Jaguar E-Type Convoy

From the Scottish Highlands to Cornwall, more than 100 Jaguar E-type owners have driven around the coast of Britain to support a prostate cancer charity.

Starting at Pendine Sands in south Wales, the classic convoy has travelled more than 3,000 miles through the Scottish Highlands, the south-west coast of England and the Welsh mountains, taking the cause of Prostate Cancer UK to every costal city, town and village along the way.

This grand tour is the ultimate test for these Sixties sports car and their owners. We joined the convoy as the E-type Club members approached the final leg.

Today the group will cover more than 150 miles on some of south-west England’s best driving roads as they head from Devon to Cornwall in the autumn sunshine. There is a sense of joy in seeing these iconic sport cars doing what Jaguar founder Sir Williams Lyons intended.

For some that was being given the excuse to go for a long drive and see what their Jaguars could do. Series 1 owner Simon Kaye, who is tackling the entire route, explained this was the perfect chance to see how capable his E-type is and visit parts of the country he had never considered. “The car has had a really good run-in. I had always intended to buy an E-type to use for holidays but never really had the courage. After this grand tour, my wife and I will be using our little soft-top for touring holidays.”

For Marc Ogilvie it is an opportunity to share his childhood hero with the public. “I fell in love with E-types when my father bought me an Airfix model in 1964. And it was this beautiful, red, open-top car that became imprinted on me forever,” he says. “Now I have the pleasure of driving it as opposed to just looking at one. So I want to drive as far as I can and make people happy. They are like Spitfires and red telephone boxes – they are British icons. But the reason we are doing this is to raise money and more awareness of prostate cancer.”

The Jaguar E-type Club’s Round Britain Tour was created by founder Philip Porter, who recovered from prostate cancer, and decided to give something back to the charity that helped him – Prostate Cancer UK.

He thought a trip around Britain would be a good idea with other club members to help spread the word. Louise Gibbs, Club General Manager, said it became clear early on how many members have been affected by this illness. “This cancer touches a lot of nerves. There are a lot of people who have prostate cancer or know somebody who has. Everybody’s enthusiasm to back the cause has been fantastic and we are getting lots of support along the way.”

This is the club’s third charity run. E-types took part in 2016, with Jaguar XKs on the road last year – with the club closing in on the £250,000 mark.