Jaguar Land Rover is striving to rise above other automakers at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Pebble Beach, CA Aug. 15-18 with the North American debut of its Project 7 Concept Car, test drives and an exclusive Playboy party.
The British automaker will bolster its scheduled events with a full product line display. Dispersing the brand's innovations among several areas of engagement will likely resonate with discerning automotive enthusiasts.
"It is extremely important to have an impressive representation at an event as high-caliber as Pebble Beach," said Lauren Fix, automotive expert and author of “Lauren Fix’s Guide to Loving Your Car,” Lancaster, NY.
"Every high-end luxury manufacturer will be having some sort of party or dinner," she said.
Lauren Fix is not affiliated with Jaguar Land Rover, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Jaguar Land Rover was unable to comment by press deadline.
All the names
Debuting at Pebble Beach's concept lawn, the all-aluminum bodied roadster, based on the 2014 Jaguar F-Type and featuring a Jaguar D-Type-inspired fairing and a single-seat cockpit, made its global debut at The Goodwood Festival of Speed, Goodwood, England.
Project 7 Concept Car
The Range Rover line up including the 2013 Range Rover Evoque, the fourth-generation Range Rover and the all-new Range Rover Sport will be on site for the first time. Pebble Beach attendees will be the first to test drive the newly redesigned Range Rover Sport which recently debuted at the New York Auto Show.
Jaguar and Land Rover will also feature and offer test drives of their latest product offerings including the 550 horsepower sports sedan, the Jaguar XJR; the Jaguar F-Type; the 2014 XFR-S, the second model in the Jaguar ultra-high performance R-S range powered by a 5-liter supercharged V8; the fourth-generation Range Rover and the 2014 Range Rover Sport.
2014 Range Rover Sport
For the second straight year, Jaguar is hosting an exclusive reception Aug. 16 with Playboy magazine. The event will celebrate Jaguar's the 2014 f-type, the XJR sports sedan and the XKR-S GT.
DJ and violinist duo Mia Mortetti and Caitlin Moe will perform at the event and Raquel Pomplum, the 2013 Playmate of the Year, will be in attendance.
Big splash, little splash
Jaguar Land Rover has already capitalized on this year's summer festivals to tout innovations.
For instance, Jaguar Land Rover celebrated its creative aspirations at the Goodwood Festival of Speed July 12-14 with the debut of its Project 7 Concept Car while coaxing consumers to take a closer look at the 2014 Jaguar F-type.
The festival has drawn more than 100,000 fans in the past, making it an attractive event for brands looking to thrill potential consumers with experimental designs. Jaguar loaded the Project 7 car with legacy-based reference points such as its 7 victories at Le Mans and blue paintwork that is redolent of the Jaguar D-type cars of 1956 and 1957 (see story).
However, ensuring that all major festivals receive attention is important for brands that want to stay relevant.
For Jaguar, there new F-Type has made a huge splash in the SuperCar marketplace," Ms. Fix said. "The D-Type is a classic collectible with a long race history.
"Because of its rich heritage, Jaguar is bringing back that feeling in their new vehicle," she said.
"There is no better place to showcase this car than where all the media, car collectors, influencers and racers will be all in one place once a year."
Final Take
Joe McCarthy, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York