Customer Chris Harvey Travels 240 Miles To See His XF Sportbrake Being Built

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Why customer Chris Harvey’s six-hour Castle Bromwich pilgrimage was worth every minute

When it’s the world you live in, it’s easy to take the power of what you do and what you build for granted.

When a customer comes to site though and experiences it for the first time it reminds us of why we do what we do.

Chris Harvey is that customer.

He described the purchase of his first ever Jaguar as a bucket list moment for him, such was his excitement to see his brand new XF Sportbrake being built that when he was given the opportunity to see it on the track he didn’t hesitate to get on the road at 4am for a six-hour, 240-mile round trip from East Anglia.

“I’d never been to a car plant before and what I saw at Castle Bromwich absolutely blew me away,” he said.

“The whole experience was fantastic. The number of people who welcomed us, people who stopped what they were doing to talk to us, everyone gave up so much time on the track to guide us through what was going on. It was really impressive.”

His visit to the site only served to confirm that he’d made the right choice in buying his first Jag, a moment he said beat all of his other experiences when buying new cars.

The 60-year-old dad-of-three had been driving an Audi A6 for the past nine years but he said when he realised he could entertain the idea of buying a Jaguar it was an opportunity he said he couldn’t miss.

“When I saw that I could have a Sportbrake in petrol and All Wheel Drive I was sold. That was it for me. As I’ve grown up Jaguar has always been an iconic brand to me, something you aspire towards, so when I had the chance to have one of my own I went ‘right, I’m taking it!”

Chris’ wife Jackie echoed his feelings, saying the first thing they would do when they take delivery of the car later this month would be to show it off to the family with a bottle of champagne.

She added: “It’s just different with a Jaguar isn’t it. It’s a real sense of occasion, it has been all the way through. Everyone here has made us feel like royalty and it will probably feel like that when we get the car for the first time.”

It’s obvious the couple, who also have four grandchildren, have a long standing passion for the brand. But why Sportbrake?

Chris, a retired logistics and shipping business analyst, explained: “I loved the feel of the car when we drove it. It was a really good drive and not only that, it was so stylish as well. In my opinion it beats all the other brands for looks.

“The level of detail that goes into the car is amazing and seeing all the processes that the people on the track go hrough makes you appreciate just how much attention is poured into making something that we’re so excited about owning.

“I’ll be crossing off the days on my calendar until it arrives.”