JAGUAR RACING IN NEW ZEALAND 1950 – 1972

Jaguar sports and saloon cars recorded a long period of success racing in New Zealand during what is regarded as a golden era of motorsport. Their competitiveness for more than 20 years from 1951 was shared by owners of a number of other single-seater, sports, and saloon cars who transplanted the strong and reliable Jaguar XK six-cylinder DOHC engine into their vehicles.

1950 AJ Roycroft acquired the first Jaguar XK120 sports car in New Zealand, and his son Ron drove it at Seagrove in late 1950.

1951–’52 Early success was registered with the new Jaguar XK120 sports cars that raced against a small number of Italian thoroughbred racing cars, such as Alfa Romeo and Maserati, and a predominantly large number of New Zealand–built ‘specials’.

Jack Tutton, Ron Roycroft, and Bob Gibbons chalked up some impressive wins and good placings in their XK120s on the road course at Mairehau, Christchurch, and on the airfield circuits at Ohakea and Wigram.

1953 Sybil Lupp achieved success racing a XK120. The same year, the first of the big Jaguar Mk VII saloons were raced and the first of the ‘transplants’ saw an XK120 engine fitted to Ron Roycroft’s 1925 Bugatti T35A single-seater.

THE NEW C-TYPE RACES IN NEW ZEALAND

The New Zealand International Grand Prix (NZIGP) held at Ardmore saw the first of many races