Some of us can’t afford to buy a brand new Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, let alone a fully restored Jaguar E-Type. But Jaguar->ke39 Land Rover->ke46 Special Operations is doing all of us a big favor by launching the Jaguar Heritage Driving Experience. The name is as it sounds; starting November 2014, visitors can get access to drive some of their favorite Jaguars on an established 200-acre testing facility, Fen End, in Warwickshire, England.

Many of these cars are going to be driven by the public for the first time, which in itself is incredible considering the level of access Jaguar->ke39 is offering to the public. Hopefully, it’s got insurance for some of these classic vehicles. Some of these cars were actually owned by James Hull before Jaguar bought his entire collection of cars -- all 543 of them -- back in July 2014. At the very least, you can expect these classics to be in premium shape relative to their ages.

If any of you has a chance to experience the Jaguar Heritage Driving Experience, I'm going to be the first ones to ask you how it went. That, or I might just head over to the attic and wallow in my jealousy.

Click past the jump to read more about Jaguar's new Heritage Driving Experience.

Jaguar Heritage Driving Experience in detail

As far as Jaguar Experience is concerned, the British automaker is offering a number of different packages for visitors. The cheapest option is the Jaguar Experience Package, which includes passenger rides on select Jag models, including the XK150, the Mark 2 Saloon, and the Series 1 and Series 3 E-Type models. This package will cost visitors anywhere from £95 to £250, (about $153 to $194 as of 10/20/2014).


If you want something a little more action-packed, Jaguar’s also offering the Le Mans Experience. For £750 ($1,210), the Le Mans Experience offers customers a chance to interact with Le Mans racers Mike Hawthorn and Duncan Hamilton. Customers get to spend a half day with these two legends and go for drives around the track using the C and D-Type race cars that dominated Le Mans in the 1950s. If those aren’t enough, customers can also drive the XKSS and the F-Type R Coupe around the track. Oh, and lunch is included in this package, too. Can’t forget about lunch, can we?

Finally, the Jaguar Heritage Driving Experience has the Grace and Pace Experience, which customers can avail of for the tidy sum of £2,000 ($3,222). This experience features an entire day in the facility where customers basically have their pick of the litter. Whether it’s the old post-war racers, or modern-day beauties like the XFR and the F-Type R coupe, customers who avail of the Grace and Pace package get the full royal treatment from Jag. Yep, that also includes chauffeur-driven transfers in classic Jaguars to a lunch venue.

Why It Matters

It's important for automakers to keep its fans on their toes. Jaguar found a way to do so with the launch of the Heritage Driving Experience. Granted, the prices of the Le Mans Experience and the Grace and Pace Experience are still too steep for my pockets, but I can appreciate the fact that the British automaker wants the (paying) public to experience what it's like to get inside one of these iconic British vehicles.

I can only imagine the goosebumps I'd have when if found myself driving any one of those classic Le Mans racers. That is if finances permit, of course.

If that's not an issue, I don't see any reason why anybody who loves Jaguar would pass on the chance to get behind the wheel of some classic Jag metal.