My Passion: Driving ambition fulfilled with restoration of ‘Evie’

For me, cars are not just ‘boys’ toys’ – I am a keen enthusiast of the classic motor.

We bought our 1973 V12 E-type (Evie) in 2012 and although the body was in good repair, she needed much love and attention to get her back to something resembling her original state. Having been off the road for some 20 years, it was clearly not going to be a quick job but, thankfully, we had the help of a long-standing family friend who understood the engineering that went into making this iconic Jaguar. Together with my husband, Peter, they gradually restored Evie to her former glory.

Our aim was to get her roadworthy in time for this summer so we could take her out in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and across the Moors to find out her little foibles and make any tweaks that she might need, ready for the Classic Le Mans 2016.

We have already enjoyed the glamourous three-day event in 2010, with our XJS Celebration (straight six) model. It is held every two years and includes the exciting night racing which finishes in the small hours. It was my first trip and the excitement of being surrounded by all the other classic cars of yesteryear as you leave Calais, to travel south through France, takes your breath away.

It’s wonderful to see all the amazing cars being driven instead of being polished within an inch of their life for some concourse winning rosette!

We have now set our sights on taking Evie back to the home of Jaguar racing. It is a thrill to be amongst the racing drivers of the past who still race, usually in the same car they raced in decades ago. The challenge for them isn’t getting around the track, it’s getting into the car seat, as they were probably a little lighter then than they are today!

Although Evie is not for racing, she’s not for Concourse showing either – she is definitely for driving. We don’t really want to spend our time cleaning wheel arches and polishing when we could be behind the wheel, soaking up the nostalgia from the smell of worn old leather and the dials and gauges which remind you of your dad or grandad’s first car.

The sound of the cat through the four exhausts is powerful – for me, the Jaguar E-type is in a class all of its own.