Background
In 1997, Jaguar North America was launching XJ sedans powered by its all-new Jaguar V-8 engine. These sedans were make-or-break products for Jaguar. Their performance in the marketplace would be the index by which Ford would view further significant investment in the company. They also needed to exemplify how Jaguar was retaining its independence and autonomy within Ford's system, For the XJ8 and its derivative models to succeed, they had to be accepted by the press - and, in turn, the public at large - as true Jaguars, born and bred in the UK.

To overcome these issues, Jaguar launched a program that tied these refined product offerings to its rich heritage to demonstrate a continuity from Jaguar's elegant past to its exciting future. G-2 was retained to create the strategy as well as specific elements integral to the event itself.

The Objectives
	Dispel the notion that Jaguar was losing its soul to Ford Motor Company.
	Create a halo effect for the XJ8 line of sedans that would carry the improved performance message of the new V-8 while keeping the Jaguar mystique.
	Provide extra exposure by staging incremental vintage car events with new Jaguars lurking "behind the scenes" in the guise of support vehicles.
	Underscore credibility by using Jaguar racing greats to endorse the new sedans and proclaim them true Jaguars.
	·Implement the program effectively, efficiently and within established budgets.

Program Synopsis
At the core of the program strategy was the use of heritage-themed events. These events ranged from ride-and-drive programs using vintage cars supplied by Jaguar Clubs of North America to full-fledged new car launch events. Jaguar's past cast a halo over the new cars, blending Jaguar's tradition of "grace, pace and space" with a significant advance in reliability and technical strength.

The launch centered on a program for the top 100 North American automotive journalists and their spouses at Middleburg, Virginia. Custom invitations were designed to highlight an exceptional event that included steeplechases, horseback riding and elegant dinners on private estates dating from America's British roots, as well as the opportunity to meet Jaguar's past great drivers.

Ride-and-drive routes took the XJ8s on demanding roads, while vintage Jaguars (XK120s, E-Types, S-Types, and 12-cylinder sedans and sportscars) were used during these sessions and served as icons of Jaguar's heritage as a technical contender with exceptional bloodlines.

Jaguar's renowned race drivers - Stirling Moss, Brian Redman and Bob Tullius - were on hand to accompany the journalists in vintage cars and new XJ8 sedans. While pointing out how the older cars provided strong styling cues to design of the new cars, Moss et al also were able to underscore how much better the XJ8 performed because of the technical support of Ford.

Results
	The main event was oversubscribed with all top media attending.
	The automotive press enthusiastically proclaimed the new XJ8 line as yet another success and the true inheritor of Jaguar tradition.
	The press/broadcasts that resulted from these programs played an integral part in Public Relations initiatives that effectively doubled Jaguar's new car advertising budget with equivalent advertising in the form of editorial coverage.
	At the end of the day, heritage served a dual purpose: it gave the new Jaguars the soul of the past and the promise of the future.