Jaguar celebrates legendary XK straight-six engine at 2024 Goodwood Revival
The mighty XJR-9 LM will be down in Sussex, too
Jaguar Classic is going to celebrate one of its most fabled engines at this year’s Goodwood Revival, paying homage to the legendary XK straight-six unit by racing a 1963 Mk2 saloon in the St Mary’s Trophy – marking the first time the Classic Works team has competed at the Revival.
The timing of the announcement comes as the XK marks its 75th birthday, having first arrived in 1949 and remained in service until 1992.
This six-cylinder engine not only gave its name to some of the company’s most noted machines, not least the XK120 sports car which it was first installed within, but derivatives of the XK powered the iconic C-Type and D-Type racers of the 1950s, which between them won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times – the C-Type victorious in 1951 and ’53, and the D-Type dominating with a consecutive hat-trick of wins from 1955 onwards.
Works team makes St Mary’s Trophy bow
Swiss Joel Eriksson, Jaguar TCS Racing’s reserve and test driver, will race a dark blue 1963 Jaguar Mk2 at the Goodwood Revival’s St Mary’s Trophy, paired with Le Mans Series race winner and Goodwood regular Nic Minassian, from France.
Minassian will drive the Mk2 in Saturday’s instalment of the event, with Eriksson taking over behind the wheel for the Sunday.
While it will be the Jaguar Classic Works’ team debut at the race in Sussex, it is not the first time this particular car has competed there.
Powered by a 3.8-litre version of the XK engine, this Mk2 has previously raced at both the Revival and the Members’ Meeting in private hands, but it was only acquired by Jaguar Classic earlier this year. Since then, it has undergone an extensive rebuild in readiness for its involvement in the 2024 Revival.
Historic motor show
Alongside the racing Mk2, a number of other historic Jaguars using the XK engine will take part in daily circuit parades at Goodwood.
These will include a fleet of XK120s, as well as the 1954 prototype of the all-conquering D-Type, which comes to the show courtesy of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.
And for those who want a closer, in-depth look at some truly classic Jags, there’s more good news. A selection of the company’s most significant cars will be displayed at the Earls Court Motor Show at the Revival, which is a re-enactment of a pre-1966 motor show but featuring the “vehicles of the future”.
To that end, a 1951 XK120 Roadster and a 1953-spec C-Type Continuation will sit alongside the I-Type 6 – the Jaguar which won the 2024 Formula E World Championship – and another stunning Le Mans legend, the 1988-winning XJR-9 LM.
Something for Land Rover fans too
Alongside the Jaguars, the wider Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) company will take the opportunity to show off the Classic Defender V8 by Works Bespoke in the metal for the first time.
Equipped with a 400bhp V8 engine and costing upwards of £200,000, the Works Bespoke is a chance for fans of the original Defender to get their hands on a “new” version of the 4×4 – if their pockets are deep enough.
The final attendees of the JLR group are a Series IIA Marshall Ambulance that was formerly operated by the British Red Cross, as well as a modern Defender 130 Emergency Response vehicle from the current Red Cross fleet.
This year is the 70th since the Defender – when it was still known as a “Series” Land Rover – was first used by the British Red Cross.
Goodwood Revival 2024 takes place on the weekend of Friday, September 6, to Sunday, September 8.
Related articles
- If you found news on Jaguar’s plans for the 2024 Revival interesting, you might like to read the full guide to the Goodwood event
- Find out more about the Goodwood Revival’s transition to eco-friendly fuel
- You might also like to check out the Goodwood Festival of Speed, held every summer
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