We are hooked on car shows and revisited many of them several times. Each time, we are on the lookout for new experiences to make the trip more diverse. The two major car shows in Essen always leave lasting memories, but we always try to add a few exciting destinations in the area to maximise our road trip, like the Toyota Collection and its Gazoo Racing Museums or the Classic Remise.
This time we arranged a visit to the Jaguar Land Rover Classic Centre in Essen. The Centre exhibited at earlier shows in Essen, and since Brexit, it has become a major player on the continent.
In the past, the British HQ of Jaguar Land Rover Classics ensured a premium presence at classic car shows around the continent. With Brexit and the pandemic, things fundamentally changed, and we did not see anything from Jaguar Land Rover Classics that would seem like a flagship factory stage since 2017.
In parallel, we witnessed the rise of a German classic car specialist from Essen, who contributed to the 2019 JLR stage and brought some magnificent specimens to the 2022 Zoute Concours. Therefore, we decided to add this classic car workshop to our itinerary.
The Centre is compact, but its large hall packs an impressive fleet of British classics, surrounded by a decoration that creates a charming atmosphere.
The cars in the showroom provide a diverse mix of models and epochs, like the red XJ from the 2000s and the fabulous XJC coupé from the 70s, in British racing green, of course.
The classics include several early postwar XK coupés that stole our hearts and an E-Type, an old friend from the 2022 Zoute Concours.
Behind the glass walls, the workshop held further treasures, many of which we could not photograph, like the XJ220, whose engine was removed for maintenance.
The workshop offered a wide variety of vehicles, from an old defender in extreme barn find condition and a green Mark II in pristine condition.
Altogether, we spent about two hours at the Centre and left with pleasant memories. The Jaguar Land Rover Classic was a worthy detour, especially for the Essen Motor Show, which is less affluent in classic cars than the Essen Techno Classica.
