You will have noticed an increasing amount of Jaguar Land Rover 'Classic' news in the past few years, be that the acceptance of the Freelander
into the 'Heritage' ranks
Lightweight E-Types
. They've now proved popular enough with customers that a new £7m site in Coventry called Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works has now opened.
Officially the site is described as "dedicated to offering a range of products and services designed to fuel the passion of owners and enthusiasts for classic Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles." To that end it features a workshop with 54 bays, a JLR Classic Collection of more than 500 cars and the ability to buy its range of JLR 'Legends'; so far that's cars like the
XKSS
and E-Type Lightweight. It will extend to a 'Reborn Legends' programme too, restoring old cars right up to concours standard if required. That's as we've seen already with the
E-Types
Series I
, and will now include general restoration as well. So whether you've got an original Freelander or an
XJ220
, it can be looked after at Classic Works.
There's more too. 1988 Le Mans winner Andy Wallace is now Chief Test Driver, road testing those 'Legends' cars before they reach customers. For those with more modest budgets, a £49, three-hour tour of the Classic Works will be available from September. Sadly Andy Wallace doesn't lead those.
JLR's John Edwards describes Classic Works as "the heart, and soul, of Jaguar Land Rover Classic for our clients worldwide." With the Classic staff growing at a rapid rate, and a facility opening in Essen later in the summer, it looks like the importance of historic JLR products will continue to grow. Can we have an XJ12 reimagined next please?