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6 years ago

THE JAGUAR #03

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  • Jaguar
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  • Features
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The latest issue of The Jaguar magazine introduces our new ‘cub’, the E-PACE compact practical sports car, which is already turning heads on the street. As we commit to electrifying every new Jaguar by 2020, we explore how pushing boundaries on the track helps develop our sports cars, from writing motorsport history at Le Mans, to taking on the Nürburgring with the extreme XE SV Project 8 and being at the very cutting edge with the FIA Formula E Championship.

8:30AM SW1 First things

8:30AM SW1 First things first: What better way to begin our day than breakfast with a creative twist? We find what we are looking for at Dominique Ansel’s Belgravia bakery in central southwest London, where the cronut – a donutcroissant hybrid that on the day of our visit was injected with exquisite white peach cream and raspberry sauce – has made it on to the menu from its birth place in New York. The French-born patisserie expert only sells his lovely baked goods in New York, Tokyo and now London. When you slowly munch into his tasty signature cronuts, endlessly gooey banoffee paella, savory Welsh rarebit croissant or marvel at his frozen s’mores, it’s not hard to see why demand for these rule-breaking treats is high. Washed down with coffee for the grown-ups, hot chocolate and juice for the kids, we head on to our first (noneating) activity of the day. Jumping into the new Jaguar E-PACE, it’s not surprising onlookers stop and stare. The compact E-PACE is distinct, while keeping a family resemblance via inspiration from the muscular rear haunches of the sporty F-TYPE, more vertical front lights and slim horizontal tail lights. Driving through London, aided by a host of driver assistance features, the high sight lines yet more compact proportions of the E-PACE feel appropriate to the urban location. With the steering both reassuringly firm and swift enough to feel agile, we’re soon making good progress, passing the London Eye and Parliament Square before stretching the car’s legs as we head to leafy Manor House in north London and the Castle Climbing center. 20 THE JAGUAR

Above: With agility and a good grip on display at Castle Climbing, this sport reflects key qualities of the E-PACE. Below: Han Ates is the driving force behind proudly independent denim specialists Blackhorse Lane Ateliers. 11AM N4 Housed in a Victorian water pumping station – disguised as a castle back in 1842 to appease local residents who wanted something less industrial-looking on their doorstep – the center has long been repurposed into one of Europe’s biggest climbing spaces. While still unknown to much of the general public, this unique place now hosts 25,000 climbers a month attracted by the array of walls available, plus bouldering options and a 100ft rappelling feature inside one of the towers. Our 12- and 13-year-old daughters are up for the challenge, soon geared up and working off those pastries, allowing my wife to grab a breather and me to drive down the road to pay a visit to another well-kept secret: London’s newest and only selvage denim manufacturer, Blackhorse Lane Ateliers. Here, Turkish-Kurdish owner and industry veteran Han Ates is trying to fight ‘fast fashion’ with jeans that are beautifully detailed while still considering cost, quality and carbon footprint from manufacture to distribution. Open the one-piece fly of its top-end jeans, feel the strength of the pockets made of heavier cotton than some other makers use for their pants fabric, see the 10 machinists working diligently on site and you bear witness to a garment that is a true labor of love. And of course, true to a city where people rarely settle on just one activity at a time, you can also have lunch there while your jeans, shirt or jacket are tailored.

 

JAGUAR

THE JAGUAR MAGAZINE

 

JAGUAR MAGAZINE celebrates creativity in all its forms, with exclusive features that inspire sensory excitement, from seductive design to cutting-edge technology.

The latest issue features a range of inspiring people: from Luke Jennings, creator of Villanelle, one of the most interesting television characters in recent times, to Marcus Du Sautoy, who ponders whether artificial intelligence is on the brink of becoming creative. Out on the road, we visit the US to explore the foodie heaven of Portland in a Jaguar I-PACE, take a Jaguar XE to the south of France to get a photographer’s viewpoint of the charming town of Arles, and much more.

© 2020 Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC