Jaguar showcases a further expansion to its range of accessories with respected designers,

• Successful collaboration between Jaguar and Oliver Sweeney continues
• Two new styles named Weslake and Sayer
• Further co-designed styles to launch in 2016  

Jaguar and Oliver Sweeney announce the latest range of co-developed shoes from the on-going collaboration between the British brands today.

Named Weslake and Sayer, the two new styles of formal driving shoe are celebrations of the company’s design and engineering heritage. Malcolm Sayer was one of the company’s most famous designers, the man credited with the C-type, D-type, E-type, XJ-S and the unique XJ13. Whilst Harry Weslake was Jaguar’s legendary engine designer.

Jaguar’s Advanced Design Director, Julian Thomson, said:

“This is a great relationship as both Jaguar and Oliver Sweeney have much in common: British craftsmanship, artistry and a love of the creative process.  Above all we’re all very proud of this latest collection that we’ve created together.”

Designed and developed using similar processes to those adopted by Jaguar design, the shoe styles were sculpted and refined in clay first, before 3-D printing using composite plastics for pre-production sign off.  The prototypes were then sent as an approved design to the Oliver Sweeney factory in Italy to be hand crafted and stitched in to finished shoes.

Unique construction features of the shoes include a super-flexible yet firm sole to maximise driving comfort and to maintain the flowing lines of the upper’s style.  A special heel profile, chamfered to create a pivot point for better pedal control, and a waist-less finish ensure a fluid driving experience without the shoes catching on pedals.

The upper design echoes some of the design cues from Jaguar’s latest range of vehicles, with the curved sewn panel on the shoe taking a similar line to that of the distinctive D-pillar of the XJ, while the chisel toe profile recalls the signature squared-off grille, used on every current Jaguar, including the all-new F-Pace crossover and F-type sports car.

Oliver Sweeney Cobbler-in-Chief, Tim Cooper, said:

“We’re absolutely thrilled to build on our partnership with Jaguar.  Collaborating with another great British brand has been really inspiring, and we’ve truly worked together on these shoes to create something that reflects what both of our brands represent: a luxurious, modern take on traditional craftsmanship.  As a result, the shoes are not only beautiful objects, but ideal for driving in too.”

The new Jaguar by Oliver Sweeney range of formal driving shoes goes on sale from 1 October 2015, priced at £325 from Oliver Sweeney retail stores and online at www.oliversweeney.com.

Living legend former Jaguar test driver and works racer Norman Dewis receives an OBE.

• Living legend former Jaguar test driver and works racer Norman Dewis receives an OBE in Her Majesty’s New Year Honours List
• Norman Dewis OBE enjoyed a 33-year career at Jaguar and is widely regarded as Britain’s greatest test driver
• Dewis developed many of Jaguar’s most famous models, including the Le Mans-winning D-type and influential E-type
• Dewis also set a land speed record for Jaguar and competed in many races for the marque during the 1950s
• At 94 years old, Dewis still retains a close relationship with Jaguar, acting as a global ambassador and a familiar face at many key motoring events around the world today

In a career spanning 33 years of testing and developing many seminal and celebrated Jaguar cars, the exceptional achievements of legendary 94-year-old former test driver Norman Dewis have been recognised and rewarded in Her Majesty’s New Year Honours List, with Norman receiving the award of an Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Norman Dewis OBE developed no less than 25 significant Jaguar cars and is widely regarded as Britain’s greatest test driver. His automotive CV is remarkable: he developed the multiple Le Mans-winning C-type and D-type racing cars, the pioneering XK 140 and 150 sports cars, the classic 2.4/3.4 and Mk II saloons, plus the Mk VII and Mk VIIM models, the legendary E-type (including the Lightweight E-type), the XJ13 mid-engined prototype, the world-class XJ saloons, the XJ-S and the ‘XJ40’ models.

Dewis was also co-driver to the British racing hero Sir Stirling Moss in a C-type in the 1952 Mille Miglia and, in 1953, set a 172.412 mph production car speed record in a modified Jaguar XK 120 on a closed section of the Jabbeke highway, Belgium. He also drove a 190 mph works D-type in the dramatic 1955 Le Mans 24hr race and competed in the famous Goodwood Nine Hours in the 1950s.

At 94 years old, Dewis is one of the last living links to the golden era of the British motor Industry; those post-World War II years when Jaguar rebuilt itself into a champion sports car maker. 

During his 33 year career, Dewis completed more than a million test miles at an average speed of 100 mph-plus and survived high-speed crashes in the days before seatbelts, without ever breaking a single bone. He also played a vital role in developing the revolutionary Dunlop disc brake.

During 2014, Dewis spearheaded Jaguar’s 60^th anniversary celebrations for the race-winning D-type. Wherever Jaguar was during the year, Norman was present too, chatting with fans and friends, wearing his distinctive bootlace tie and cowboy boots. At the 2014 Goodwood Revival, Dewis drove one of the D-types, his speed illustrating that he hadn’t lost his touch behind the wheel. 

Of all the cars he worked on, Dewis considers the D-type to be the best. “I got that car up to 192 mph on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans,” he says. “Well, I had to pass [Karl] Kling in the Mercedes.” Jaguar’s star driver at the time, Mike Hawthorn, had such faith in Dewis that when he was asked to attend a test session and saw that Dewis was already there, asked the team manager: “Why am I here? If Norman’s satisfied with it, I’m satisfied.”

Dewis is working with Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations’ newly established Jaguar Heritage Business organisation to help showcase its capabilities and vision.  He is supporting the opening of the new Heritage workshop at Browns Lane, the extensive classic Jaguar parts offering, the launch of the new Jaguar Heritage Driving Experience in Warwickshire, and the brand-new Lightweight E-type, which he helped develop originally in the early 1960s.

John Edwards, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, and Chairman of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, said: “Jaguar owes a huge debt to Norman Dewis. His incredible skills have resulted in some of the finest cars this company has ever made – whether they were designed for the road or the racing circuit. The Norman Dewis of today is the same quietly confident and modest man of the 1950s – he remains a world-class Jaguar ambassador. It is fantastic to see his contribution to Jaguar, and to British engineering, recognised in Her Majesty’s New Year Honours List, with the award of an OBE.”  

F-TYPE #1 to Jaguar Heritage

• Jaguar, Jaguar Heritage and Coventry Transport Museum celebrate official opening of the all-new Jaguar Gallery
• First production F-TYPE presented to Jaguar Heritage
• Unique line-up of Jaguar heritage sports cars dating from 1930s displayed outside Coventry Transport Museum following historic procession through the city

Jaguar celebrated a historic event in Coventry today with Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ralf Speth presenting F-TYPE #1 to Jaguar Heritage at the official opening of the new Jaguar Gallery at Coventry Transport Museum.

Special guests at the opening of the new Jaguar Gallery also included Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum, Jaguar Brand Director Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar Heritage Chairman Mike O’Driscoll, Coventry Transport Museum Chairman Joe Elliott and senior representatives from the city of Coventry and the UK motor industry.

In advance of the special ceremony, a unique collection of Jaguar heritage sports cars was driven in spectacular procession into Coventry.

Ian Callum, Jaguar Design Director and Jaguar Heritage Trustee, said: “The new Jaguar Gallery is a fitting celebration of eight decades of design and technical innovation in our spiritual home of Coventry, and today’s presentation of the new F-TYPE offers a glimpse into Jaguar’s future too.

“We're investing £2.75 billion across Jaguar Land Rover in product development annually, and our Whitley headquarters, employs thousands of engineers and designers. All are fully focused on creating the next generation of Jaguar cars.”

Mike O’Driscoll, Jaguar Heritage Chairman, said:“The Jaguar Gallery shows Jaguar’s development and progress through the years – from the SS products of the 1920s to the present day with the stunning new F-TYPE.  We now have two public galleries, celebrating our rich heritage in making world-beating automobiles – the Jaguar Gallery here in our home city of Coventry and the Heritage Motor Centre at Jaguar Land Rover’s facility in Gaydon.

“These galleries represent fully active collections, and as Jaguar’s intention when manufacturing the cars, they continue to be used at iconic race circuits and Concours events all over the world.”

Joe Elliott, Coventry Transport Museum Chairman, said: “Coventry Transport Museum is proud to have this fitting new tribute to the City’s most famous export in the shape of the marvellous new Jaguar Gallery.  Our thanks to Jaguar and Jaguar Heritage for making it all possible, and now the Gallery is officially open we look forward to it being a great success as a new attraction at the museum.  It has opened in time for the long summer holiday and will serve to inspire a new generation in our great city.”

Led by the new F-TYPE, the historic procession into Coventry saw some of the rarest and most iconic Jaguar sports cars in a unique convoy through the city’s streets.  From a 1938 SS100 to a 2013 F-TYPE, with a further 14 models in between, the procession included record breakers, race winners, a number of ‘firsts’ and the sports car once voted ‘The Most Beautiful Car in the World’ (E-type), denoting a clear bloodline from Jaguar’s history to the present day – continuing a long tradition of innovation in design and engineering.

The new Jaguar Gallery at Coventry Transport Museum is titled ‘The Jaguar Story – A History of Design and Technical Innovation’ and is split into five sections covering: ‘The Early Years’ (1920s to 1940s), ‘The Post War Boom and Glamorous 50s’, ‘The Swinging 60s’, ‘Growth and Consolidation’ (70s to 00s), and ‘Jaguar Present and Future’ (2005 and on..).

In addition to the stunning collection of cars covering ten decades of Jaguar and the role of the company in Coventry history, the Gallery also references the many technology and design innovations behind these great vehicles.  Contemporary storyboards, film and spectacular imagery complement the sequential journey through the gallery, with historic artifacts to further illustrate Jaguar’s rich heritage.  

Among the guests at the reception to mark the opening of the Jaguar Gallery was the company’s legendary test driver, Norman Dewis, who celebrated his 93rd birthday this week.  Norman tested and developed over 25 Jaguar cars in his career, from the C and D-type through to XJ13, E-type, XJ-S, XJ40 and many more.  He was presented with a birthday cake at the event, which featured the XK120 that in 1953 broke the production car speed record in Jabbeke; achieving a phenomenal top speed of 172.4mph.