The Jaguar D-Type that won the Reims 12-hour race in 1956 with Duncan Hamilton and Ivor Bueb driving, made a historic return to the famed French circuit for this year’s L’Excellence Automobile de Reims, receiving a warm welcome from the nearly 40,000 on hand at the event. It was joined by four other cars from the Jaguar Heritage Collection—the 1998 Le Mans-winning XJR9, one of Group 44’s XJR-5s, a classic C-Type, and the Rocketsports XFR that recently became the fastest Jaguar of all time by clocking in at more than 225 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats—and many other entries from across Europe.
“Jaguar has had a long association with the famous circuit at Reims,” said Peter Mitchell, Executive Director of the Jaguar Heritage Trust, “and Jaguar Heritage is keen to demonstrate to the public these historic cars that played such an important part in the development of the sporting history of Jaguar Cars. It was great to see them back at Reims in their true environment, on the racing circuit.”
