Swallow to Jaguar 90th Anniversary Tour

The exclusive Tour organised by Jaguar Heritage to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Swallow Sidecar Company (the predecessor to Jaguar Cars) got underway on Sunday, September 2 in Coventry.

The participants assembled in the grandiose surroundings of Coombe Abbey where they were staying for the first night. Following registration formalities and a driver briefing, the guests were transported by coach into central Coventry - Jaguar's spiritual home for over 70 years.

On arrival they were treated to a guided tour of the old cathedral, the ruins of which remain as a proud monument alongside the new cathedral designed by Basil Spence, which was consecrated in 1962.

Above the oldest car on the Tour - a 1929 Austin Seven Swallow.

Following this, they tranferred to the magnifcent St. Mary's Guildhall with a drinks reception in the 14th century undercroft followed by dinner in the main hall. St. Mary's is considered to be the finest medieval guildhall in the country and has a history going back to 1340 when building started on the former site of Coventry Castle.

The opening address and official welcome on behalf of Coventry City was delivered by well-known local businessman Joe Elliott who is Chairman of the Coventry Transport Museum and a Jaguar Heritage Trustee. Other honoured guests included Ralph Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, Norman Dewis, former Jaguar Test and Development chief, and Mike O'Driscoll, Chairman of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.

On a fine Monday morning, the Tour particpants set off from Coombe Abbey on the first leg of their journey which took them to Sir William Lyons former home, Wappenbury Hall, where there was a photo opportunity alongside an original Swallow Sidecar outside Wappenbury's famous front door.

Above some of the participating vehicles parked up at Coombe Abbey ready for the Tour start.

The Tour then headed via the Shuttleworth Collection to Cambridge for the next overnight stop, where guests were treated to an exclusive dinner in the ancient St. John's College. From Cambridge the Tour will make its way round England in an anti-clockwise direction before ending up in Blackpool, the birthplace of the Swallow Sidecar Company, for the final two nights. En-route attractions include, the royal estate at Sandringham, Castle Howard, the National Railway Museum in York, the Aysgarth Falls and beautiful Lake Windermere.

Around 40 cars are taking part in the Tour ranging from a 1929 Austin Seven Swallow through to the latest XJ Super V8. There are fine examples of many models from the Jaguar history books including Mark V, Mark ll, Mark X and 240 saloons as well as SS100, XK140, XK150 and E-type sports cars from all three series.

Purr-fect.