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The New Avengers’ big cat

25 October, 2015

 

The 1976 XJ12-C Broadspeed driven by John Steed in the 1970s TV series The New Avengers, fetched £62,000 (NZ$141,079) at a recent H&H Classics’ auction in the UK, some £50,000 (NZ$113,773) more than its initially estimated worth.

‘NWK 60P’ — wearing chassis #2G1008BW — began life as a pre-production prototype vehicle for the marque. Bought by a private collector at the H&H Classics’ auction at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridge, the XJ12-C completed its early development and testing work with Jaguar before being sent to Broadspeed Engineering Ltd to be fitted with upgraded bodykit, including wider bumpers and wheel arches, plus bigger wheels and tyres in preparation for filming.

Following the series finale in 1977, the Jaguar was sold and passed through the hands of multiple owners before being sold at the NEC Classic Car Show in the early 1990s. After the sale, this famous Jaguar disappeared from public view and remained in hibernation for the next two decades.

Motorman – advancing the skills

26 March, 2026

Of course we are all great drivers — definitely above average — until we find out we aren’t. And finding out in a safe way is clearly the major benefit of driver training and why almost all of us who use motor vehicles should experience it.
Driver training applies to all types of cars and commercial vehicles and logically it is even more applicable to high-performance specialist machines — at least for their drivers and passengers — and, of course, if you are not exploiting or understanding the abilities of your car you are not making the most of it.
When I attended the Porsche Experience Driving Centre in Australia more than 20 years ago, one participant told me, “I’ve had my Porsche parked in the garage for several years and have never known how to use it properly — until now.”