Special reunion for two historic Jaguars

TWO historic Jaguar E-Types built on the same day 55 years ago have been reunited.

The cars both rolled off the production line at Jaguar’s Browns Lane plant in Coventry on August 24, 1961.

One was the first production inside-bonnet-lock right-hand-drive (RHD) fixed-head coupe; the other was the first production inside-bonnet-lock right-hand-drive roadster.

The cars went on to live very different lives.

The coupe is in pristine condition after having been restored by Classic Motor Cars (CMC) of Bridgnorth, however, the roadster is a bit more rough around the edges having been off the road for 20 years, forgotten in a barn in Ireland until CMC found it and purchased it. It has now earmarked the car for a full restoration.

Peter Neumark, chairman of CMC, said: “This world is full of coincidences; that both the first inside-bonnet-lock RHD coupe and roadster to end up in the same restoration facility is one thing, but then to discover they were both produced on the same day is remarkable.”

Jaguar originally produced just four highly sought after external-bonnet-lock coupes in RHD form before switching to an internal lock arrangement.

Stuart Cardwell, owner of the E-Type Coupe Chassis No. 860005, brought it to CMC several years ago and embarked on a rolling restoration: mechanical first, then body.

Subsequently, the car was entered to the prestigious Salon Prive event and concours at Blenheim Palace in September 2015, where it was awarded runner-up in its class.

Mr Cardwell said: “This is the first time the two cars have been next to one another after they parted company 55 years ago. In the case of my car, it has been all over the world. It was dispatched to Jaguar Cars New York in September 1961, sold to a Japanese collector in Tokyo in 1996 and repatriated back to the UK when I purchased it in 2012.”

The roadsters went into production much sooner than the coupes, with 91 outside bonnet lock cars produced in RHD form and 350 in LHD.

Mr Neumark said: “We shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the decision to switch to internal bonnet locks cars was applied across the board and implemented on the same day in 1961.”

E-Type Roadster Chassis No. 850092 was dispatched to a Jaguar dealership in Dublin and has spent all its life in the Republic of Ireland. It was brought to the attention of Mr Neumark by a friend in Co Navan, who was convinced it was Chassis No. 2.

Mr Neumark was at first sceptical as the records stated the car it was destroyed in period after spending a hard year or two as a development car. Finally, the friend got good access to the car and discovered it was Chassis No. 92.

“The car had been off the road for over 20 years but with an impeccable history of five owners and with just over 24,000 miles on the clock, I was hooked and so was the car,” said Mr Neumark.

“An interesting negotiation with the canny Irish farmer was concluded with a handshake and a glass of whiskey.

“It was only when the Heritage Certificate arrived from Jaguar that the same production date as the coupe was discovered.”

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