SHARP Drives: Tackling Goodwood With Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works

For countless car enthusiasts around the world, classic rides are unrivalled in terms of their sheer tactile appeal. It’s understandable. When you’re behind the wheel of a classic, every drive is an adventure. In other words, you never really know what you’re going to get until you start driving the thing.

The steering could be all over the map. The brake pedal could sink to the floorboards without warning. New vehicles don’t generally sputter when you turn the key or belch after they’ve warmed up. They don’t often fill the passenger cabin with fumes. They don’t require carrying a toolbox complete with a screwdriver, socket wrench, soldering iron, and assorted nuts and bolts.

But there’s a surefire way to mitigate the negative and reinforce the positive aspects of owning and driving a classic: Consult the experts who know more about the specific model than anyone else on the planet. In the case of some of the most beloved British vehicles in history, this means setting your destination point to Coventry and the Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works division.

This facility opened in June 2017 and has since gone on to become mission control for factory-restored classics, restomods and continuation models. The 150,000 square-foot space is reportedly the largest restoration house in the world and it has room for some 500 vehicles at one time. In the 54 different service bays, factory-trained technicians set about elevating the looks and performance of Jaguars and Land Rovers that date back to the earliest of days.

For the most passionate of enthusiasts, there is no request too unreasonable for JLR Classic Works — with two important caveats. Your object of desire must be at least 10 years old, and the scale of your request must be matched by the thickness of your wallet. The website currently lists some decently affordable old Range Rover models, as well as a Jaguar D Type Continuation priced at £1.25 million.

A recent trip to the UK did not include a visit to the Classic Works division. Instead, it featured something even better — the chance to drive models reimagined by its engineers.

The location for the first drive was the Land Rover Experience Scotland, roughly 90 minutes north of both Edinburgh and Glasgow. Normally, this site is where visitors go to thrash the latest Land Rover products in off-road settings.

This time around, there was a different remit.

The fleet at our disposal was comprised entirely of Classic Defender Works V8s. This subset of collectibles started their lives as stock Defenders from the years 2012 to 2015. Why was this era chosen? Simple, according to Steven Grant, lead bespoke engineer for Jaguar Land Rover Classic. “This was the last run of [original] Defenders, so it’s a better donor vehicle,” he explains. “Originally, the vehicles were powered by a 2.2-litre turbodiesel 4-cylinder. There are certain things about this vehicle that enable us to fit the V-8 engine.”

In addition to the larger and much more powerful engine, the Classic Defender Works V8s also received complete restorations, of course, new braking systems and new automatic transmissions. The initiative began in 2018 and the examples we drove were the first four vehicles produced; although all are similarly equipped, they look very different.

The Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition, one of just 30 to be produced, is the most old-school of them all. The vehicle is inspired by the 1965 Land Rover Series IIa that was driven by Spencer Wilks, one of the founders of Land Rover. The name derives from the isle of Islay, one of the Inner Hebrides off the western shore of Scotland, where Wilks drove the ’65.

Of the 30 examples the Islay to be built, 17 will be the short-wheelbase 90 and 13 will be the seven-seat 110. This Defender sports a Heritage Grey paint scheme with contrast roof and heavy-duty, Limestone-coloured steel wheels. We sampled the 90 and it was an inspired blend of the classic and the modern.

The size of this Defender was well-suited to the extra-narrow roads of this part of Scotland; it was, in fact, more reassuring than the modern-day Range Rover Sport SVs we drove to get to the experience centre. The steering was decidedly indirect and the brakes were a little tricky to predict, but the V8 proved mighty, making the Islay surprisingly quick.

“We’re sort of limited by the vehicle itself with what you can and can’t change,” says Grant. “Although it still feels like a Defender and behaves like a Defender, it has got bigger brakes that are limited by wheel size. There are heavy-duty differentials, torque-biasing centre differentials. Everything has been reworked and improved.”

There was another short-wheelbase model on location, a far more modern-looking 70th Anniversary Edition, painted in a glorious red. The foursome also included two 110s that were bedecked in graphics that honoured the old Camel Trophy adventure competition, one dubbed the Classic Works Trophy and the other the Trophy II.

Ultimately, the Trophy and Trophy II will be limited to 25 examples each. Both restomods are also available in the short-wheelbase 90 body style; additionally, the Trophy II can be ordered with the double-cab pick-up truck body style. The Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works division is ready to accept orders for these vehicles now — while supplies last, of course.

The second drive took place a day later at an historic location — the Goodwood Motor Circuit in southern England. While this former Royal Air Force airfield is not the most challenging of tracks from a technical standpoint, it’s certainly steeped in history. First used for car racing in 1948, the circuit hosted Formula One machinery until 1965, when the cars became too fast for the layout.

Car racing vanished from the site for over 30 years, returning in 1998 with the establishment of the Goodwood Revival. This three-day gathering, held every September, sees race cars from the circuit’s original era, 1948-1966, compete in a range of classes. On a sunny Friday in July, though, the site hosted a selection of classic Jaguar models refurbished by the Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works team.

This was another rare opportunity, this time with an even more varied fleet.

There were various E-Types available to drive, as well as an MK II and some XJs. Some of the rarer and more valuable cars, such as a C-Type, D-Type and XJ220, were only available only for passenger rides. No matter. The chance to take to this legendary circuit in anything with a motor was not to be missed.

The passenger ride in the C-Type was flat-out awesome. The roar of the straight-six engine, the blustering wind threatening to lift the helmet off my head, the feeling of the back of the car sliding around the corners. This was track driving the way it used to be and, arguably, the way it still should be.

For the record, the E-Type Series III Roadster piloted that same day was not as track-worthy as the C-Type. But here’s the thing: It was impressive nonetheless. The steering was relatively direct and entirely effortless. The brake pedal did not sink to the floorboards. Instead, the pedal triggered an efficient shedding of speed, something that was necessary due to the surprising responsiveness of the Jaguar V-12 engine.

The engine, it’s worth noting, did not sputter in the least. The V-12 provided a resolute distribution of smooth power that sent the E-Type swiftly around the track. This was no race car, to be sure, but it was the most expertly prepared vintage GT car this driver has ever experienced. In fact, if all vintage cars performed this well, the classic car scene would be an absolutely unstoppable force.

Full credit goes to the Jaguar Land Rover concern for bringing such valuable cars out to play. The Jaguar brand leadership team remains resolute in its promise to go all-electric. But this single day proved there’s still so much enjoyment to be derived from looking back.

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