London’s 1948 Earls Court Motor Show was the coming-out party for the iconic Jaguar XK 120, and the 70th anniversary of the occasion will be celebrated with XK70 at next year’s Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb, scheduled for June 9-10, 2018.
As the XK engine was exceptionally successful in motor racing, powering Jaguar’s subsequent C-Types and D-Types to five Le Mans wins in the ’50s, motor sport will be a strong theme at XK70. A number of drivers with well-known histories in Jaguars will be in attendance, including Peter Sutcliffe, Peter Lumsden and Peter Sargent. Also on hand will be Finnish research engineer Sami Klatt, who developed Lumsden and Sargent’s low-drag Lightweight E-Type for Le Mans glory.
Appropriately, that very car will also be at Shelsley, along with its current owner, who is travelling over from New York especially for the event.
“We had 600 XKs at our XK60 event in 2008. Our aim is to exceed that and reach 700 for XK70,” stated International Jaguar XK Club founder Philip Porter.
All XK 120s, 140s and 150s are eligible, together with their derivatives, the C-Types and D-Types, plus XK-engined cars and all Jaguar sports cars. For further information please visit www.shelsleywalsh.com
