An early Jaguar E-Type that didn’t move for 40 years will soon gain a new lease of life. Restoration specialist E-Type UK plans to return the Series 1 4.2 Roadster to its former glory.
The car was bought new by Yorkshire millionaire Tom Casson. Three months into his ownership in 1965, however, it was involved in a high-speed accident at Snetterton race circuit.
E-Type UK said the damage was ‘largely cosmetic’, but Casson did not fix the vehicle. He then sold it in 1966 with the odometer showing just 2,805 miles. The car’s next owner made minor repairs, although it wouldn’t turn a wheel for four decades.
As the maker of the E-Type Unleashed restomod, which we reviewed earlier this year, E-Type UK isn’t averse to taking on ambitious restorations. The car will now be stripped and catalogued, with careful preservation remaining the priority.
As part of the task, individual body panels will be hand-painted to a ‘flawless standard, ensuring a perfect exterior finish’. The Jaguar’s 4.2-litre six-cylinder engine will also receive a mechanical overhaul, retaining as many original parts as possible.
The E-Type’s factory-fit seats and dashboard top remain in good enough condition to be restored, rather than replaced altogether.
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