Tradition brought to life
11/20/2014
Yesterday, a group of Jaguarenthusiasts met in Christian Jenny 's garage not far from Zurich. The occasion was the presentation of the new book "The Jaguar Sports Car Collection - a personal endeavor". The book, which is not quite 180 pages long in A4 landscape format, documents Jenny's Jaguar collection, which today comprises 13 examples from the Coventry-based manufacturer.
The collection is certainly not the largest Jaguar collection by far, but it is certainly one of the most interesting, as it includes the E-Type coupé presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961, which had a number of differences compared to later production examples, the S.S. 90 prototype, which also differs visually from the later production cars, and one of the rare aluminum XK 120s with an extensive Swiss racing history. The book now available in English documents the history of these 13 cars and also the circumstances of how Jenny found and restored them.
The foreword to the book was written by Norman Dewis. Dewis developed and tested Jaguar models from the XK 140/150 to the XJ40 for 33 years, including the C-Type and the XJ13. His personal presence at the book presentation naturally made the evening something very special and of course he also dropped an anecdote or two. A few years ago, for example, he and Jenny were on the road together in the C-Type in the States. Jenny had let him take the wheel and they had sped along at speeds that were not entirely legal until they were suddenly followed by a police car. Jenny then asked him if he wanted to slow down a bit, but Dewis just said "Don't worry". When they arrived at their destination, the police officer came to the car when they had already got out. When asked what this fast drive was supposed to be, Dewis replied to the policeman that he had no idea, as Jenny had been driving .... He then had to take the blame for the situation, but this obviously didn't harm their friendship.
Dewis also helped develop the XJ13, the twelve-cylinder mid-engined sports car. He drove it over 200 miles, he said in conversation, and compared it directly with the Ford GT40, which he also considered to be a very good sports car.
Of the E-Types, the 3.8-liter was Dewis' favourite, and it was he who chauffeured one of the show cars from the English Channel to the Geneva Motor Show for the first public presentation at night and in fog - in eleven hours, no less.
It is nothing new for a collector to write a book about the treasures he has collected. It also makes a lot of sense because, after all, he has privileged access to many documents and background information and knows the vehicles particularly well. If it is also about important milestones of a traditional brand, then the book also becomes interesting for a wider audience, as is the case with Jenny's book (in English).
If you are curious, you can read our review or order the book soon from Dönni Classic Car AG ( online) .
