Jaguar E-Type sculpture for Goodwood
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30th June, 2011
A striking iteration of the Jaguar E-type, which
celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, will be the centrepiece at this week-end's Goodwood Festival
of Speed in England.
Made out of steel tubes, the distinctive shape of one of the world's most-enjoyed sports car is
captured in a truly jaw-dropping manner – the result soars 28 metres into the air in front of the
beautiful backdrop of Goodwood House. At 150 tonnes, the installation weighs the same as 122 Series 1
E-types and took 10 days to install by a firm specialising in bridge building.
Echoing the curved 'fuselage' of the car itself, the sculpture has been made using half a kilometre of
painted steel tubes 1,200 mm in diameter. Originally intended for use in gas pipelines, these are
constructed from 12 mm thick steel and machined to very high tolerances. Much of the metal was donated by
Tata Steel, a subsidiary of Jaguar’s parent company.
Appropriately for the car that earned itself a permanent place in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the
E-type’s shape has been transformed into a work of art itself by sculptor Gerry Judah. The design process
began in January and was followed by detailed engineering calculations and planning stages that lasted
four months.
Previous Goodwood installations have incorporated actual cars into the design but Judah explains why
this year was different: “The E-type is famous for its shape but too small and delicate to hoist into
the air. I thought I would like to express the form of the car itself without any embellishments.
Everyone recognises the E-type, the shape speaks for itself. You can’t compete with it, you can’t digress
from it.”
As well as the soaring sculpture, visitors to the event will be able to see an array of Jaguars past
and present. Naturally the E-type will be taking centre-stage but also taking to the Goodwood Hill Climb
course will be its famous C and D-Type racing forebears and the XK120 that founded the Jaguar sports car
lineage.
The current award-winning XF, XK and XJ will also be present and the stunning C-X75 concept car, that
has already wowed crowds worldwide, will provide a glimpse into Jaguar’s future.
Geoff Cousins, Managing Director, Jaguar UK said: “Jaguar has always been proud of its heritage and
we feel particularly honoured to have been asked to provide the Goodwood sculpture for a second time. The
E-type captures the essential beauty, drama and passion of every Jaguar – engineering and design DNA that
is equally apparent in the current range.”
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