marion, so that bit was easy. We drove down to the Vaal and spent the afternoon at Kobus and Esme’s house. Kobus has a very interesting collection of cars – not just Jaguars but representatives of the Austin-Healey and Morgan marques – not to mention an early Corvette from the States. Discussions on the cars took much longer than we expected – and Esme kindly came through with some tasty sandwiches to keep up our strength. Then, we repaired to the Williams-Wynn home. Gareth has a fine collection of Jaguars, ranging from a Mark IX to an XKR and an XF – Marion’s daily driver. Sadly, several years ago a tornado ripped through their property, badly damaging the house and ravaging a number of their cars. It was so intense that a number of sheets of roofing were torn away and ended up killing several horses some five properties away. Their house and garages were comprehensively rebuilt, but some badly damaged Jaguars still sit sadly in a car port, mute testimony to a tragic day. A fine night’s stay was followed by breakfast and a closer look at some of the cats that escaped. I was impressed by some excellent upholstery, done by Gareth, on one of his XJ6s. He also gave me some help to spruce up the accessibility of our club website. Then, running somewhat late, we headed over to meet with Karen and Mornay. I’ve described our visit in the article below on the SS!00 – but thanks again for the drive and the melktert. It now remains for me to thank our contributors to this issue. Ian Cooling for his insightful series on Jaguar mascots, my son Bjorn for his images on Jaguars that might have been, Joe dos Santos for his article on the Jaguar and Lotus morning run and Aubrey Malden for his work on the Jackie Stewart article.
Brian
Cover: Suffolk SS100 / Pic Ed
2 Volume 24 • Issue 4
QUARTERLY
QUIRKS & QUOTES
Dateline Madrid – December 11th 2023 Last June, Jaguar Land Rover reported a total transformation of its business strategy. The company was renamed simply JLR, setting its sights on a business model that is more focused on concepts like sustainability, luxury, and profitability than on volume. The process is already underway, and the British group is taking the necessary steps to divide its activities into the four brands reported at the time: Range Rover, Discovery, Defender (the Land Rover brands) and Jaguar itself. In this way, the first fully electric Range Rover (with 340 miles of range) will be launched in 2024, followed by a mid-size model the following year. However, the most noticeable revolution will be that of the iconic Jaguar, which will become an exclusively emission-free and luxury car brand, with prices that will start above £100 000 – that’s right R2.5 bar Ed. This will be a reality in the second half of 2025 with the arrival of its first model, a four-door GT body that will become the most powerful Jaguar ever made, capable of offering a range of 435 miles between charges. The brand promises a never-before-seen design that will thrill its most die-hard fans, despite the complete break with its powerful and prestigious combustion engines.
Luis Antonio Ruiz, president and CEO of JLR Spain, explains that the current models will continue to be sold next year. However, they will be progressively phased out from production and marketing, as the sale of combustion engine cars comes to an end at the beginning of 2025. Ruiz also said that current and future customers are fully protected by the brand, despite the radical change in its business model, as the JLR auto repair shops that currently offer services to Jaguar will continue to do so as long as their vehicles are in circulation. El Pais
Dateline Gaydon - December 12th 2023: JLR is partnering with Tata Communications, the global communications technology player, to future-proof its digital transformation and pave the way for new standards such as Industry 4.0 and advanced analytics. The partnership will power the production of JLR’s next-generation vehicles, a key part of its Reimagine strategy, and provide the connectivity foundation for the next phase of digital transformation for the organisation. Tata Communications will deploy its cloud-first, software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) technology, connecting all JLR’s 128 sites worldwide. This advanced
global connected capability — between JLR’s global HQ and its plants, warehouses, sales centres, data centres and cloud services, will significantly boost supply chain efficiency and security. The transformation will enable JLR to bring in AI-powered and realtime data capturing, monitoring and analysis to improve production line performance. Through predictive risk management controls, the carmaker will be able to identify potential anomalies more effectively – driving greater efficiencies while also helping assure vehicle quality build. Further, this partnership will significantly shorten the time to upgrade manufacturing processes, strengthen operational resilience and increase agility to meet production demands. JLR estimates significant cost savings along with business benefits through scale and security. Tata Communications has already commenced implementation of the network transformation program and will complete the deployment by 2025. This partnership is a further example of JLR accelerating delivery of its Reimagine strategy through collaboration with leaders in their fields, while driving synergies and business excellence within the wider Tata Group. JLR
Volume 24 • Issue 4 3
JAGUAR MASCOTS – CONCLUSION NON-FACTORY JAGUAR MASCOTS: IAN COOLING REVIEWS THE OTHER JAGUAR MASCOTS
M
y first two articles in this series focussed on the various versions of the Frederick Gordon Crosby mascot as sold, first by SS Cars and post war, by Jaguar Cars. In this, the third and final article in the series, I look at the main jaguar mascots produced by commercial suppliers of mascots of various types. This is a much wider field than the factory mascots with, in some cases, jaguar mascots actually pre-dating the adoption of the Jaguar name for their cars by SS Cars in 1936. These often appeared in a generic range of animal mascots marketed by many companies in the heyday of mascots between the wars. During this era, mascot production was big business across the world, with the three principal centres being Britain, France and the USA, - huge numbers were produced at that time. Consequently, there are a lot of these non-factory mascots out there. It is therefore worth making the point that the only mascot ever supplied by the factory (with one exception I shall touch on below) has been the Gordon Crosby mascot in its various incarnations. Rather too many magazine articles and auction catalogues, some written by people who should know better, describe the sort of mascots I cover below as being “approved by Jaguar Cars” or “a factory optional extra”. They never were. Another warning I would sound is that the much higher values of many of the non-factory mascots has proved to be too much of a temptation to the dark side of the trade.
between the wars, before SS Cars had used the Jaguar name. All bear the company’s distinctive touch mark on the underside of the base. The mascot is still in production and like all Lejeune mascots, apart from a handful of special commissions, they are cast in bronze. Airline. One of the several individual mysteries I have come across! Even a quick glance at the accompanying photos shows a strong resemblance to the Lejeune mascot. However, for reasons I have never been able to pin down, it has become known as the “Airline” mascot. Links to the pre-war SS1 Airline coupe? Imperial Airways frequent flier give-away? Who knows! When I was drafting, my book “Jaguar Collectibles” back in the late 1990s, I had both mascots in my collection and showed them to Sir David Hughes, then owner of the Lejeune company and an award-winning sculptor in his own right. Having compared the two he said he was pretty sure that the Airline was a copy of the Lejeune, perhaps even cast from the same mould and the escaping out of the back door of the foundry that made them! They remain collectable and are easily identified as having no touch-marks under the base Futurist. This mascot is one of the range produced in England by the “Futurist” company post-war. It is well-made and the high level of detailing across the whole of the mascot is evident. Also evident is the inspiration due to the Brau mascot!
On now with the specifics! Desmo. I start with one of the more common jaguar mascots in this field. Desmo, the Birmingham-based supplier of many car accessories, produced one jaguar mascot that was fitted to two different bases. This mascot has been much copied. At one point, a particular gentleman sold at least five “Desmo” mascots though an online auctioneer in the space of three months. In other words, he alone offered more than the total sales from all other sources in any similar three-month period at that time. All were accompanied by the same photograph; all were fakes and easily identifiable as such because the mascot and the base were cast as one, which Desmo never offered Brau. This mascot created by the French sculptor – Casimir Brau - was actually a panther. However, panthers and jaguars are of the same feline family (the Latin name for the jaguar is “panthera onca”), so these have become known as jaguar mascots. It is a superbly-balanced creation that perfectly captures the lithe, sinuous lines of the beast. It is also the source of the story that Gordon Crosby copied it in creating his own Jaguar. This story is totally without foundation and fundamentally misunderstands the creative processes, the realities of representative art and the very nature of the man himself. As with the Desmos, these mascots have also been faked and some of the fakes are pretty good – “Caveat Emptor!” Lejeune. The Lejeune company in England, produces these mascots in their line of various animals – dogs, horses, etc and they first appeared
Beards. This mascot regularly appeared in adverts for “Beard’s of Cheltenham” the leading mascot seller in UK in the 1940s and 1950s. I understand that it was originally a Lejeune design, though Beard’s did not advertise it as such. I’ve never seen one in the metal, but a few years back, Lejeune produced a tiny handful of replicas from the original mould. Hoffmann. An example of the sort of mascots that Jaguar dealers sometimes produced on their own initiative. This one was produced in the 1950s for Max Hoffman, the New York-based dealer. These were mainly produced in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s, as Jaguar’s controls were much looser there. Any UK dealer trying a similar initiative would have been stamped on – hard! Prince Michael Mascot. This mascot is the sole exception to the rule that the company only ever supplied the Gordon Crosby mascot for their cars. It is a silver-plated replica of the specially-created mascot fitted by SS Cars to CKV 250 - the first 3.5 litre SS 100 off the line. The car was presented to Prince Michael of Romania by the officers of the Royal Romanian Air Force on the occasion of his 17th birthday in 1937. This is one of only two known examples of the mascot. The other was fitted to the SS Jaguar saloon that was ordered and delivered to the Romanian royal house in the same year. The origins and maker of the mascot are unknown. Text Ian Cooling / Pics Tony Bailey
4 Volume 24 • Issue 4
A mint Lejeune jaguar mascot. First produced pre-war in their range of animal mascots. Before SS Cars had adopted “Jaguar” as the name of their line of cars This is the more common version of the Desmo mascot, with the flat mounting designed for fitting on a radiator cap
The second and much less common version of the Desmo mascot. The same mascot, but I’ve never worked out what this mounting was intended to straddle!
The lithe and elegant lines of an original Brau mascot. Has similarities with Version one of Gordon Crosby’s mascot, but many differences, which are usually glossed over by those claiming GC copied the Brau Volume 24 • Issue 4 5
This photo is of a Futurist mascot with lines showing the clear influence from the Brau Panther
The mascot, known as the Beard’s, is very rare and this photo is one of a very limited edition of less than 10, produced a few years back from the original mould held by Lejeune
A spot of private enterprise by Hoffmann, the New York Jaguar dealership. This is an original from the early 1950s and fakes have appeared more recently. However, they are easily spotted as they have a flat base, whereas the originals had a concave base
6 Volume 24 • Issue 4
The original “Prince Michael” mascot. I took this picture in the yard of SS 100 specialist, David Barber, after he passed away. He replaced the original on the car with a copy cast from the original, which he retained. Note the “splint” on top of the tail. It was cracked but not broken right through. There are only two original “Prince Michael” mascots. I know where this one is and the other one’s lost
One of 10-15 “Prince Michael” copies that David cast from the original. This one is silver-plated and note the way the “splint” on top of the tail has been smoothed away
Copy of a 1953 ad for Beards range of mascots with the Futurist in the centre
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Geoff Connor has been a Jaguar fanatic for over half a century and bought his first cat in 1979. Upon retirement, Geoff decided to start a small business specialising in the service, repair and restoration of Jaguar cars of all ages. We’re closely associated with the Jaguar Club Northern Regions and many of its members are regular clients. In our fully equipped workshop in Wadeville, we have the latest Jaguar-specific diagnostic equipment, electro-hydraulic lifts, special tools and five highly experienced mechanics. A panel beating area and a professional state-of-the-art paint spray booth have recently been completed, we’re installing wheel/tyre changing and balancing equipment enabling us to rebuild wire wheels, we now stock and fit “StrutMasters” coil-over conversion kits for air suspension models and we carry a large stock of used spare parts. In addition, there is "The Jaguar Exchange", where you can find a selection of classic used Jaguars for sale. These range from 1960s classics to XKs and saloons from the 2010s.
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Jeff's Jags, Unit 4C Charron Business Park, 105 Nagington Road Wadeville, Johannesburg 1422 072 934 6966
geoffconnor@rocketmail.com
Sylvan Garage
A Suffolk SS100 THIS ISSUE, I HAVE A TALE TO TELL THAT STARTS IN ENGLAND AND ENDS IN VANDERBIJL PARK. LET ME UNPICK THE THREADS OF THE STORY FOR YOU.
I
n starts in 1936 when Bill Lyons and S.S. Cars announced the SS100 Jaguar sports car. Initially the convertible came powered by a 2½-litre Weslake modified engine, with the 3½-litre being introduced a year later, This model was built between 1936 and the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939. Widely considered one of the most aesthetically pleasing sporting cars of the 1930s the SS100 is also very rare, with only 198 2½-litre and 116 3½-litre models made. In 1942, Irvine Laidlaw, Baron Laidlaw was born in Banffshire, Scotland. He is a businessman, and a former member of the House of Lords – former because he declined to live permanently in the UK. He is an interesting character, who has featured in the Sunday Times 2020 Rich List with an estimated net worth north of £750 million. He is Chairman of the Laidlaw Foundation, which he set up to aid the advancement of the education of deprived young people, by means of grants to educational institutions. On the other side, in 2008, Laidlaw was the target of a sting operation staged by the British tabloid The News of the World, which revealed that he had hired up to five “ladies of the night” at a time for all-night parties in Monaco. However, more to the point for our magazine, he previously owned and raced a D-Type (XKD504), which, during the 1950s, had raced at Le Mans under the Ecurie Ecosse banner. He owned a number of other classic cars, including a 1962 Ferrari GTO. In 2013, Irvine Laidlaw stopped racing and has since sold his collection of sports cars to raise some £17 million.
by their skilled workforce. Their Suffolk SS100 could be ordered from the factory in kit form or as a specific bespoke build commissioned and assembled by the works. Built on a MIG-welded, ladder-frame chassis, the GRP body was created from a mould taken from an original 1938 SS100. The bonnet is an aluminium replica of the original, with all-correct 200 louvres. A large number of parts are identical to the original and will actually fit genuine SS100s, all parts being either new or reconditioned. Running gear was typically based on the XJ6 using its 4.2-litre straight-six, the 4-speed Jaguar 'short compact' gearbox and XJ6 suspension components.
Suffolk Sportscars was in debt to the tune of just over £850 000 when it appointed liquidators in 2021. There was a combination of factors leading to said liquidation. One was an action regarding copyright infringement brought by Jaguar Land Rover, who, suddenly, did not like replicas of older Jaguars being produced. Suffolk were trying to fight this, but they effectively just ran out of cash through a combination of the claim and Covid-19. They have since been reconstituted as Suffolk Classic Services a servicing company, which has acquired all the spares stock, intellectual property and many of the staff of the original company. In December 2013 Irvine Laidlaw brought himself a Suffolk SS100 from the manufacturers. It was unique in that the body colour is Golden Sand, with the period correct 18-inch wheels painted burgundy. The car was second-hand, and had just 12 577 miles on her, and interestingly, was registered in the UK as a Jaguar 420G. Laidlaw, who owns property in South Africa, must have subsequently brought the SS to this country during the 2010s. It then passed into the hands of Barry Fletcher, who is a local Healey club member.
Next, we move to Woodbridge-based Suffolk Sportscars, who were a small production manufacturer dedicated to engineering visually accurate reproductions of the legendary Jaguar SS100 and C-Type. They had been building these cars for over 20 years up until their demise in 2020. The replicas are fully recognised and accepted by Jaguar car clubs around the world, which is a testimony to the quality achieved
8 Volume 24 • Issue 4
Early in 2023, Clinton Lourens of Laude Motors was advertising the Suffolk for sale. He noted that: “A most exquisite, hand-built recreation of the 1938 Jaguar SS100 by the Woodbridge-based Suffolk Sportscars company in the UK is now part of the Laude Classic Car collection. The condition of this particular vehicle is exceptional with both exterior and interior condition being very well maintained. A collector’s dream!” At that time the mileage had increased to 25 068.
and accelerated well. We motored onto the highway, exiting at the first turn-off. Mornay turned left on a twisty country road and the SS came into its element. A very nice feature was the fact that the manual Jaguar ‘box was fitted with overdrive – a satisfying surge was felt as he engaged the unit.
At the end of that road, we stopped to take a few pictures for the magazine and had a look around the car. Closer inspection revealed more of the donor XJ. Looking through the burgundy-coloured wire wheels, the independent Jaguar rear suspension could clearly be seen. At the front end, the XJ coil springs and shock absorbers were lurking behind a pair of faux Luvax Shock absorbers.
JCNR member, Mornay van Niekerk – yes, of Vanderbijl Park – saw the advert and, after some discussion a deal was struck and she was shipped to Gauteng. It was a somewhat bittersweet purchase as Mornay, along with his wife Karen, already owned an SS100 replica. Sadly, the latter car has languished at a restorer for several years, with very little being achieved despite a considerable number of invoices. Karen was beginning to despair of ever travelling in an SS when the Suffolk appeared on the scene. I first saw the Suffolk on the Jaguar / Lotus run to Heidelberg this past November. She was looking fine and powering out of the Engen Blockhouse on to the R59, with Mornay piloting and Karen navigating. With the interests of my readership ever in the front of my mind, I asked Mornay if we could run a story on her.
I was then, graciously, offered to opportunity to drive. It was an interesting combination of old and new. The power unit and transmission were “Jaguar-like” in their smoothness and ease of use, whereas the view from the cockpit was distinctly 1930s. Mornay wondered how the Suffolk version would compare with an original SS100. Thinking back, this car would be easier to drive, more responsive and less vintage in feeling. I accelerated back towards Vanderbijl and, expectantly, pulled the overdrive switch. No satisfying surge – but the windscreen wipers flapped back and forth. Try again, checking out the other of the two identical pull switches next to each other and all was well.
The van Niekerks not only agreed, but kindly invited Anne and I to visit them in Vanderbijl Park - and so we did. I must first thank Karen and Mornay for their amazing hospitality, which included snacks, conversation, drinks – and a melktert. Mornay took me for a stroll around their car collection, housed in a custom-built garage and workshop complex. It is an eclectic collection, with vehicles ranging from Range Rovers and XK150s to E-Types and an Aston-Martin DB9 - the latter being a birthday present for Karen! Next up was a drive for your editor in in the SS100. I climbed in the passenger seat and Mornay headed out the gate and on to the streets of Vanderbijl Park. The dashboard was a good replica of an original SS, although some of the gauges were suspiciously still. The car felt smooth
Mornay took over for the return to his home, where Anne enjoyed a tour of the van Niekerk’s collection – and I enjoyed the melktert. Many thanks are due to Karen and Mornay for their impeccable hospitality. Text and pics Ed Volume 24 • Issue 4 9
10 Volume 24 • Issue 4
Volume 24 • Issue 4 11
The X300
THE JAGUAR XJ (X300) IS A FULL-SIZE LUXURY SALOON CAR MANUFACTURED BY JAGUAR CARS BETWEEN 1994 AND 1997. IT WAS THE FIRST JAGUAR XJ PRODUCED ENTIRELY UNDER FORD MOTOR COMPANY OWNERSHIP, AND WAS AN EVOLUTION OF THE OUTGOING XJ40 GENERATION. LIKE ALL PREVIOUS XJ GENERATIONS, IT FEATURES THE JAGUAR INDEPENDENT REAR SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENT. THE DESIGN OF THE X300 PLACED EMPHASIS ON IMPROVED BUILD QUALITY, IMPROVED RELIABILITY, AND A RETURN TO TRADITIONAL JAGUAR STYLING ELEMENTS.
A
t the car's launch in October 1994 at the Paris Motor Show, Jaguar marketing material made use of the phrase "New Series XJ" to describe the X300 models. The X300 series represented the result of a £200 million facilities renewal program by Ford. The program introduced state-of-the-art automated body welding robots manufactured by Nissan, and was intended to show the future direction of the British auto industry. The X300 went on to become of Jaguar's most successful models. Exterior Aesthetically, the X300 received several updates in the design refresh led by Geoff Lawson in 1991. The mostly flat bonnet of the XJ40 was replaced with a fluted, curvaceous design that accentuated the four separate round headlamps. Rear wings were reshaped to accommodate the new wrap-around rear light clusters. Additionally, the separate blackrubber bumper bar of the XJ40 was replaced with a fully integrated body-coloured bumper. The Jaguar leaper bonnet mascot was installed only on cars for non-European markets.
Interior The interior of the X300 was similar to that found in the XJ40, with some revisions. The seats were updated to have a more rounded profile, wood trim was updated with bevelled edges, and the steering wheel was redesigned. Early X300 cars were built without a front passenger glovebox, due to space constraints caused by the introduction of a frontpassenger airbag.
12 Volume 24 • Issue 4
Mechanicals Following the XJ40, Jaguar's intention was to launch a new saloon with a new V8 engine. Ford halted development of this saloon, termed XJ90, and proposed to install its new engine and front and rear ends onto the centre section of the XJ40. However, the V8 was not ready, and would not be so until after the X300's successor, the XJ X308. Jaguar's V12 engine and AJ6 inline-six (AJ16) engine were both available in various X300 models, although they received significant updates. Both engines were fitted with distributorless electronic engine management systems. The V12's new management system was designed by Nippon Denso. The top aluminium cover in the engine's valley was redesigned to house two packs of three coils each, with each coil having two hightension terminals for a total of twelve. These coilpacks were driven by two Denso ignition modules. The crankshaft in the V12 was switched from a forging to a chill casting.
The 4.0-litre AJ16 inline-6 engine For the inline 6-cylinder engine, magnesium-alloy valve covers and revised pistons featured in the engine, which was given the designation AJ16. It was found in 4.0 litre supercharged form in the XJR. The normally aspirated six-cylinder X300 cars used either a ZF four-speed automatic gearbox (4HP-22 on the 3.2 litre and 4HP-24 on the 4.0 litre), or a Getrag 290 five-speed manual. The 4HP-22 automatic is mechanically controlled while the 4HP-24 is electronically controlled, allowing 4.0-litre models to offer Normal and Sport modes on a switch by the gear lever. The
supercharged six-cylinder engine in the XJR was normally built with the optional GM 4L80-E four-speed automatic and very few XJRs were ordered with the standard specification Getrag 290. All V12-equipped cars were built with the GM 4L80-E automatic. The X300 was the first XJ to be affected directly by Jaguar's takeover in 1990 by the Ford Motor Company. According to David Versical of Automotive News, Ford's influence was evident more in terms of "product development processes than its parts bin". Versical added that the XJ's new "traction control system came via Ford's Mondeo program" and it also featured "a Nippondenso air conditioner sourced through Ford's purchasing channels."
XJ Sport To attract younger buyers, Jaguar offered a Sport model with wider 18-inch wheels, revised seats, and stiffer suspension. The Sport kept the matte-black window surrounds from the base model, and is identified by Sport badges on the B-pillars and XJ Sport badging on the rear. The sports suspension, along with the wider wheels, were also available as an option on both SWB and LWB XJ6 and Sovereign models.
Models The X300 was available in both short- and long-wheelbase body styles and in various trim levels. Some markets had a limited selection of X300 models or features. For example, the North American XJ6 was only available with the 4.0 litre engine, and they did not receive the Sport, Executive, or Century models, nor was a manual transmission offered. XJ6 The base model in the range was the XJ6, which featured the 3.2 litre version of the AJ16. On these base cars, aluminium alloy wheels, leather upholstery, and air conditioning were all extra-cost options. Later, the 4.0 litreL version of the AJ16 was offered in the XJ6.
Sovereign The Sovereign model used the AJ16 engine in either 3.2 litre or 4.0 litre form, and came equipped with luxury features as standard such as tenway electric leather seats with three-way memory on the driver's side, cruise control, automatic climate control and a tool kit located under the bonnet. The exterior of the Sovereign was adorned with chromed trim in various locations: on the radiator grille, rear light cluster surrounds, windscreen and rear window surrounds, rain gutters, window frames, and boot-lid plinth.
Executive Aimed at a younger market segment, the Executive model was introduced for the 1997 model year and featured leather trim, a wood/ leather steering wheel, wide wheels (similar to the Sport model), and air conditioning. It was treated as a run-out specification for the XJ6 and so separate production numbers are not available. Long Wheelbase (X330) For the 1996 model year, a long wheelbase version of the body shell was introduced, adding an extra 130 mm for rear seat occupants and an extra inch of headroom. This body style was available for all of the classic models (XJ, Sovereign, and XJ12) but not the sport models (XJ Sport and XJR). There were two X330 variants, one with five seats and one with four, which featured a raised centre console between the two adjustable rear seats. Internally, Jaguar referred to the long wheel base version as the X330 Majestic, although unlike the XJ40 they were never badged as such. The X330 bodies were built on the standard production line, which meant the X330 carried a much smaller price premium over the standard models, as compared to the XJ40. XJR (X306) The XJR was introduced as a high-performance sport model, and it was Jaguar's first-ever supercharged road car and only the second Jaguar road car to use forced induction, after the Jaguar XJ220, which was turbocharged. The output of the six-cylinder AJ16 engine was increased to 239 kW and 512 Nm with the use of an Eaton M90 supercharger and an air-water intercooler. The 0 to 97 km/h acceleration time varied from 5.9 seconds for the manual transmission car to 6.6 seconds for the automatic. The XJR was fitted with larger 17 inches wheels, compared to 16 inches on the rest of the range, along Pirelli P-Zero tyres, with 10 mm lower firmer suspension and traction control. Almost all of the 6 547 XJR production cars were built with the optional GM 4L80-E automatic
The Sovereign toolkit. Volume 24 • Issue 4 13
While the similar Daimler Double Six came with 225/60-16 tyres on 7-inch wide wheels and comfort suspension as standard, the XJ12 came with 225/55-16 tyres on 8-inch-wide wheels and sports suspension, which explains the height difference between the two models. The last Jaguar to be powered by a V12 engine was a green LWB XJ12, which left the production line on April 17th 1997. It is now in the Jaguar Collection at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in Warwickshire.
gearbox, although the Getrag 290 five-speed manual gearbox was the standard offering. Cosmetically, the XJR differed from the standard cars with a bodycoloured grille surround, mesh grille insert, body-coloured boot-lid plinth, larger exhaust outlets, special five-spoke Sport alloy wheels, and XJR badging. This generation of the XJR model carries the code name X306. XJ12 (X305) The XJ12 model, which carries the code name X305 along with the short wheel base Daimler Double Six, featured the same trim level of the Sovereign but was powered by the 6.0 litre version of the Jaguar V12 engine. It is visually differentiated by the rear boot-lid XJ12 badge, a V12 insignia inlaid on the passenger-side dashboard wood panel, a V12 badge on each B-pillar, chromed door mirrors and a gold-coloured Jaguar crest at the top of the radiator grille surround. Only available transmission was a 4-speed automatic GM 4L80-E. In the United States market, this generation of the XJ12 was available only as model years 1995, which were all short-wheelbase, and 1996, which were all long. The X305 was equipped with an On-Board Diagnostics System; however, it failed to fully meet the OBD-II specifications, which became mandatory for the 1996 model year in the United States. With a special dispensation for that model year, no 1997 model year X305 models were sold in North America.
Daimler/Jaguar Vanden Plas The Daimler name was applied to the highest trim level of the X300 cars, and featured all the chrome brightwork found on the Sovereign cars, plus chromed door mirrors, chromed door handles, and a fluted radiator grille surround & boot (trunk) finisher. Most of the optional extra features on the X300 range were all standard for the Daimler, such as heated front seats, heated front screen, sunroof and cruise control, plus for the Daimlers only fluted leather door pockets, picnic tables for rear passengers on the back of the front seats and special marquetry veneer. The Daimler Six model was equipped with the AJ16 engine, and the Daimler Double Six with the V12; both available in short or long wheel base. In some markets, such as North America, the name Jaguar Vanden Plas was used instead of Daimler. Vanden Plas X300 cars in the United States after MY 1995 are all built on the long-wheelbase body shell, although they were only available with the six-cylinder engine, leaving the V12 available solely in the XJ12 model for that market. 1995 Vanden Plas cars are all short wheelbase cars.
Daimler Century In 1996, the Century model was introduced to commemorate the centennial of the Daimler name. The Century was equipped with all features and upgrades available on the X300 cars, plus chromed wheels, special exterior paint, and electrically adjustable rear seats. Daimler Corsica concept A single two-door XJ convertible was built in 1996 to commemorate Daimler Company's centenary. The concept car, called the Daimler Corsica, was based on the Daimler Double-Six saloon and can seat four. The prototype, which lacked an engine, had all the luxury features of an Jaguar V-12 engine in an X300.
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XJ saloon car but a shorter wheelbase. It is painted in a colour called Seafrost, which was later discontinued. The Daimler Corsica was named after the 1931 Daimler Double-Six Corsica. The concept was a one-off, and may have been intended for limited production beginning in 1997. The car has made a limited number of appearances at car shows and events since 1996. The Daimler Corsica prototype is owned by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, who have commissioned it to operate as a fully functional road-legal car. It was on display at their museum at Browns Lane in Coventry but is now on display in the Jaguar Collection at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, Warwickshire. The car has also been displayed at Harewood House as part of the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club show. Wikipedia
Artificial Jaguars Imagined
S
o, my eldest son. Bjorn, works as a computer games designer and developer. He is currently living in Japan, after spending some time travelling the world. All he needs is a laptop and an Internet connection to get his job done. Back in the 1990s, when he lived in South Africa, he and I used to compete in classic car rallies organised by CRRASA at the time. He would navigate and I would drive our Mark 2. Being a good mathematician, he was adept at keeping us on time – or thereabouts. He recently sent me some Mark 2 images created by an artificial intelligence product - Microsoft’s Bing Image Creator. This is an AI-powered tool that allows users to create images by simply using their own words to describe the picture they want to see. It is powered by an advanced version of the DALL∙E model from Microsoft’s partners at OpenAI. At its core, DALL-E leverages a type of AI known as a transformer neural network, and generates images from textual descriptions. DALL-E operates based on unsupervised learning. The model is trained on vast amounts of text-image pair data and uses an optimization process to fine-tune its parameters. In other words, the Image Creator has been “fed” a large number of picture, along with their descriptions. When asked to create a specific image it references this database to come up with its best match. From Bjorn and I playing with the product, it is clear that it has not had access to a large number of Jaguar pictures. It knows what an E-Type or an F-TYPE is – or indeed an I-PACE. But – well see for yourself. The caption under the picture is the text given to Image Creator to produce that particular image. Thanks to Bjorn for keeping his dad amused. Text Ed / Pics Bjorn Askew, Ed and Bing.
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Cat driving a Jaguar convertible
Jaguar C-Type winning Le Mans
Jaguar XJ6 at Jaguar factory
Jaguar XJR-9 winning Le Mans 1988
Jaguar SS100 competing in Alpine Rally
Jaguar XF racing
White Jaguar Mark 2 driiving in South Africa
White Jaguar Mark 2 driving power sliding around a street corner at high speed with a blur effect to show how fast it is driving, while crowds cheer and take photos behind barriers
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JAGUAR / LOTUS Breakfast Run 3 November 19th 2023 Gerry and Klaas Kramer share a common interest in the marques Jaguar and Lotus amongst others, and were instrumental in extending the invitation to The Lotus Register to join the well organised run to the Heidelberg Heritage Museum. Having spent 2 years of my life in the Army Gymnasium in this then sleepy town, while completing my compulsory military training from ’77 to ’79, it was an event that I could not miss, even if it meant travelling in my trusty TVR, as unforeseen problems prevented my planned outing in the S1 Esprit after a layoff of 19 years. The idea was to meet with our washed and polished cars at the Blockhouse Engen One stop en route to Vereeniging, south of Johannesburg for a departure at 09h30. The event was run to the minute with clockwork precision, having a pre-run meeting of comical entertainment value, while simultaneously very informative, ensuring that step 22 in the well organised travel notes was not overlooked. If nothing else mattered, this advised the drivers to be alerted by bad speed bumps that ensured the stop sign ahead would not be overlooked. In the event of any mishaps such as getting lost or other catastrophe, guess what the answer was: “I Don’t Care!” These notes also gave passengers or navigators an opportunity to engage their time constructively by trying to break the quiz of coded questions and hints. The highest correct answers were entitled to a grand prize, while the second highest would be awarded a surprisingly identical prize. The former was won by Rodney and Gill Wilcock from TLR, and the latter by Klaas Kramer, representing both the JCNR and TLR, with father Gerry beaming under his unique and coveted JCNR / TLR cap. We left the starting point after the zeroing of odometers, and proceeded to follow in close proximity. This only lasted for 2.5 kms as the second right turn was missed by most at the 2.7 km annotation. It took a few hundred meters for this procession to do a U-turn, and correct the obvious mistake. The rest of the very well organised route went without further hitches and all seemed to have found their way to the destination. A reconnaissance of this route was well done as precise route notes were written, taking us through beautiful terrain of some lovely landscapes and undulating hills, never seen before by some. On arrival at the Museum, enough tree shade made parking a pleasure for our steeds of pride and joy. Getting back into our cars at time of departure, ensured that both open cars and sedans were cool in the heat of the afternoon
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glorious weather. The option was made available to those who wished to attend a lecture of history and heritage for a small fee. This took about an hour while others enjoyed some drinks and had time to place food orders, which, due to the large group were produced and delivered at varying intervals. A good time was had by all, sharing large tables that encouraged conversation with more like-minded folk, extending circles of friendship. Finally, after the local craft beer was consumed by some, with bellies full and wide smiles, we wished friends, new and old, a safe and happy trip home departing in our own time. A big thank you to all that organised and made this fabulous day possible. Text Joe dos Santos / pics Ed and Chair
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Jaguar E-Type ZP EDITION Dateline Coventry – October 11th 2023: Jaguar is commemorating the end of its internal combustion sports car lineage in 2024 with an exclusive limited-edition F-TYPE inspired by two iconic 1960s racing E-types. Just 150 examples of the F-TYPE ZP Edition will be the last internal combustion-engined sports cars designed by Jaguar. These 575PS supercharged petrol V8 F-TYPEs feature specially curated interior and exterior details by the personalisation experts at SV Bespoke. Two F-TYPE ZP Edition colourways are available, recalling the first race-winning ‘Project ZP’ E-types campaigned shortly after the model’s launch in 1961: Oulton Blue Gloss paint with Mars Red and Ebony duotone leather interior, or Crystal Grey Gloss paint with Navy Blue and Ebony duotone leather interior. These colours match the two specially
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formulated paints created for seven pairs of E-type Project ZP Collection cars announced earlier this year: Unique interiors with horizontal seat fluting, plus Gloss Black exterior accents and Gloss Black brake callipers, complement exclusive F-TYPE ZP Edition branding details on the fenders, Gloss Black Diamond Turned 20inch forged alloy wheels, tread plates and dashboard. Each car features a ‘One of 150’ SV Bespoke commissioning plaque. The F-TYPE ZP Edition is available in both Coupé and Convertible body styles. With 575PS, 700Nm of torque and an all-wheel drive system with Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD) technology, performance is exceptional on all surfaces and in all weathers: 0-100kph takes as little as 3.7 seconds, while top speed is an electronically-limited 300kph. JLR
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Jackie Stewart JOHN YOUNG STEWART WAS BORN ON JUNE 11TH, 1939, AT ROCKVIEW, DUMBUCK. HIS FATHER BOB HAD BEEN A TT RIDER AND NOW RAN THE GARAGE HE HAD BUILT AT DUMBUCK, R.P.STEWART & SONS, AS IT CAME TO BE KNOWN WHEN ELDER BROTHER JIMMY AND THEN JACKIE CAME INTO THE BUSINESS, WERE DEALERS INITIALLY FOR AUSTIN, THEN JAGUAR.
J
immy, eight years his senior, was the first to go into competitive car racing, when he started with Rest-and-be-Thankful hill climbs in his MG and his Healey Silverstone. Soon he had done well enough to attract the attention of the Ecurie Ecosse team. Before long Stewart was racing their metallic blue Jaguar C-Types. His mother, though she loved cars and ran a variety, including a Jaguar XK120, persuaded the elder brother to retire, after he had a couple of unpleasant crashes. She also tried to dissuade her younger son from emulating his brother. Jackie therefore turned to the outdoors for his recreation. particularly clay-pigeon shooting, shooting for Scotland, and winning all the home countries' championships in 1959 and 1960.
However, an E-Type convertible, chassis number 850216, arrived at R.P.Stewart & Sons as a demonstration model. It was delivered ex-factory with large front brakes, cooling ducts in the bonnet and a close ratio gearbox. In autumn 1962 and spring 1963, Jackie Stewart entered it for five club races at the Charterhall circuit, located at an old RAF base in Berwickshire in Scotland. He finished first in two of the events. He took the red Jaguar further afield to the Oulton Park track in 1963, but had two DNFs there. He did , however, achieve a first at Ouston, in Northumberland, in June of that year. Thereafter, he raced a Tojeiro Ford and a Cooper Monaco for Ecurie Ecosse scoring several wins. A sole outing in a Mark 2, co-driving with Mike MacDowel for Ecurie Red Rose at Oulton Park, netted another victory. In 1963, Jaguar decided to create a limited run of 18 Lightweight E-Types, with a full aluminium body. Based on the open-top roadster, but with a coupé-style hardtop roof, they included a race-spec 350bhp version of the 3.8-litre XK straight-six engine and a five-speed gearbox. The first Lightweight E-type - 4 WPD - went to Jaguar team owner John Coombs. With Graham Hill at the wheel, it won at Snetterton, Goodwood and Silverstone. For 1964, Hill and Coombs modified 4 WPD with wider wheels, higher-lift camshafts and stiffer suspension, giving the car a new lease
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of life. They also gave a test to a rising Scottish single-seater driver, who immediately set the best time ever posted by an E-Type. It was, of course, Jackie Stewart, and he went on to take victory in the car at Crystal Palace in South London, as well as a second place at Brands Hatch.
At this time, he married Helen McNeil of Helensburgh, and the couple moved to a flat in Rhu and then a bungalow at Dumbuck. From there, Stewart’s racing career progressed, via a test at Oulton Park with McLaren, to full-time single seat racing. For the next three years he drove for BRM with Graham Hill, finishing 3rd, 7th and 9th in the World Championships. When BRM went into decline, Jackie drove for Ken Tyrell in Cosworth-Ford V8 powered Matras, taking second place in 1968. In the following year, he won his first world championship with six outright victories. In 1970 Tyrell switched to a March chassis, but a spate of engine failures reduced Jackie to fifth overall.
In 1971 Tyrell used his own chassis, and Jackie beat the 12-cylinder Ferraris to gain another six victories and a second championship. 1972 saw him suffer from a stomach ulcer and, with correspondingly indifferent form, he ended up second to Emmerson Fittipaldi. He entered the 1973 season with the intention of retiring as champion, and beat Emmerson Fittipaldi and Ronald Peterson, who were driving for Lotus. Jackie set a world championship record, at the time, of 27 Grand Prix wins. A personal mission of Jackie's was safety in driving. In the year of his successful test session at Oulton Park his friend Bob McIntyre, the TT racer, was killed. In 1968 Jim Clark was killed at Hockenheim, and two years later Bruce McLaren died. That same year his friends Piers Courage and Jochen Rindt both died in GP accident. Friend and colleague, Aubrey Malden, in an article on Jackie’s crusade for safety. notes: “In fact during Jackie’s battle and quest for improved safety he often faced very stiff opposition, some from leading figures, with commercial interests in the sport. Other stiff opposition came from some of the macho media. As Jackie remembers, “It was said I removed the romance from the sport, that the safety measures took away the swashbuckling spectacular that had been. They said I had no guts. But not many of these critics had ever crashed at 150 miles an hour. Fortunately, I was still achieving a lot of success, winning races in hideously dangerous conditions, and that gave me greater influence.”
Certainly, none had raced at 150 mph, or been seconds away from being turned into a human torch. Soaked in petrol and pulled from a car by Graham Hill, as Jackie had been, at Spa, in the Belgian Grand Prix. With the possibility of death and destruction always around the next bend, or brow of the hill, and Jackie not knowing if he would see his wife again when he left his home, the trigger for Jackie’s retirement was pulled. But not by him. In 1973 his friend and teammate at Tyrell, Francois Cevert was killed in practice at Watkins Glen. The team pulled out of the race and Jackie, three times World Grand Prix Formula One Champion, and one short of one hundred Grand Prix races, simply took of his helmet for the last time. And retired. (I was at that race , a very sad occasion that cast a pall over the normal glorious weekend in up-state New York Ed.)
He retired from motor racing, but not from his crusade. He continued his well-mannered but pugnacious fight to make the sport that he loved, and sometimes feared, safe, for all. Jackie helped introduce full-face helmets and seatbelts for drivers and helped develop the Grand Prix medical unit that began travelling to the races. He successfully campaigned for better safety barriers and gravel traps, and greater run-off areas at particularly dangerous corners, to protect spectators as well as drivers. So now when we see accidents in the sport of motor racing, we see drivers walking away.” In 1996, Jackie Stewart, together with his son, Paul, began another venture that would intersect with Jaguar. Prior to this, in 1988, Paul had set up Paul Stewart Racing and entered the 1989 British Formula 3 season, where he had a single win at Snetterton. In 1990, the team expanded, being divided into three sections; preparation for European Formula 3000, Formula 3 and Formula Vauxhall Lotus. Within a few years, they enjoyed success, winning 12 titles and 119 races in various categories. In January 1996, Jackie secured a five-year development deal with Ford to make it a factory team, along with finance from Malaysia as a promotion for that country.
With the first car, named the Stewart SF01, Stewart GP entered the 1997 Grand Prix season with drivers Rubens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen. The only success of their first year came at the rain-affected Monaco Grand Prix where Barrichello finished second. Elsewhere, the cars were consistent midfield runners throughout the season. 1998 was a struggle for the team, with neither driver able to step onto the podium, Magnussen being replaced with Johnny Hebert partway through the year. After Ford acquired Cosworth in July 1998, they designed a brandnew engine for 1999. The Stewart SF3 was quick out of the box, being consistently competitive throughout the season. However, the engine initially proved fragile as both cars blew their engines at the first race which meant the engine was rarely run at full power. Johnny Herbert won a popular victory at the rain soaked 1999 European Grand Prix at the new Nürburgring, whilst Barrichello finished third. The Stewarts finished second and third in the Malaysian Grand Prix that year. The team came fourth in the Constructors Championship, beating the likes of Williams and Benetton. Their last race was the 1999 Japanese Grand Prix.
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ESPN, in September 1999, reported that: “Jaguar will enter Formula One motor racing next season with Eddie Irvine as the team's No. 1 driver." (Johnny Herbert being retained as his number two.) Ford announced at the Frankfurt motor show that the Stewart team would be rebranded as Jaguar Racing. Ford's luxury marque, one of the most famous names in sports-car racing, will make its Formula One debut in Melbourne, Ford having bought the Stewart team in June.” Jackie Stewart stayed on as chairman and chief executive of the team and his son Paul became deputy chairman. A year later Stewart was quoted as saying: “…everybody's expecting rather a lot from us and I think maybe even Jaguar was expecting too much…In a strange way I would personally have preferred to have one more year of running as the Stewart Ford team before making the transition to Jaguar.” This is not the place to chronicle the disaster that was Jaguar in Formula One – suffice it to say that after a succession of high-profile management, such as Bobby Rahal and Niki Lauda, poor results led to the team being sold for the 2005 season, becoming Red Bull Racing. And didn’t they do well!
there is far more money, more profit, more bucks to be made from cancer, anti-depressants, pain-killers like opioids and other drugs.” So, nothing really new, or adventurous appears to being done. Indeed, Jackie was pulled up very short when he heard from his doctors that his wife, Lady Helen Stewart had the early onset of dementia. It was then that he leant that the medical world had accomplished little to hold back the disease. As Sir Jackie wrote, ”The medical and pharmaceutical world has failed so far. Prior to Helen’s diagnosis some seven years ago I didn’t even know what dementia was, but my God I do now and it’s a terrible illness with terrible repercussions for a whole family.” Sir Jackie has now learnt that dementia is now the leading cause of death, having overtaken cancer and heart disease. So, he has taken the bull by the horns and sworn to bring an end to the disease. Starting a new and very serious, well organised and financed race. One that is powered by some of the best freethinking and young scientific and medical talent in the world. Talent that he and his team have sought out, and talent that refuses to obey the status quo. This organisation is The Race Against Dementia (RAD). Its HQ is in the UK but has contacts and colleagues in many countries in the world.
And you, if you care for yourself and others, if you care for humankind, should make it your business to find out about them, on www. raceagainstdementia.com. Remember, the more that comes in, the faster this well organised Race will be won, for all of us.” Back to Aubrey: “Now Jackie has taken on another crusade, another race against a killer, one that can so easily kill at least one in three of us reading this article today. One that is unchecked and suffers from a similar lethargy, as racing safety did those many years ago. I’m talking about dementia and Alzheimer’s. He’s seen a terrible need for this new race to be won. For as Sir Jackie has found out the cure is way back at the rear of the starting grid. Some people wag an accusatory finger at the pharmaceutical industry and say, “It’s just because
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Text Aubrey Malden, Ed and the world wide web – whence came all the pics
Specialising in rebuilding classic JAGUARS and other British cars. British Sports Cars have moved to 58 road no.4, Brentwood Park, Benoni and we are now working on modern Jaguars as well. Our contact details for new owner Piet Bateman are: Workshop: 011 421 0531 Cell: 079 873 4029 Email: piet.bateman@gmail.com
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stand out from the crowd to advertise here email brian@quaestior.com
NEW MEMBERS 2024 The JCNR would like to welcome the following new members who have joined us recently:
Sungano Mabiza from Clubview , who drives a 2018 Jaguar XF.
Dean Elliott of Glenvista. Dean has two E-Types from 1964 and 1968.
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FORMULA E UPDATE Dateline Valencia – October 28th 2023: Jaguar TCS Racing topped the times in all sessions at the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship official pre-season testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. Mitch Evans set the fastest overall lap of the week with a 1:24.474 and topped the first two session times on the 3.376km circuit. New teammate and fellow Kiwi, Nick Cassidy, finished the week well by topping the final session with a 1:24.617. In total the team completed 457 laps, equating to 1 542 kilometres – the equivalent of driving from the team base in Oxfordshire to Monaco. Friday’s testing started with a race simulation where all teams practiced race conditions, including both ATTACK MODE and pit stop procedures. Overall, it was a valuable session to gain further information and learnings to take into the new season.
Dateline Kidlington – November 30th 2023: Jaguar TCS Racing opens new headquarters The British race team has relocated to the state-of-the-art innovation centre at the recently opened new Fortescue WAE facility. From here, the race-winning team will continue to design, develop and manufacture the powertrains in the four Jaguar-powered racecars, as the successful customer-relationship with Envision Racing continues for a second season. The new facility features a powertrain build lab, where the team assemble MGUs and inverters, two core components of their powertrain hardware. It also features a workshop with car work bays, which act as dedicated stations for working on the Jaguar’s Formula E race cars; a sub assembly room, where the main cases, gearboxes, suspension and cooling systems are assembled; amongst many other purpose-built rooms.
World Championship, Jaguar TCS Racing’s remote operations room will be based at the Kidlington HQ, where engineers will provide vital set up and strategy support to their trackside colleagues. Formula E continues to be a real-world test bed for electric vehicle hardware and software in a high-performance environment. Innovation and technology transfer from Jaguar’s Formula E race cars support the reimagination of Jaguar as an all-electric, modern luxury brand from 2025. JLR
It also becomes home to the team’s driver-in-the-loop simulator, where drivers Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy will test and prepare for the 2024 races, including both the new and existing circuits in some of the most exciting cities across the globe. During the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E
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Dataline Mexico City – January 13th 2024 Formula E reports: TAG Heuer Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein secured victory, as he ran another well-managed drive to the top step in the opening round of Season 10, leading home Envision Racing's Sebastien Buemi and Jaguar TCS Racing debutant Nick Cassidy. The German threw down the gauntlet with a controlled drive from lights out and pole to the chequered flag. Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing) took the flag in fourth. Says Jaguar TCS Racing: In his debut race for the team, Nick Cassidy secured a third-place podium finish and the fastest lap in the opening round of the 2024 Championship. Teammate Mitch Evans drove an impressive race to finish in fifth place, bringing home all-important points for the team. In qualifying, both drivers made it through to the semi-final of the Duels. During the Qualifying session, Mitch secured the fastest lap of the weekend - showcasing the pace of the I-TYPE 6. After a one-place
grid penalty for both drivers due to a procedural infringement, Nick lined up fourth on the grid, with Mitch in fifth. When the lights went green, Nick and Mitch held their position behind Wehrlein, Buemi and Günther. After Nick took his first Attack Mode, the Jaguar drivers rotated for fourth, before Mitch took his own Attack Mode which moved him back to fifth. A safety car meant an additional two laps were added. After the green flag, Mitch took his second Attack Mode, remaining in fifth. Cassidy moved up into third place, which he held for the remainder of the 37-lap event. Mitch was on the defence for more than half the race, holding off the remainder of the field around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit for an incredible 23 laps. Buemi’s second, meant that three out of four Jaguar-powered cars finished in the top five. FE / JTCSR
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Laycock de Normanville Overdrive THE BRITISH INVENTION THAT LET THE WORLD’S DRIVERS ENJOY HIGHWAYS
Tough? ”You’d better believe it,” says Tom Cox, transmission expert at Pete Cox Sportscars. “We had one customer who lent his racing Triumph TR6 to a friend for a race at Brands Hatch. He didn’t really understand what an overdrive was all about and at maximum revs at the end of the pit straight, he simply clicked it out before Paddock Hill bend. The gearbox instantly saw about 9 000 rpm and completely detonated. There wasn’t anything salvageable, but the overdrive, well, that was fine. We took it apart and put it back together—nothing wrong at all.” Tough, then, but also ingenious and ubiquitous, the Laycock de Normanville (LdN) overdrive might sound a bit like the transmission equivalent of the Duckworth-Lewis equation, but while it’s not as good at determining the result of a rained-off cricket match, it’s quite brilliant at reducing stress on you and your car when highway cruising.
It was invented in 1948 by Edgar de Normanville, an engineer, inventor, and motoring correspondent for The Motor magazine and The Daily Express. He’d already designed a four-speed epicyclic transmission for Humber when he came up with the similarly geared two-speed overdrive unit, which was built by Laycock Engineering in Sheffield. The LdN overdrive was one of a variety of overdrive units, including those from BorgWarner and Fairey, but it was by far the most popular, with an estimated 3.5 million units built over a 40-year period. LdN overdrives saw service on a variety of cars of the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s: Jaguars, Land Rovers, Rovers, Bristols, Austin-Healeys, MGs, Triumphs, Volvos, AMCs, Chevrolets, and even a Ferrari, the 250 GT 2+2. An overdrive unit is essentially a two-speed mechanically/hydraulically activated epicyclic gear system, which is shaped like a misshapen football and bolted to the back of the gearbox driving the propellor shaft.
Overdrive simply means gearing that provides a tall enough ratio to enable the output shaft of the gearbox to spin faster than its input. Think of the engine “over driving” the propellor shaft. So why did cars need overdrives at all? Post-WWII motoring marked a profound change; more middle-class motorists bought cars and travelled farther on very different roads. There were just 383 525 cars on the British roads in 1923, over a million in 1930, more than 2.5 million by 1950, and just under 5 million in 1960. To enable motorists to travel farther faster, in the 1950s the UK government undertook a program of mass road building to enable a 20th century car-based economy. Britain’s first dual carriageway had opened at the London end of the Great West Road in 1925, but the 1950s and ’60s saw their widespread adoption. In December 1958, the Preston Bypass, Britain’s first-ever motorway, was opened by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, who quoted Robbie Burns: “I’m now arrived—thanks to the gods! Thro’ pathways rough and muddy. A certain sign that makin’ roads is no this people’s study.”
The M1 (with Mark VIII) shortly after being opened. The following year, the first stretch of the M1 opened and cars subjected to the stresses of fast, continuous use on these new roads required a rethink. Better engine bearings, for instance, which could survive that stress, as well as improvements to cooling, better suspension and tires, and lower cruising revs. With sufficient torque from the engine, fitting an overdrive meant that cars and trucks with longitudinally mounted engines and three- and four-speed gearboxes could drive on these long, straight roads with the engine turning at lower revolutions, which reduced fuel consumption, component wear, noise, and vibration.
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Of course, there was always the option of an over-driven fifth gear, which does much the same thing as an overdrive unit, and that’s exactly where we’ve ended up today with five- and six-speed gearboxes, which reduce the gearing to improve emissions and fuel consumption. In the 1950s and ’60s, however, a five-speed gearbox could be problematic. Designing and manufacturing a five-speed is neither simple nor cheap; witness today where carmakers often hand off their transmission business to firms such as BorgWarner, Dana, Getrag, Voith, Aisin, or ZF and therefore effectively share the cost with other manufacturers.
Initially the LdN overdrive was produced as an A-Type unit. “It has a hydraulic pump unit which built up to 340 to 550psi,” explains Brearley. “That stored pressure, when released, pushed the cone clutch into the brake ring, which stopped the sun gear and sent the drive round the epicyclic gears. In the earliest days the overdrive was controlled by a mechanical lever. The 12-volt solenoid came later.” Brearley says the A-Type unit had a couple of different ratios, expressed as the percentage reduction in engine revs for a given speed: 22 percent for most Triumphs and 28 percent for Jaguars and Austin-Healeys.
And, as James Brearley, engineer and director of Overdrive Repair Services in Sheffield says: “That fifth speed would sit at the back of the gearbox, and would need a method to engage it with different shift rods and forks, and there often isn’t the space to accommodate them at the rear of the ‘box.”
By around 1972, the old A-Types were replaced by the J-Type, which had a slightly different mounting system and different overall gearing drop. Internet warriors rage about the relative strengths of the A versus J, the latter having smaller gears, fewer moving parts, different hydraulics, which subject the gears to less force, and more accessible hydraulics when mounted in the car. All Jaguars from the Mark VII to the XJ6 were fitted with the A-Type unit. Different vehicle applications have different adaptor plates and output shafts, and there were also special application overdrives: D-Types for early Triumphs, MGBs, and Hillmans; LH Types for MGBs and Ford-engined vehicles such as the Zephyr and Reliant Scimitar; and the P-Types, which were the last built and fitted to Volvos, keeping the faith in the trusty overdrive by taking over a million units from Laycock.
So, for the more outward-bound motorist, an overdrive unit it was. And what are those mysterious parts that fill the misshapen football at the back of the gearbox? The basic overdrive parts are the pump, which runs off the gearbox output shaft to build hydraulic pressure, and the solenoid, which opens a valve and allows high-pressure oil to reach the operating pistons, which in turn bear on a cone clutch that locks the epicyclic gearing and engages the taller overdrive ratio.
There were other advantages of the overdrive, too, not least that of providing additional ratios, especially the early A-Type units, which would operate on second, third, and fourth gears. This effectively gave the early TRs seven forward ratios, although third overdrive was so close to fourth as to be practically the same. The Jaguar installation typically had a gearbox mounted switch precluding the use of the overdrive on any gear but fourth.
The “misshapen football” at the back of a Mark 2 gearbox. Although the epicyclic movement of the planets was described in Greek literature and used to illustrate the orbits of those planets, it took the industrial revolution for a generation of engineers to appreciate the benefits of epicyclic gearing: high-speed transmission reduction, with low vibration and relatively low cost. An epicyclic gear system comprises one or more outer planet gears revolving around a central, or sun, gear, with the planet gears mounted on a carrier, which rotates relative to the sun gear. It’s ingenious and efficient and strong, but complex. I rebuilt the gearbox of my old Triumph, but entrusted the overdrive to a specialist, reckoning it was a load of voodoo engineering. “Yes, there is a certain amount of voodoo in there,” admits Brearley, “though the operating principles are fairly straightforward. They all had their own way of building pressure.”
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My own experience, says the author, is that an LdN overdrive is a reliable if slightly leaky device, and most problems stem from the wiring to the solenoid and neglect of the gearbox oil. (I’ve had no issues with leaks. Ed.) James Brearley concurs, but says that there are issues with side plates, which come under incredible forces, or the A-Type adaptor plates, which see the same from hydraulic and spring pressure. “It’s unbelievable the pressure those plates have to stand up to, and they bend and crack, so we’ve made up our own stronger items,” he says. It’s a similar story with linings for the cone clutch, which have had to be remanufactured over the years. Original linings had asbestos content and the new, non-asbestos linings have slightly more grippy characteristics, which means faster and more brutal engagement, which some customers don’t like. “The clutch has to stop that inertia at quite high engine revs,” says Brearley, “and there’s a slip time which includes the clutch travel and the return rate. If you allow too much slip time, the material can get quite hot quite quickly, so we have to be quite careful. The difference between the clutch thudding in like a ton of bricks and slipping too much can be as little as five-thousands of an inch adjustment.”
There’s also the thorny subject of the right lubrication for the gearbox and overdrive, which share common oil. All are agreed that the most modern GL5 gear oils should be avoided as they can attack some white and yellow metal bearing material. Older GL4 lubricant can be used, but advice from Duckhams is a straight mineral-oil SAE 40, changed regularly and with cleaned filters at the same time. The Jaguar Mark 2 Service Manual recommends SAE 30 oil for the gearbox / overdrive assembly. It also contains an excellent detailed description of how the unit works. Compact five-speed gearboxes and transverse engines put paid to the bulky overdrive, and Laycock closed down in 1970s. “It was a brutal process,” says Brearley. “Specialist machines worth hundreds of thousands and endless overdrive units all went in the skip.” It’s easy to see overdrives as heavy and complicated sources of potential breakdown, but however it alters the gearing, in the end, an overdrive is a brilliant driver’s aid in an older car. For overtaking, accelerating, and holding a ratio between corners, it has no equal, and that flip of the switch on the steering column (or the gear lever) which engages the voodoo and fires the engine’s revs up or down in the blink of an eye, is one of the great pleasures of an old car. (Indeed it is. Ed) Andrew English / Hagerty
Laycock-de-Normanville-Evidence-of-efficiency
Volume 24 • Issue 4 31
JAGUAR CLUB
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The Jaguar Club Northern Regions is an independent organisation of enthusiasts who own Jaguar vehicles ranging from the classics of the early Thirties to the modern Jaguars of the current day. The club originated in 1977 from informal gatherings of a small band of dedicated Jaguar owners in the Johannesburg area to an organisation now comprising many hundreds of individuals from all over Southern Africa. Our purpose is to further your enjoyment of all Jaguar and Daimler automobiles both by driving them and sharing information in our website, on Facebook and in this magazine.
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32 Volume 24 • Issue 4
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Afterword – Expert motoring fans including Brian Johnson of rock band AC/DC, Goodwood's Lord March and then Director of Design Ian Callum chose their 'perfect ten' - the most important and iconic Jaguar cars of all time. Here we see them with a D-Type
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