AN E-TYPE FOR £20? – NOT QUITE

IDENTITY CRISIS E-TYPE

Trevor Bowkett shares the story of his rather interesting E-type restoration, facilitated by an unrepeatable coincidence…

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: RAY INGMAN

Trevor Bowkett has some previous E-type ‘form’ with Classic Jaguar, back in the April/May 2019 edition we experienced a very low mileage Series 3 V12 coupe that he had owned between 2006 and 2017, adding just 3900 miles to its tally during his tenure. This seems positively astronomic when compared to the 2 miles he has covered since the rebuild of the E we see here. So, what is the story behind this hybrid model?

THE BACKSTORY

Trevor’s first E was a 1966 4.2 purchased in 1975 and used on a daily basis for commuting to work. Then in 1978 he bought a carmen red 3.8 flat floor fixed head for his wife. They were used as a ‘his and hers’ daily drivers, but in honesty, the aging recalcitrant Moss gearbox and Kelsey Hayes brakes made the car “a bit of a handful” due to the dexterity required to ensure safe progress in modern traffic. Corrosion decimating its integrity forced its sale in 1979 for £2000. It was immediately replaced another more user friendly maroon 1966 4.2 Series 1 coupe with 50k miles ‘on the clock’. This was also used day in, day out reliably undertaking both pleasure use, including road trips to Cornwall, and the daily 20 mile round trip commute to work. In 1980 when business started to demand regular trips from Wolverhampton to Chichester, the time came to retire the E from front line service. The car was laid up, put to one side awaiting the day he had time to restore it. In the meantime, the aforementioned V12E came and went, temporarily scratching the E-type ownership itch. Later in 1980 whilst working away in Chichester, Trevor contracted Guillain-Barre syndrome, a nerve related disorder which can result in paralysis. This was an extreme case, and he was diagnosed with only weeks to live! Something of an impediment to future E-type restoration, but luckily

Trevor has a very positive attitude to life. I’m sure lesser people (and that includes me) would have accepted the inevitable at this point and given up. Amazingly, feeling returned and normal life resumed in gradual stages, proving that the medical profession isn’t totally infallible – happily. Trevor’s work life has always centred around engineering, working predominantly for consultancy company, Telford Management Services (TMS). The company was located by the River Severn in Bridgnorth, now most famous for being the location of SNG Barratt… In 2001 he ‘brought the company’ (TMS, not Barratts!) that at the time was retained by such famed organisations as JCB, Honda and not least of which, Jaguar! All of which ultimately left little time to progress the E-type.

A LUCKY £20 COINCIDENCE

In 1981 as part of his employment, he was charged to visit Weathershields Ltd. located in Birmingham, that had, in the past, been an OE supplier of hoods and frames to the local motor »

industry. His mission was to rationalise their procedures and premises. The serious work of the day done - helpful chap that he was - Trevor offered to supervise the clearance of a storage area. As work proceeded, what was revealed under the boxes but a new S3 roadster bodyshell! It was in factory salmon pink primer, complete with doors, chrome window frames and windscreen (cracked) with top rail and catch receivers. Somewhat ironically, the car didn’t come with a hood frame! A quick appraisal revealed a totally ‘as new’ shell (it had never been outside), suffering from a few minor dents, probably caused whilst in storage. The assembly had been used as a fixture to check the fit and finish of hood and frame assemblies, prior to their dispatch to the Browns Lane production line.

Trevor enquired of the Works Manager “what was the intention for the shell”? The answer was “the scrapman is coming along later to collect it – if you want it, you can have it for scrap value, but it must be removed today” … Scrap steel was making around £40/ton at the time and the Manager estimated the E was 1/2ton. Never so quickly was £20 extracted from Trevor’s wallet! A large hire van was procured, and the bodyshell recovered to a place of safety. Incidentally, the clearance operation also revealed an MG Midget shell in a similar condition, which found a grateful home with another TMS employee.

THE LONG TERM RESTORATION

Safely stored alongside the ‘donor’ car, the following years were filled with the acquisition of parts in readiness for the restoration. An early find was a ‘New Old Stock’ bonnet, located in Hull, but at £200, well worth the journey! Much use was made of the SNG Barratt company in its early years, they supplied the OE hard top was one of two remaining, and a hood frame was also acquired at the same time.

A house move to Shrewsbury intervened in 1983, and many years were spent on house restoration – on the upside, a large garage was part of the deal and at last the project was housed all in one place.

The tempo stepped up in 1990 stripping was completed and a personal rebuild of the engine and suspension undertaken.

The high degree of progressive development Jaguar employed when advancing from Series 1 through the comparatively mildly modified S2 to the more heavily re-engineered V12 S3 played into Trevor’s hands. The fact that Jaguar had planned, catalogued and produced prototype examples of a six cylinder S3 variant, meant that no problem was insurmountable. For instance, the bulkhead retained a great many captive nuts that are usually unused on the factory model. This allowed such components as the mechanical throttle linkage of the S1 to be employed, instead of having to »

“...the scrapman is coming along later to collect it – if you want it, you can have it for scrap value.”

adapt the V12 cable setup. The front and rear suspension and braking system is totally S1, save for the substitution of the small Dunlop front caliper for a large four-pot Zeus upgrade (below). The front frames bolted straight on, with the exception of adaptor brackets fabricated to narrow the gap between the wider based top inner frame mounts (below right). The car was finally finished to ‘roadworthy’ condition in 2008 and MOTd. The shell was not stamped with any chassis number (usually located near the pedal box on S3s), after all it was a ‘spare part’! When the time came to register the vehicle, following a DVLA inspection, it was considered that such a high percentage of the original car was used, the 1966 identity could be retained.

THE HYBRID RESULT

Trevor has adopted a ‘clean styling’ approach: the bonnet is unadorned with the standard stick-on numberplate or chrome grille surround. At the back, the bootlid is unadulterated by any badging. It makes the car distinctively ‘different’ in a way that you can’t immediately put your finger on. Staying in that area, he has used the splayed S2 rear silencers, finding their way around the rectangular numberplate.

The engine bay is predominantly standard S1, but latter ribbed camcovers replace the standard polished items and a highly efficient 18” Kenlowe fan is fitted in the standard fibreglass cowl in lieu of the feeble single blade unit. The opportunity was taken to fit an uprated alternator.

The Motor Wheel Services supplied S2 ‘straight hub’ 5”x15” chrome wire wheels are fitted with the S3 sized tyres – 205/70x15, not the OE Dunlops, instead Pirelli P4000s. The use of standard S1 suspension and 5” wheels give the S3 flared wheel arches a somewhat underfed appearance.

Opening the boot reveals a factory S1 fuel tank and externally mounted ‘single’ SU fuel pump. A S3 bonnet support gas ram replaces the S1 counterbalance spring arrangement. As can be seen in the images, a hood has never been fitted, but in case the need ever arises, the required parts are secreted in his garage.

The car is always stored in a notably dry, carpeted garage – frequently moved to avoid tyre flat spots. It is kept ‘on the button’ but in view of its low post rebuild mileage, I did not consider a road test was appropriate.

In case you are wondering, the forgoing is not the usual elaborate advertisement to sell this unique E, despite Trevor deriving pleasure from the build process, “the thrill of a fulfilled chase and dream” and not having any ambition to add to the minuscule mileage. The intention is that this heirloom will stay in the family. The difficult decision of which of his two children and three grandchildren will benefit has not yet been decided! n