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40th birthday of iconic Jaguar marked at Motofest

Vic Minett,BBC CWRand
Alec Blackman,West Midlands
Paul Keating Five Jaguar XJ40s, including two in Fire Service livery, are parked outside Wappenbury Hall, a medieval manor house extended in the Victorian era, as part of Coventry Motofest.Paul Keating
40 examples of the Jaguar XJ40 took part in a procession through Coventry and Warwickshire to Wappenbury Hall, the former home of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons, to mark the types 40th anniversary

The 40th anniversary of the Jaguar XJ40 saloon, the last vehicle the firm's founder personally had a hand in, has been marked with a mass gathering of the type as part of Coventry Motofest.

40 cars parked on the drive of Sir William Lyons' former home at Wappenbury Hall near Coventry, providing one of the largest collections of the type since in one place, they rolled off the production line between 1986 and 1994.

The gathering was the idea of Paul Keating, founder of the XJ40register.com, who has so far located more than 113,000 examples of the type around the world.

"It was fantastic, it was electric and great to bring the cars home for their birthday", he said.

Paul Keating The image shows several examples of the Jaguar XJ40 and its variants in Coventry's University Squre as part of Motofest 2026.Paul Keating
Around 60 Jaguar XJ40s gathered in Coventry's University Square on 6 June, before the assembly at Sir William Lyons' former home on 7 June

The XJ40 was the last Jaguar to be made in the lifetime of the company's founder, Sir William Lyons.

The first production example rolled off assembly lines in October 1986, meaning 2026 was the 40th anniversary of the marque.

Keating said the cars they assembled in Coventry city centre on 6 June, was the largest number of they type in one place since the 30th anniversary, when 38 vehicles came together.

"We displayed on Saturday and in the evening we had a meal at the Guild Hall, so we welcomed Ken McConomy from JLR, Chrissie Hughes from JLR Classic and Sir John Egan, who led Jaguar at the time, in a room filled with fantastic owners and enthusiasts. Without them, we couldn't have done it."

Paul Keating Paul Keating sits on the driver's side win of his Jaguar XJ40, in its limited edition peppermint shade of paint, on the drive at Wappenbury Hall, the former home of Sir William Lyons.Paul Keating
Paul Keating who organised the record-setting gathering of XJ40s, owns three of the type, including the limited edition one show here, one of only eight they made in the peppermint shade

Keating, who is from Edinburgh, owns three XJ40s, but brought just one to Coventry for the event, a limited edition car in a shade called peppermint, part of a range that came in special edition colours and materials.

"They only made eight of the them and because I document them and research them, I've traced them all and only three survive in the world.

"To bring it back to show Coventry how bespoke the craftsmen and women were, that was just a great example of how great this city is and the people who create all these pieces of art."

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