The Knysna Hillclimb took a sabbatical in 2013 but is back with a new headline sponsor and a new official title: Jaguar Simola Hillclimb. The course is the same, a 1.9 km sprint to the top of the picturesque Simola golf estate, and with more horsepower than ever before in attendance, it’s likely to entertain like a good action-thriller.
Jaguar Land Rover South Africa will be showing off their finest at the 2014 event, with the new Jaguar F-Type Coupe making its South African debut. You shouldn’t need a reason to come and see the loudest and proudest new Jaguar, but if you do click here.
A host of performance-packed Jaguars will take part in the competition, including the XFR-S, XJR, F-Type V6S and V8S. With ex-racing champ Deon Joubert behind the wheel of the four-door XFR-S, we expect tyres to be tortured to within a millimetre of their life, to the backtrack of a whining supercharger and snarling 5.0-litre V8.
A fleet of Jaguar XFs will entertain in their own competition for SA’s local media. “Honour and ego” are at stake say Jaguar, together with a floating trophy and a voucher prize from motorsport gear specialists, ATS.
Two significant Jaguars will also be on display at the event. One is an XJR, this one recently having celebrated its sixth birthday. Owned by Jaguar Land Rover South Africa since birth, it started life as an X350 (the predecessor to the current XJ series) homologation unit, and was later used for technical training. Fettled in-house in recent months for its future role as a ‘club racer’ by JLR SA’s technical team, it’ll make its first appearance – resplendent in Castrol colours – before being driven in anger for the first time later in the year.
Adding gravitas to the event will be the brooding presence of the XKR-S GT – a be-winged, track-ready version of Jaguar’s super coupe and one of only 20 right-hand drive examples in the world, and the only one in the country.
It’s a stellar line-up of some of the world’s most vocal and lairy V8s, a feast for the senses is guaranteed, as well as the opportunity to see some rare performance cars driven like they should be.
