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Jaguar Classic heading to Le Mans with vintage racers

A grid full of vintage Jaguars will rumble into France in July to race in the Jaguar Classic Challenge during the Le Mans Classic. The event should give motorsport fans plenty to watch with a bevy of pre-1966 Jags on the famous circuit, including E-Types, XKs, C-Types, D-Types, and even the company's sedans. Jaguar launched the vintage racing series last year to build on the success of the popular E-type Challenge. It continues with a five-event calendar this season but swaps out a meeting at Brands Hatch to go to Le Mans – hard to argue with that change. The drivers also get to lap Donington Park, Silverstone, the Nurburgring, and Oulton Park. Le Mans is practically a home track for these classic Jags. The British automaker dominated the 24-hour race there in the 1950s, including overall victories in '51, '53, '55, '56, and '57. "Watching a diverse array of pre-1966 Jaguars racing on the iconic circuit, some of which even raced there in period, will surely be a sight not to be missed," Tim Hannig, Jaguar Land Rover Classic Director, said in the season announcement. Again, we find it hard to argue with that sentiment. Related Video: Iconic Jaguar sportscars will return to the Le Mans circuit as the Jaguar Classic Challenge confirms Le Mans Classic in revised 2016 calendar Race series is part of Jaguar Land Rover Classic business specialising in cars, services, parts and experiences First race commences at the Donington Historic Festival on 30 April - 2 May Drivers wishing to take part in the true spirit of classic racing in 2016 can visit the dedicated web page at http://www.hscc.org.uk/jaguar-classic-challenge for full details Whitley, Coventry - 01 February, 2016: Excitement levels are building for the second season of the Jaguar Classic Challenge as the Le Mans Classic is confirmed for inclusion in the all-new race calendar for 2016. The Le Mans Classic will be one of the major highlights of the forthcoming season that will see a diverse field of pre-1966 Jaguars going wheel-to-wheel in the competitive single-marque series. Jaguar has a long and successful history at Le Mans, with the marque first winning there back in 1951 with Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead driving the C-type - affectionately known as XKC 003. A one-two finish followed this in 1953 with the duo of Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton taking overall honours. Jaguar dominated Le Mans for three consecutive years in 1955, 1956 and 1957 in the D-type.

Eagle Spyder GT is the roadster Jaguar E-Type of your dreams

Eagle, a British company that has specialized in restomodding classic Jags for over thirty years, has rolled out a new version of their modified E-Type called the Eagle Spyder GT. If you've heard of Eagle already, it's probably for its gorgeous Speedster. The company subsequently followed up with the fixed-roof Low Drag GT, inspired by the competition model Jaguar developed back in 1961 (and recently continued). The Spyder GT splits the difference, with a chopped and raked windscreen and a folding fabric roof mechanism. Like its stablemates, the Eagle Spyder GT wears bodywork painstakingly crafted entirely out of aluminum, with exquisite detailing. No wonder that, in reviewing it on Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson said, "I think this, by a long way, is the most beautiful car I have ever seen. It might actually be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." That's high praise indeed from a guy who's not known to shy away from speaking his mind. Unfortunately most of us will never find out, as Eagle only produces these special editions in very limited quantities and at very high cost. Each is custom-made to the owner's specifications, with the first example of the new Spyder GT to be delivered this summer. Related Video: X EAGLE E-TYPES ANNOUNCE THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME - THE EAGLE SPYDER GT In Brief: - Eagle announces the third in their trilogy of special edition Jaguar E-Types - the new Eagle Spyder GT. - The Spyder GT combines the style and dynamics of the celebrated Eagle Speedster with the high performance touring capability of the Eagle Low Drag GT- and incorporates a folding roof for practicality. - Completely bespoke with extensive customer options, the few produced will be the most exclusive hand built cars in the world. Eagle has focused for over thirty years to refine, develop and deliver exceptional engineering for the Jaguar E-Type while remaining true to the spirit of this extraordinary car. The Eagle E-Type has often been described as 'the finest hand-built car in the world' and the reaction of the world's press to the successive 'special edition' Jaguar E-Types developed in-house at Eagle has been rapturous. Leading the way was the Eagle Speedster, which was developed from a client request and then feted around the world.

Here's what a front-row seat looked like in 2014 Mille Miglia

From 1927 to 1957, the Mille Miglia was one of the great, romantic European road races of the golden era of motorsports. The cars were fast, beautiful and loud but also extremely dangerous and regularly claimed drivers' lives. After two fatal accidents in '57, the event finally had to reform and came back in 1977 as a historic rally held over the course of several days. That didn't make things boring, though, and Xcar found that out firsthand with a front-row seat to this year's race in a 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe.
Xcar was actually following the Jaguar team this year that included Ian Callum and Jay Leno in an XK120, which we previously got a glimpse of when it was covered on Jay Leno's Garage. Where Leno focuses on a more personal story of competing, this one takes a more macro view. You really get an idea of how crazy the Mille Miglia still is, and while the F-Type is way too new to actually compete in the rally, it can still wear an event sticker and drive with the vintage racers.
One amazing fact about today's Mille Miglia is that if you're competing in the event, there are basically no rules. The roads are technically still open to traffic, but the police shut down intersections and provide a rolling roadblock. Xcar's F-Type alternated between following on the course with the classics and snipping off chunks of the route to watch the participants arrive at each stop. Check out the video to experience fantastic historic rally.