Jaguar Heritage Racing will field ten 1950s model Jags in the Mille Miglia this year and will be joined and driven by celebrities of stage, screen, motorsport, fashion and more for the 1,000-mile Brescie-Rome-Brescia classic car endurance race.
The race is a classic in and of itself, having featured some of the most historic endurance runs from old time European automakers and their cars since the early part of the 20th century.
For 2014, Jaguar will be bringing 1950s-era XKs, C-types, and D-types to the roads of the Mille Miglia route with Jay Leno, Elliot and Erin Gleave (aka Example), Jeremy Irons, Amy Macdonald and more. Here’s the Jag lineup.
Leading American TV chat show host, Jaguar collector and classic car enthusiast – Jay Leno – will drive the famous ex-Sir James Scott-Douglas 1951 Jaguar XK 120 roadster, raced as part of the Ecurie Ecosse team in period.
Another well-known 1951 XK 120 roadster – the ex-Duncan Hamilton racer registered LXF 731 – will be shared by husband and wife team, Elliot and Erin Gleave. Elliot is better known as successful British musician Example, with his wife Erin being the Australian TV presenter that he first met when she interviewed him for MTV.
Other significant Jaguar XK models on the Mille Miglia will include the ex-Jim Swift racing XK120 roadster, which will be driven by multiple award-winning British actor Jeremy Irons. Multi-million album selling Scottish singer and songwriter Amy Macdonald will take the wheel of an XK140 once owned by successful British racing driver David Hobbs.
Jaguar Vehicle Integrity Chief Engineer Mike Cross will drive the well-known ex-Stirling Moss Monthlery record-breaking XK120 Coupé, which carries the registration LWK 707. Author David Blakeley and model-turned-TV presenter Jodie Kidd will share a stunning example of the Jaguar XK120, which was driven by Oscar-winning actor Daniel-Day Lewis in the 2013 event.
Jaguar Heritage Racing is also entering three famous C-type racing cars, to be driven by celebrities as diverse as Belgian singer-songwriter Milow (Jonathan Vandenbroeck) – who will drive with Jaguar Land Rover Regional Director for Europe Bernard Kuhnt, and legendary AC/DC lead singer and car afficionado Brian Johnson. Ex-Jaguar Le Mans 24 Hours race winner Andy Wallace will drive the Jaguar C-type which won the 1952 Reims Grand Prix with Formula 1 legend Sir Stirling Moss at the wheel.
Two motor racing greats – ex-Jaguar Le Mans and World Sports Prototype Championship winner, Formula 1 driver and SKY F1 TV pundit Martin Brundle, plus ex-Formula 1 racer Bruno Senna – will share the famous ‘Long Nose’ Jaguar D-type, the penultimate example built, registered 393 RW, as this legendary Jaguar model celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2014.
A number of new Jaguar F-TYPE Coupés will support the Jaguar Heritage Racing team, following the full Mille Miglia route through Italy with broadcast crews and VIP guests.
The drivers making up the Jaguar Heritage Racing team will be tweeting live throughout the event, which was famously once proclaimed as: ‘The most beautiful race in the world’. Twitter profiles to watch for the latest personal updates on the event include:
Jaguar Heritage Racing Driver and Twitter profile name:
Jay Leno @LenosGarage
Martin Brundle @MBrundleF1
Bruno Senna @BSenna
Jodie Kidd @RealJodieKidd
David Blakeley @daveblakeley
Amy Macdonald @Amy__Macdonald
Milow @milow
Elliot Gleave (Example) @example
Erin Gleave @Erin_McNaught
Brian Johnson @BrianJohnson
In addition Jaguar will be publishing live updates from 14-18 May at: www.facebook.com/Jaguar and www.twitter.com/jaguar
