Race Retro 2011 will celebrate one of Britain’s best-loved, if not the best-loved, sports cars next year when it returns to Stoneleigh Park, Coventry in the earlier slot of February 25–27. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type’s launch at the show will be the drivers and backroom boys who helped forge the car’s competition success.
The Jaguar E-Type offered the performance and elegance of far more exotic (and expensive) machinery and commanded a loyalty unseen with other makes and models. Grand Prix drivers Graham Hill and Roy Salvadori gave the car its race debut against an international field of top sports and GT cars from the world’s leading manufacturers, dominating the race and birthing a legend.
Successfully combining glamorous looks with potent power, the E-Type had a tough act to follow—XKs, C- and D-Types had proved highly successful in sports car racing across Europe, Australia and New Zealand and in the Americas, so there was a strong British tradition to uphold. E-Types in both 6- and 12-cylinder form were popular for their robustness, and that lineage continues today in many disciplines of historic motor sport, not just in the UK but across the globe.
Race Retro celebrates Coventry’s finest with a major display of competition E-Types, along with other competition Jaguars including an XK120, C-Type, D-Type, MkII saloons and an XJ12C. The guest list of well-known Jaguar drivers is already being put together, with invites offered to some of the greatest names in racing history.
Adult ticket prices start from just £20 for Friday and Saturday, £15 for Sunday when booking in advance. Children’s tickets are £5 on Friday or Saturday and free on Sunday. Parking is also free throughout. The show is open from 9:30 a.m. each day and closes at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. To book tickets and for the latest updates, please visit www.raceretro.com.
