Jaguar Land Rover launches classic drive experience

Jaguar Land Rover Classic has launched a brand new Classic Drive event at Eastnor Castle, allowing guests to get behind the wheel of some of the most beautiful Jaguars ever made.

Based at the spectacular Eastnor Castle estate in Herefordshire, the Classic Drive experience will see visitors tackling Eastnor’s thick mud and challenging slopes in some of the vehicles that helped establish the Land Rover legend. The Land Rover story began with the Series I in 1948, a spartan but unstoppable four-wheel-drive vehicle originally designed for farm and industrial use. This Classic Drive experience offers guests a rare insight into where Land Rover’s off-road DNA was developed from the early 1960s by allowing them to take a drive in an early Series I.

Once guests are finished testing some of Land Rover’s most iconic models, they’ll be able to take the wheel of a select few Jaguar legends. From the late ‘50s is the XK150, the last in the line of XK sports car legends of their time, which began with the XK120 in 1948. When it came time for the XK150 to be replaced, in 1961 Jaguar delivered the legendary E-type, which was hailed as one of the most beautiful cars of its time. Participants will be able to try both a Series 1 E-type and the later Series 3 E-type of the 1970s. Jaguar’s reputation for ‘grace, pace and space’ wasn’t just built on sports cars; it also produced a number of famous saloon models, including the Mk2. Which customers will also be able to drive.

“Jaguar and Land Rover have created some of the most beautiful and iconic British cars ever,” said Jaguar Land Rover Classic director, Tim Hannig. “While their DNA lives on in our modern line-up, we want people to experience where the story developed. Equally, the Eastnor estate has played a huge part in shaping our business, so to be able to bring a selection of our legends together in such a significant location is a real privilege. It’ll be a trip back in time and an experience that only Jaguar Land Rover’s incredible heritage can offer.”