Friday 6th May 2011
Pic Of The Week: Low Drag Jaguar E-type
Stunning restoration unveiled (plus bonus POTW for McLaren fans)
Click to preview
With Jaguar's future firmly in the news today, it doesn't mean we want to overlook the past - especially when a picture like this arrives in our email inbox.
It comes with a press release detailing how "one of the most important Jaguar cars ever built has been unveiled in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, after 7,000 hours of restoration," and it's courtesy of the Classic Motor Cars workshop of said town.
The car is the only factory Low Drag lightweight E-type, and it's been put back together in what CMC says is one of the most complex restorations ever to have taken place anywhere in the world.
When it crashed at the Montlhery circuit in 1964 (an accident that cost driver Peter Lindner his life) the E-type was so badly damaged that a complete restoration was thought to be impossible. Now, some 47 years later, the car has been put back to its former glory using more than 90% of the original parts - including alloy body panels painstakingly hand-beaten back into shape from the mangled wreckage.
Over five thousand hours went into restoring the body alone, says CMC. The original crashed monocoque which had been deemed too difficult to restore in the 1970's was disseminated into individual panels. Each panel was then flattened, repaired, reformed into the original shape and then the structure was riveted and spot welded together as per the original construction method. Amazing stuff.
PS. We've just been tipped off that the Low Drag Jag's first proper public outing - in motion at least - is likely to be the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power on 15th/17th July. That's following a scheduled 'static appearance' at the Ville D'este Concorso D'Eleganza later this month.
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*****
Click to preview
Meanwhile for all you McLaren 12C GT3 fans, here's a special bonus POTW
from our gallery yesterday. Roll on Le Mans 2012..?
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Caractacus
Original Poster
2,408 posts
94 months
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Utterly, utterly mouth watering & drool-inducing. It is so nice to see real craftsmanship alive and well.  Cheers, C.
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Diablos-666
2,502 posts
47 months
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soad
15,942 posts
45 months
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MogulBoy
1,667 posts
92 months
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SlimRick
1,418 posts
34 months
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That wouldn't look out of place rolling of the production lines today.
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Oddball RS
1,194 posts
87 months
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I do find it very sad when a car is 'restored' after someone has lost their life in it.
Also does anyone know how strong unfolded and re beaten steel and ali is? i though most of its strength would have have left the building.
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PhilJames
212 posts
62 months
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Could you make the McLaren pic bigger? I can the rotate it and crop it nicely. Thanks.
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rob.e
2,476 posts
147 months
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Wow - that jag is incredble.. the pictures of it "before" are just terrible - it looks like a crumpled up paper bag. Fantastic craftsmanship to bring that one back to the condition its in now.. 
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CraigyMc
5,068 posts
105 months
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PhilJames said: Could you make the McLaren pic bigger? I can the rotate it and crop it nicely. Thanks. 2048x1536 isn't big enough? What are you viewing it on? A building wrap? C
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stuarte
453 posts
53 months
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Oddball RS said: I do find it very sad when a car is 'restored' after someone has lost their life in it. I know what you mean. seems a bit wrong somehow. Read an interesting column written by Tony Dron recently stating pretty much the same thing. It would be a real shame if something so historically significant as this were lost forever though, but somehow I still wouldn't want to see it on the historic racing circuit for instance. And that includes goodwood Revival....
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Oddball RS
1,194 posts
87 months
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Yeh, not being too sombre, but its almost like that cars clock stopped at a time on a specific day a long time ago, and maybe it should stay as that.
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dublet
218 posts
80 months
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Is it somehow possible for that Jag to have my babies?
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gforceg
968 posts
48 months
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Oddball RS said: Yeh, not being too sombre, but its almost like that cars clock stopped at a time on a specific day a long time ago, and maybe it should stay as that. I agree with your sentiments entirely. As an aside, what badge is that thing wearing on the nose?
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DanBMW
130 posts
53 months
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Why the F  isnt it going to be on display at Goodwood FOS 
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P9UNK
120 posts
27 months
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Oddball RS said: I do find it very sad when a car is 'restored' after someone has lost their life in it.
Also does anyone know how strong unfolded and re beaten steel and ali is? i though most of its strength would have have left the building. i understand the sentiments but equally it is a shame to scrap the car, a difficult one. Re the strength, no engineer would put something like this together without structural cohesion.
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Mark Wibble
131 posts
93 months
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I used to think restoring things such as this was wrong too, but I've changed my mind having read more on the restoration of Campbell's Bluebird.
IMHO...
People who raced these cars (boats, etc) lived in the moment, took life by the scruff of the neck gave it a good round the face before a cheeky swig of port and back home in time for tea and cakes.
Would they want a frozen image reminding people only of their tragic end? I don't think so.
Would they prefer a phoenix rising from the ashes that represents what they stood for, what they achieved, the boundaries they pushed? I like to think so.
Always a touchy subject, but I know how I'd like to be remembered if I were such a person. Ultimately down to the families though- I'd say what-ever their wishes are they should be honoured as their the ones who have or will suffer the most pain.
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Switch`
3,066 posts
44 months
PH Techie Junior
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In the article they said they used a new tub. so that's where most of the strength is surely...
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stuarte
453 posts
53 months
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Mark Wibble said: People who raced these cars (boats, etc) lived in the moment, took life by the scruff of the neck gave it a good round the face before a cheeky swig of port and back home in time for tea and cakes.
Would they want a frozen image reminding people only of their tragic end? I don't think so.
Would they prefer a phoenix rising from the ashes that represents what they stood for, what they achieved, the boundaries they pushed? I like to think so. Good point.
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shalmaneser
2,650 posts
64 months
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[quote=Switch`]In the article they said they used a new tub. so that's where most of the strength is surely...
[/quote]
Exactly. The skin has no structural use whatsoever, other than aerodynamics, obviously!
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stuarte
453 posts
53 months
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gforceg said: As an aside, what badge is that thing wearing on the nose? It's still a Jaguar badge but one which I believe was used on their '50s road cars. Odd, on a 60s racer but no doubt someone will know why!
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