Description
1. The world's best-built twelve-cylinder was born in this coffin... If there's no oil stain on the underside of your Jaguar in your marbled garage, it's because there isn't any inside. Imperial pitch, right-hand steering wheel, bolt locks with wire, SU carburettor... All this bric-a-brac makes for an English car that's always endearing, sometimes successful. The latest E-Type, Series III, 2+2 from Blackpool, is no exception to the rule.
You'd have to be one of the hottest guys on the planet to design and build this thing, so take it for a quick spin through the Verdon gorges and you'll be right up there with its creator. No brakes, no cooling, stuck almost flat between a V12 bordering on half a tonne and 80 litres of petrol in a papier-mâché tank, you'd have to be in your trousers to open the door. 2. This vehicle: rare history, European origin (Belgium), left-hand drive, mechanical gearbox, second hand, 44, 000 original kilometres, not a single atom of corrosion, never been in an accident ... it's at the top end of the spectrum, it's not a sausage repatriated from the depths of Texas.
I'm not trying to make it shine like a whorehouse mirror, still less to make it so perfect that you wouldn't dare take it out of the museum. The work undertaken has consisted, on a perfect base, but nonetheless forty years old, of making the machine reliable and credible for everyday use.
Even on a perfect base, this requires 350 hours of labour and at least 25, 000 euros worth of parts. The main modifications are: - Ventilated brake discs (front and rear) - 4-piston brake callipers - New tyres, of course (Pirelli) - New exhaust manifolds, complete stainless steel line - Aluminium radiator, high-performance electric fans - All new hoses. And dozens of other operations that can be downloaded from the history section, details of the work carried out and an appraisal of the beast. 3. Behind the wheel ... Stainless steel exhaust system ... nice tune. Moss gearbox, perfect . Braking, finally something that works. Handling ... A Jaguar ... This model does not have a spoke wheel, which will obviously disappoint all those who find it essential to the retro look. The spoke adds nothing to comfort and even less to performance. It is nevertheless possible, for a bearable budget to modify this. Personally I see no need, all the Lightweight Type E were equipped with sheet metal wheels without exception (cqfd).
