Jaguar has offered a nod to the past with a new version of its XE saloon.

Dubbed the Reims Edition, this variant of the XE harks back to the classic Jaguar D-Type’s first racing victory in 1954 at the 12 hours of Reims.

The most notable introduction to this trim is its ‘French Racing Blue’ paint finish, which last saw action on the high-performance Jaguar XKR-S and XFR-S in the first half of the decade.

In addition to the bright paint colour, each of the 200 examples of the Reims Edition also sport a black-painted roof, mirror caps and sill inserts as well as a set of gloss black 19-inch alloy wheels.

A number of options that would otherwise cost extra on R-Dynamic S grade this version is based on have been included in the package. Highlights among these are privacy glass, heated seats and Jaguar’s ‘Cold Climate’ pack that brings a heated windscreen, heated steering wheel and headlight washers.

Powering the car is the same 2.0-litre ‘P250’ petrol engine found in the existing XE range, meaning 247bhp and 365Nm of torque is at its disposal. That’s sent through an eight-speed automatic gearbox to all four wheels.