WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR

As usual with magazine  deadlines, the more exciting the news or event, the more likely it is to occur just after you go to press and that’s exactly what has happened with the unveiling of Jaguar’s new car. Arriving home late last night, after a 10- hour drive from the German border to Herefordshire in the XJ8 (admittedly, with a ride through the Tunnel in the middle), I opened my emails this morning to find an invitation to see Type 01 in its birthday suit in a week’s time.

I am, of course, delighted to finally be seeing the new car in the buff – and we have all now seen photos of it on Facebook – but to be able to walk around the real thing (and maybe give it a discreet poke with a clean finger when no one’s looking) is something else again. Sadly, however, you will have to wait until October to find out what I think of it. In the meantime, you have some photos of the interior to look at in Factory Floor.

Much as we all appreciate the immediacy of being able to communicate the instant we need to thanks to Facebook and Instagram, I sometimes think it’s a shame that we have lost that element of surprise and anticipation that waiting for an unveiling used to bring. My father came back from a business trip to Geneva in March 1961, bursting with excitement at having seen the E-Type at that year’s Salon. We subsequently saw a few fuzzy black-and-white photos in the newspapers and car magazines, but they didn’t really prepare us for our visit to Earls Court the following October. Today, it’s out there so fast, it’s like Father Christmas coming down the chimney every night – we lose that sense of wonder.

Whether you’ve seen the interior of Type 01 on Facebook or here in Jaguar Driver, I would be delighted to hear your views on this very radical element of what is a very radical car, but please… be objective. I have no problem with people not liking something, but I have no time for the sort of trolling we had on our Facebook page when Type 00 was launched. There is a lot riding on this car for Jaguar and regardless of whether we intend to buy one ourselves (and for financial reasons alone, I certainly won’t be at the front of the queue), JLR’s marketing department reckons there are people out there who will. Let’s hope they’re right.

Before I sign off, let me remind you of a few events coming up this month, starting with our annual joint meeting with the Jaguar Breakfast Club at the Great British Car Journey at Ambergate on Saturday 5 September. On Sunday 27 September we will be at the British Motor Museum for the JDHT’s Jaguars at Gaydon with a special display of our recent Champion of Champions winners. Full details, as usual, in the Calendar at the back of the mag and online.

Gaynor