Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has purchased the largest privately owned collection of British cars from enthusiast James Hull for an undisclosed sum.
Assembled over the course of many years, the collection includes 543 mostly British classic cars, more than 130 of which are Jaguars, including many significant models like the XK SS, C, D and E-types.
There are also early Swallow Sidecars and Swallow coachbuilt Austin Sevens, as well as a diverse range of pre-war SS models, 7 XK 120s, 30 classic Jaguar ‘Mark’ model saloons plus 19 XJS models and over 20 XJ saloons with interesting and famous previous owners.
Most of the cars in the collection are in truly outstanding condition, with JLR saying it will use them “to support brand and experiential marketing to develop the brands and business in existing and emerging markets.” For instance, the global launch of the Jaguar XE in early September will be a good occasion for Jaguar Land Rover to showcase some of the newly-acquired classic cars.
“We are delighted that Jaguar Land Rover has come to an agreement with James Hull to secure the future of this very significant collection of Jaguar and British cars. We share the same objective as James to keep this unique collection in British hands and we are delighted this agreement secures their custody for the future,” said John Edwards, Managing Director of JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations.
The price of the transaction hasn’t been made public, but James Hull said his primary motivation was “not to get the maximum price but rather to secure the future of the collection in this country with the right custodian.”
By Dan Mihalascu
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