Original E-Type Jaguar to get rebuild in Shropshire - with pictures
For years it has lurked in pieces in a barn in France – but now one of the first E-Types to be produced by Jaguar is to be brought back to life by a team in Shropshire.
Classic Motor Cars in Bridgnorth has its hands on one of the earliest examples of the sleek sixties sports cars to have rolled off the production line.
After an abortive attempt to restore it while in France, it has now been delivered to the team at the Shropshire business who will attempt to breath new life into one of the world's most iconic motors.
The car, known by the team for its chassis number 875256, was found by Peter Neumark, the founder and trustee chairman of the employee-owned business.
"It's really exciting," said CMC managing director Mike Roe. "We get very excited about these barn finds as they don't come around very often.
"The team love it. They get to strip it down, refurbish all the parts, refabricate the body. We will aim to retain something like 85 to 90 per cent of the original car. We won't replace panels –we will either refurbish them or make new panels for it by hand."
The car is chassis number 256, one of only 385 left-hand drive, open two-seater, outside bonnet-locking models that rolled off the line. Another 91 right-hand drive models suitable for British roads were also made.
The car, made in Jaguar's factory in Browns Lane in Coventry, was delivered new to the Belgium Motor Company dealership in Brussels in July 1961 before being sold to Societe de Civel Immeubles en Afrique. It resurfaced in France in 2015, with records showing it was imported from Luxembourg in 1975.
Although in parts in the Bridgnorth workshop, the car is mostly complete, and was bought by the previous owner to be restored.
He gave it to French restorers who started work on the car, but shortly after took it away and kept it in his garage in Grigny in the southern suburbs of Paris.
CMC chairman David Barzilay said: “Chassis No. 875256 is literally in boxes in our workshops awaiting a much needed nut and bolt restoration.
"It will be a challenging project but all the factory parts are there and our skilled fabricators and technicians will do all they can to save as much as the original car as possible. It will roll out of our workshops just like it left Browns Lane in 1961."
He added: "We are currently delving through the car’s history files to find out more about its life. These early E-Types are sought after by collectors and investors alike, and the fact that they keep on resurfacing after years in the dark is still amazing."
The restoration is expected to take about two years, by a team which has grown a reputation for its work on historic E-Types.
In 2016 and after 2,956 hours, CMC completed the restoration of E-Type Chassis No. 15, which was also found in France in a dilapidated state. This was the fifteenth right hand drive fixed head coupe E-Type to leave Jaguar’s production line in 1961.
Mr Roe added: "Part of what we do is restore Jaguar's heritage.
"We are restoring these care for future generations."
