Jaguars Reign at Culzean
A classic return despite the summer downpour
Ronnie Russell
Three decades after the great Culzean car shows of the 1980s and ’90s, some of Scotland’s most memorable Jaguars have returned to the castle – joined by a new generation of high-performance machinery.
They say fashions and trends have a habit of returning every 30 years. For Ayrshire’s classic car enthusiasts, that certainly seems to be the case as the sights, sounds and unmistakable shapes of some much-loved Jaguars have returned to Culzean Castle.
For many, the story begins with the Culzean Castle Classic Car Show, organised by East Ayrshire Car Club. During the 1980s and ’90s, these annual events became enormously popular, attracting more than 10,000 visitors and establishing Culzean as one of Scotland’s memorable destinations for classic motoring.
Jaguar Driver’s Club Scotland was very much part of those days. The late John McAleese, Chairman of Area 10 Jaguar Driver’s Club Scotland, was well known for restoring E-type Jaguars in Troon during the 1970s.
Among the outstanding cars he was involved with was Billy and Anne Cuthbertson’s E-type Jaguar Roadster, AXA 324A. The car went on to win award after award and became one of Scotland’s best-known E-types. Ayrshire Magazine previously featured the remarkable car and its history across two pages, and today AXA 324A is on permanent display at the Mousdale Foundation Museum in Bishopbriggs.
Turn the clock back to those Culzean shows of the ’80s and ’90s and Area 10 regularly displayed E-types alongside Jaguar Mk2s – cars forever associated with the cops-and-robbers films and television dramas of the 1960s.
Then, of course, there is the Jaguar XJ. For a generation of television viewers, the big Jaguar became almost inseparable from Arthur Daley in Minder. The programme is now a classic in its own right, while the XJ has become an increasingly cherished part of Jaguar’s heritage.
Old news? Far from it.
Ayrshire Classics Car Club has revived the Culzean show, now known as the Ayrshire Classics Culzean Castle Autoclassica. Jaguar Driver’s Club Scotland was invited to organise a Jaguar display, providing the perfect opportunity to bring E-types, Mk2s and XJs back to Culzean in celebration of those earlier events.
Thirty years, however, brings plenty of change. Alongside the traditional classics were some of Jaguar’s more recent high-performance cars, giving visitors the opportunity to see just how far the marque has travelled while retaining that distinctive sense of occasion.
Outdoor events are always at the mercy of the Scottish weather and, unfortunately, this year’s Autoclassica was treated to a decidedly wet and damp day. Attendance inevitably suffered, but the weather did little to diminish the spectacle.
In fact, the “wet look” rather suited the cars on the VIP E-type Display and the Jaguar and Daimler exhibits along Silver Avenue, both sponsored by Ayrshire Magazine.
The Overall Winner of the McMillan Jaguar Cup was Jonathan Dixon from Kelso with his black four-door Jaguar XFR-S. It was a refreshingly different choice for a major show award.
Modified with a ground-hugging bodykit and equally at home on track days and show fields, the XFR-S certainly made an impression. Jaguar Driver’s Club Chairman Tony Merrygold described it as resembling a “stealth fighter”, with a dark and mysterious presence that contrasted beautifully with the more traditional Jaguars surrounding it.
Another particularly special award came courtesy of Ayr and Prestwick Men’s Shed, whose members designed and made a unique trophy inspired by one of motoring’s most famous compliments.
Enzo Ferrari famously described the E-type as the most beautiful car ever made. The Men’s Shed took that association one step further, creating the Enzo E-type Trophy with an E-type badge forming the base and an Italian Stallion silhouette, finished in Italian flag colours, standing proudly above it.
You might say Enzo finally got his wish: an E-type with a touch of Ferrari.
The Enzo E-type Trophy was won by Ian Findlay and his stunning red E-type Jaguar Roadster – a fitting recipient of such an imaginative award.
Ayrshire Magazine also donated a magnum of Champagne for the Jaguar exhibit that “turned the most heads on the day”. That honour went to Regan Edgar and his F-type Jaguar P380, finished in spectacular SVO Atacama Orange. Against the grey skies and rain-soaked surroundings, it looked sensational.
Jaguar Driver’s Club Scotland extends its thanks to Ayrshire Classics Car Club for the invitation to take part in the Ayrshire Classics Culzean Castle Autoclassica, and to Ayrshire Magazine for supporting the VIP E-type and Jaguar and Daimler displays.
Three decades may have passed, the cars may have changed and the weather may not always play along, but one thing remains reassuringly familiar: Jaguars still know how to turn heads at Culzean Castle.
