The legend that is Norman Dewis O.B.E. goes to get kitted out before he arrived on set at last weekends Top Gear.

Legendary Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis OBE made his first appearance on BBC Top Gear television in the UK on Sunday 26 June. In preparation for his debut on the famous show set, Dewis was fitted for a bespoke suit – complete with special Jaguar lining – at Savile Row’s Henry Poole & Co., with British supermodel and car collector David Gandy on hand to offer style advice.

On the same day, Norman Dewis OBE visited Jaguar Stratstone Mayfair to see the retailer group’s recently purchased Jaguar Lightweight E-type – one of the ‘Missing Six’ manufactured in 2015 to complete the original run of 18 allocated in 1963 - when Dewis was the company’s chief test driver. 

Norman Dewis OBE said: “I visited London thanks to my friend David Gandy who kindly introduced me to his tailor, Henry Poole & Co., who made a suit for me ahead of my appearance on this week’s episodes of BBC Top Gear and Extra Gear.  It was also an opportunity for me to visit the Jaguar showroom on Berkeley Street just around the corner from Savile Row – so David joined me to take a look at their ‘new’ Lightweight E-type.  A car very close to my heart.”

David Gandy said: “When I learned Norman was going to be on TV I thought it would be great to have him fitted for a new suit so he can look his best in front of the cameras.  Our friends at Henry Poole & Co. stepped in, so we came in together for a fitting.  Norman also kindly invited me to join him to take a look at a couple of really wonderful Jaguars from his era with the company – a stunning C-type and Lightweight E-type.  To hear about these cars from the man fundamental to their development was a rare treat for a petrol head and Jaguar enthusiast like me.”

In their latest episode, the BBC Top Gear team recreated Norman’s infamous drive from Coventry to Geneva in 1961, where the Jaguar E-type made its world debut 55 years ago.  BBC Top Gear presenter Rory Reid completed the same journey this year in a new 575PS, 200mph-capable Jaguar F-TYPE SVR.  In 1961, Norman drove E-type ‘77 RW’ from Jaguar’s then HQ in Browns Lane Coventry, to the motor show in Geneva, driving for 11 hours (plus three hours for the ferry crossing from Dover to Ostend).  In this episode Rory is given a warm welcome by Norman to Geneva, 55 years on. Norman is also interviewed on the Extra Gear show, which is available now on BBC iPlayer.

Recalling his drive in 1961, Dewis said: “I left Coventry at 7.45pm for a 10pm crossing from Dover, and it seemed the heavens were looking down on me, as every traffic light I came to, even on London’s Edgware Road, showed green.  The gates had just closed when I arrived at Dover and the boat was ready to sail, but the security guard shone his torch on the car and asked me what it was – I explained it was the new Jaguar E-type and I just had to make it to Geneva for it’s world debut at the motor show – he agreed, and ushered me through.”

Norman continued: “I arrived in Geneva just in time for a 10am press conference the following morning, and Sir William Lyons looked at his watch and said, simply ‘I knew you’d make it, Dewis’.  The press went berserk for the new E-type – it was a relative bargain at £2,000 and could reach speeds of up to 150mph.  The news spread around the world like a prairie fire.  We had to lay down a new production line at Browns Lane to cope with the demand.”a

The re-birth of an Icon, the most famous sports car in the world gets reborn, and one of it's owners showcases it.

• Stratstone acquires the third ‘Missing Six’ Lightweight E-type

Stratstone has today been revealed as the owner of one of the famous 2015 Jaguar Lightweight E-types.  Chassis number 15 is one of the infamous ‘Missing Six’ and didn’t have to travel far from the iconic Jaguar Browns Lane production facility in Coventry as it made its way to its new base at Stratstone Jaguar London in Mayfair.

The fascinating story of the Lightweight E-type dates back to February 1963 and the intended 18-car ‘Special GT E-type’ race car project from that time.  Only 12 of the 18 were built and delivered by the Browns Lane competitions department between 1963 and 1964, which gave rise to the infamous ‘Missing Six’.  

These missing chassis numbers – 13 to 18 – were found in 2014, and so the modern-day production by Jaguar Land Rover’s new Special Vehicle Operations division’s Jaguar Classic, got underway.

The modern incarnation of the Lightweight saw Jaguar Classic draw on the company’s original 1960s tooling and production methods, and it’s unique highly experienced engineering and design resources.  

Replete with world-leading aluminium body technology, skilled hand craftsmanship, the six-cylinder XK engine with its aluminium block, wide angle aluminium cylinder head and dry sump lubrication (derived from the Le-Mans winning D-type of the 1950s), the 2015 Lightweight E-type is both original and special in every way.

The cars are delivered as period competition vehicles, fully compliant with FIA homologation for historic motorsport purposes.  All of the ‘Missing Six’ are built to period-exact dimensions and specifications, ensuring absolute authenticity and a modern-day build to the highest quality standards.

Trevor Finn, CEO of Stratstone’s parent company Pendragon PLC, comments: “Our intention for this very special Jaguar is that it will serve as a living and dynamic ambassador for Stratstone across the UK and Europe.  A passion for cars and motorsports is ingrained at the heart of Stratstone and its illustrious heritage. 

This car brings its own legacy and we’re delighted to be a part of its story.  It was a pleasure to have the chance to work with Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations and we’re proud and privileged to have been successful in securing one of the ‘missing six’. We want E-type 15 to be the UK’s E-type and the plan is to give as many people as possible the opportunity to see it in a variety of locations.”

Handing over the keys to Chassis Number 15, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations’ Managing Director, John Edwards said: “The remit of Jaguar Classic is to indulge our most discerning and enthusiastic fans’ passion for our cars, and I am delighted to officially hand over this special Jaguar Lightweight E-type to Stratstone.  

The E-type is an iconic car, especially in London, so to deliver it to its new home right here in the heart of the capital is really something quite special.”

Jaguar Land Rover at Pebble Beach.

• Jaguar Land Rover debuted three high performance models at exclusive Jaguar Land Rover Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Kick-Off party
• Global debut of the new 550HP high-performance Range Rover Sport SVR
• Debut of U.S. production version of F-TYPE Project 7
• Global debut of the prototype of new Lightweight E-Type vehicles - the "missing" six Lightweight vehicles that were never built from the intended 18-car series
• All three vehicles are from the Jaguar Land Rover newly created Special Operations division, which will focus on designing and engineering high specification vehicles, bespoke commissions, heritage products and branded goods

Last night, Jaguar Land Rover debuted three vehicles at an exclusive event held at the Beach and Tennis Club in Pebble Beach, Calif., including the new 550hp Range Rover Sport SVR, the U.S. production version of the Jaguar F-TYPE Project 7 and the prototype of the new Jaguar Lightweight E-Type.

Joe Eberhardt, President & CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America, opened the event before John Edwards, Managing Director of Special Operations, Jaguar Land Rover, and Director of Design, Ian Callum, took the stage to globally unveil the Range Rover Sport SVR and the U.S. production version of the F-TYPE Project 7.  

All three vehicles are from the Jaguar Land Rover newly created Special Operations division which, under the leadership of Managing Director, John Edwards, will focus on designing and engineering high specification vehicles, bespoke commissions, heritage products and branded goods.

The Jaguar F-TYPE Project 7 and Range Rover Sport SVR are both from Special Vehicle Operations - the engineering and vehicle division of Special Operations - while the new Lightweight E-Type is the first recreation from the Special Operation Jaguar Heritage team.

The Range Rover Sport SVR is the first Land Rover vehicle to wear the new high-performance SVR badge, and is the brands most dynamically focused vehicle Land Rover has ever produced. The Range Rover Sport SVR features a 550hp 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 162 mph* on track. Pricing for the Range Rover Sport SVR will start at $110,475**.

The first recreation from the Special Operation Jaguar Heritage team, the prototype of the Lightweight E-Type, was hand-built by skilled Jaguar craftsmen in a new facility at Browns Lane in England. Six customer Lightweight E-Type vehicles will be built and each will be assigned one of the remaining chassis numbers originally allocated in 1963 to the intended 18-car 'Special GT E-Type' project, of which just 12 were built. In celebration of the recreated Lightweight E-Type vehicles, Jaguar has also furthered its relationship with the Bremont Watch Company. Bremont will create six bespoke 'E-Type' watches, each of which will be offered to customers of the six new Lightweight E-Type vehicles.

The U.S. production version of the F-TYPE Project 7 is an all-aluminum, fully road-legal two-seater roadster with bespoke carbon-fiber aerodynamic aids and is the pinnacle of the F-TYPE range. Named to reflect seven Jaguar overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, F-TYPE Project 7 is inspired by the Jaguar D-Type which celebrates its 60^th anniversary this year. The F-TYPE Project 7 will come to market with a starting price of $165,000*** and will be available in two standard color schemes - Glacier White, a metallic white which is the feature color for the model and Ultra Blue, a metallic take on French Racing Blue and the signature color of the Jaguar Land Rover SVO team. British Racing Green, Ultimate Black and Caldera Red will also be available as optional upgrades.

New JLR Special Vehicle Operationstechnicle centre to open in Ryton.

• Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre to be located in Ryton
• 100 new highly-skilled jobs to be filled
• Will create high luxury bespoke commissions and high performance vehicles
• Complements existing research and development activities

Jaguar Land Rover announces that it has chosen Prologis Park, Ryton, near Coventry for the company’s investment in its Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre.  The facility will be Jaguar Land Rover’s global centre of excellence for the creation of high-end luxury bespoke commissions and extreme performance vehicles.  With operations set to begin towards the end of the year, a team of 150 Jaguar Land Rover specialists will be based at Ryton.  Some 100 of those highly-skilled engineering and technician jobs will be new.  £20 million will be invested in installing specialist equipment and a customer commissioning suite.

The Technical Centre will be part of the company’s Special Operations, created in June under the leadership of John Edwards to focus on meeting the increasing expectations of today's most discerning and enthusiastic Jaguar and Land Rover customers.  Its unique facilities will feature a VIP customer commissioning suite for bespoke services and premium vehicle personalisation, as well as Formula 1-inspired flexible workshops and a specialist paint studio.

Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, John Edwards, commented: “We are excited by the capability and potential that this new facility will give us.  We will be creating truly iconic vehicles that reinforce the global reputation of both Jaguar and Land Rover brands as we expand our product portfolio and fulfil our ambitious plans.”  

A Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations team of 150 specialists will be based at Oxford Road, creating high luxury, individually-tailored “halo” vehicles.  Of these jobs, some 100 will be newly-created engineering and other highly-skilled operational jobs.  The location will complement Jaguar Land Rover’s engineering, design and testing facilities at Whitley and Gaydon, as well as the new Jaguar Heritage workshop at Browns Lane, Coventry and the company’s advanced manufacturing facilities.   

The first vehicle to roll out of the new SVO workshop will be the Jaguar F-TYPE Project 7, the most powerful and fastest production Jaguar to date.  This is an exclusive product, with just 250 models being made available worldwide.  Each F-TYPE Project 7 will start life at the company’s plant in Castle Bromwich, before transferring to the Special Operations Technical Centre to complete the build by hand.

Jaguar Land Rover continues to deliver on its strategic growth plans, which will see the company investing in 50 new product actions over the next five years.  This includes £1.5 billion to introduce an all-new, technically-advanced aluminium vehicle architecture in forthcoming models, beginning with the new Jaguar XE premium sedan to be manufactured from 2015 at the company's Solihull facility.  The new Land Rover Discovery Sport, which will go on sale in 2015, will be the most versatile and capable vehicle in the compact SUV segment.  It is the first member of an all-new family of Discovery vehicles, inspired by the Discovery Vision Concept which was showcased at the New York International Auto Show in April 2014.

Jaguar reveals all-new Lightweight E-type, the 'Missing Six'

• Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations has unveiled its ‘new’ Lightweight E-type – hand-built by highly skilled Jaguar craftsmen in a new facility at Browns Lane
• The new Lightweight E-type is the first recreation to come from Jaguar Heritage, which operates within the Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations division
• Just six customer Lightweight E-types will be built – each assigned one of the remaining chassis numbers originally allocated in 1963 to the intended 18-car 'Special GT E-type' project, of which just 12 were built
• The new Jaguar Heritage customer workshop facility at Browns Lane is now open to offer Jaguar warrantied servicing and restoration of classic Jaguar models
• In recreating the Lightweight, Jaguar Heritage has drawn on Jaguar's unique engineering and design resources, including the company's world-leading aluminium body technology
• The specification includes an aluminium bodyshell with doors, trunklid, hardtop and bonnet also in aluminium, and is assembled to exacting standards
• The six-cylinder XK engine mirrors the original power units, with an aluminium block, 'wide angle' aluminium cylinder head and dry sump lubrication
• The cars will be sold as period competition vehicles and all will be suitable for FIA homologation for historic motorsport purposes
• Only 12 of the original Lightweight E-types were built, all but one leaving Jaguar's Browns Lane competitions department in 1963 (the last car was delivered in 1964)
• A prototype Lightweight – ‘Car Zero’ – has been completed and, on 14 August, will be revealed at the opening reception to the Pebble Beach Automotive weekend, the world’s most prestigious classic car event

“Special Operations’ remit is to indulge our most discerning and enthusiastic customers’ passion for our cars – including those from our past. This is why our Jaguar Heritage division exists, and why the new Lightweight E-type is such an incredibly exciting project.

“The E-type is an iconic car, and the Lightweight E-type the most desirable of all. To be able to complete the intended production run of 18, some 50 years after the last Lightweight was completed, was an opportunity we couldn’t miss.”

John Edwards, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations

Jaguar has revealed the prototype of its ‘new’ Lightweight E-type – a further six of which will be built and sold.

Jaguar announced in May 2014 that it would recreate six new Lightweights, each built by Jaguar Heritage, part of Jaguar Land Rover’s new Special Operations division.

Each of the six cars will be built to a specification originated from the last Lightweight E-type produced in 1964 and will be hand-crafted at the original home of the E-type, Jaguar’s Browns Lane plant in Coventry, England. The cars will be sold as period competition vehicles and all will be suitable for FIA homologation for historic motorsport purposes.

The new cars are the 'missing' six vehicles from the 'Special GT E-type' project, which originally started in February 1963 with the objective of building 18 cars. Only 12 of the aluminium-bodied Lightweight E-types were eventually built and the remaining six designated chassis numbers having lain dormant, until now. The six new cars will carry those original, historic Lightweight E-type chassis numbers.

A race winner in the hands of a variety of famous drivers during its short competitive career, the car has achieved worldwide fame and original examples are now valued in the many millions. In recreating the Lightweight E-type, Jaguar Heritage has been able to call on the superlative skills and experience of many talented engineers and technicians already working in a variety of departments within Jaguar.

All, when offered the chance to assist with this unique project, leapt at the opportunity. Some even have an indirect link with the E-type when it was new: one master technician calculated that his family – including his grandparents, his father and his uncle – had a collective 170 years' service at Jaguar stretching back to the early 1960s.

The expertise and attention brought to bear on this recreation project is staggering, with the full resources of Jaguar being applied to ensure that the six new Lightweights will not only be authentic, but will also be built to the highest quality standards.

So the six chosen customers will each receive the rarest of things – a brand new Lightweight E-type, hand-built at Browns Lane and just as desirable as one of the originals.

“Operating from a brand new workshop at Browns Lane – now open for the restoration and servicing of customer cars – the building of six new, meticulously crafted Lightweight E-type period competition cars by Jaguar Heritage is testament to the unique skills within the team. To know those same skills can also be utilised to the benefit of existing classic Jaguar owners means this is a very exciting time for Jaguar Heritage.”

Derek Weale, Director, Jaguar Heritage Business