JAGUAR AT THE 2016 AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE

This weekend, Jaguar vehicles old and new will be on display at this year’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida. Kim McCullough, Vice President of Marketing, Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC, a judge for Sunday’s concours, talks about what visitors can expect to see.

 

What Jaguar activities will be going on during the weekend?
 

For a few years now, we’ve been giving Amelia Island Concours visitors the chance to get behind the wheel of some of our newest performance models. On Saturday, we’ll be offering test drives of our latest 2015 Jaguar F‑TYPE coupe and convertible, along with our 510hp supercharged Jaguar XFR and 550hp XJR sedans. It’s always a hugely‑popular and successful day for us, as it showcases our cars to true automotive enthusiasts in a really breathtaking setting.


A very famous Jaguar is going be one of the main highlights of the RM Sotheby’s classic car auction at Amelia this year
 

It’s the fabulous 1988 Jaguar XJR‑9, which won the 24 Hours of Daytona back in 1990 with our very own Davy Jones behind the wheel. Davy is the Lead Instructor of the Jaguar Performance Driving Academy and is scheduled to drive the car on to the RM Sotheby’s stage on Saturday, in the original racing suit he wore for the Daytona race. The car is a true piece of Jaguar racing history and one of the most successful Jaguar race cars ever. I can’t wait to see how much it goes for.
 

 Photo credit: Tim Scott ©2015 Courtesy RM Sotheby's

 

Jaguar is also playing a part in honoring Sir Stirling Moss at this year’s Concours
 

Back in 1952, Sir Stirling helped Jaguar set a new speed record, taking a production XK120 coupe and driving it at 100 mph for seven straight days around the famous Montlhery track in France. In the end, the car averaged 100.31 mph, covering 16,851 miles in 168 hours ‑ a remarkable achievement 63 years ago. As Sir Stirling is this year’s honoree at the Amelia Island Concours, there will be a special “Cars of Stirling Moss” class on Sunday, where Jaguar will display the record‑setting 1952 XK120. I have to say that I’m really looking forward to talking to Sir Stirling over the weekend about his remarkable drive in the XK all those years ago.



Photo credit: Neil Rashba Rashba.com

Tell us about the famous Jaguar D‑Type that will be displayed on the Jaguar stand during the weekend
 

Along with the Daytona‑winning XJR‑9, one of the headliner cars at this year’s RM Sotheby’s auction will be the 1955 Jaguar D‑Type, which spent its early years racing on the ice in Finland. The car goes across the auction block on Saturday ‑ with a $3.75M to $4.25M estimate. Directly afterwards it will go on display at the Jaguar stand on the concours lawn, where it will stay for the rest of the weekend. We’re really thrilled to have such a landmark car as part of our display and know it’s going to attract a lot of attention.



Photo credit: Patrick Ernzen©2015 RM Sotheby's
 

You’ve been called on for judging duties during Sunday’s Concours d’Elegance. Are you excited?
 

I’ve been a passionate car enthusiast all my life, so just to be part of the Concours weekend is an immense thrill. It is a true honor and a privilege to have been asked by Bill Warner, the founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, to be part of the judging team; a team that includes so many of my heroes from the world of racing, design and the auto industry.
 

For more information on this year’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, go to www.ameliaconcours.org