- Founded
- 1972
- Headquarters
- Krefeld, Germany
Jochen Arden obtained his first retail authorization in 1972 and established Arden Automobile GmbH at Kleve in 1976. A Jaguar dealership agreement led to the AJ 1 XJ V12 in December 1982. The coachbuilt AJ 2 Cabriolet followed at the 1985 Frankfurt show; because its complete powered-roof XJS conversion went beyond accessory tuning, Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority recognized Arden as a manufacturer under KBA number 770. Arden then developed independently numbered Jaguar sedans, coupes, convertibles, shooting brakes and prototypes, later extending its system to Range Rover AR, Bentley AB and Mini AM vehicles. Highlights include the near-300-km/h AJ 3 Station Car, twin-turbo AJ 5, A-Type Lightweight RS, 703-PS AJ 23 and current fifty-car AJ 50 V12 E-Type restomod. The business moved to Krefeld in 1991, ended normal Jaguar dealership activity in 1999 and continues engineering, bespoke manufacture, classic restoration and refinement. Donor marques remain identified on every record; Arden production is not silently added to Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley or Mini totals.
Text adapted from “Arden Automobilbau” on Wikipedia ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗