Legendary Jaguar XJ13 and Norman Dewis OBE at The Classic & Sports Car Show

This year The Classic & Sports Car Show will honour the Jaguar Le Mans hero that never was - the incredible XJ13 - and the man forever associated with it, Norman Dewis OBE. On entry to this year's event, visitors will be greeted in the Palm Court area by this iconic prototype, which this year celebrates its 50^th anniversary. 

A true one-off, the XJ13 was developed by Jaguar in the 1960s. Its power came from a mid-mounted 5.0-litre V12 engine, positioned just behind the driver, and it was paired with a five-speed manual transaxle. The body was designed by Malcolm Sayer - the aerodynamicist behind the C-type, D-type, and E-type - and legendary drivers like David Hobbs and Richard Atwood, in addition to Norman Dewis OBE, all helped with the car's development.

But despite the hopes that the car would take Jaguar back to its 1950s Le Mans racing glory, the XJ13 never made it to the track. Its development was never a top priority, and was deemed less important than the creation of a new saloon car, which was to ultimately become the XJ6.

The Classic & Sports Car Show will run from 28^th to 30^th October 2016 and will feature more than 300 of the world's most prestigious and well-loved classic cars with displays from some of the best dealers in the business, including DD Classics, Desmond J Smail, Classic Chrome, and Stanley Mann.