The Quest for the Perfect V12 E-Type
by Stew Jones
In the fall of 1993, I joined forces with Rod Fazzone with the intention of building a near perfect V12 E-type. On January 2, 1994, work began.
The Jaguar was an Olde English White 1974 V12 E-type roadster, with 4-speed, wire wheels an no air conditioning. It had fallen into disrepair, had not run for five years, and had been stored in a damp area. The car was totally disassembled during which time more than 1000 photos were taken, as well as five video tapes, to record the car as it originally was. In addition, an extensive notebook of information was compiled with such details as crayon markings, oval washer positions, washer diameters and thicknesses, nut types, bolt lengths and diameter, head markings and plating. Eventually, the parts book was footnoted with the important notes made during disassembly. Further reference background came from my twelve years of V12 E-type specialization as well as a stable of seven V12 E-types, including a very original 1974 only a few production numbers from the car to be restored.
The car was restored to the full extent that the word implies. Every panel was reworked to fit the way the factory had intended. The monocoque was welded, reshaped, and painted on a rotator which allowed easy access to all areas. Every mechanical detail was rebuilt or renewed before installation. The resulting fit and finish left little room for improvement.
The second major thrust of this renovation was originality. All the usual bolt head markings, hose clamps, hose markings, original plating and special wire ties were fully addressed. In addition unavailable stickers were researched and printed, defroster plaques and VIN tags specially manufactured as needed. All housings were original, the ignition control module was the original center valley type, all inspection paint markings were replicated and even the torsion bar and rear spring identification paint markings were reproduced.
Since the restoration took nine months, we were only able to catch the end of the 1994 show season. Showing in Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida and South Carolina, we achieved a 99.96 national average and won the 1994 Class 7 National Championship.
In 1995 we scored 100 points in three different regions, at the Biennial in Milwaukee, at the JANE show in Massachusetts, and the Carolina show in Charleston, SC to garner the national championship and achieve a national score of 100 points for the first time ever in Class 7.
We attended many non-JCNA shows with the highlight being the best restoration award at the 1994 Limerock Vintage Fall Festival.
The E-type has been retired from the show circuit and is seeing occasional road use.
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If you do not have Adobe Acrobat 4.0, you can download it for free here.
by Stew Jones
In the fall of 1993, I joined forces with Rod Fazzone with the intention of building a near perfect V12 E-type. On January 2, 1994, work began.
The Jaguar was an Olde English White 1974 V12 E-type roadster, with 4-speed, wire wheels an no air conditioning. It had fallen into disrepair, had not run for five years, and had been stored in a damp area. The car was totally disassembled during which time more than 1000 photos were taken, as well as five video tapes, to record the car as it originally was. In addition, an extensive notebook of information was compiled with such details as crayon markings, oval washer positions, washer diameters and thicknesses, nut types, bolt lengths and diameter, head markings and plating. Eventually, the parts book was footnoted with the important notes made during disassembly. Further reference background came from my twelve years of V12 E-type specialization as well as a stable of seven V12 E-types, including a very original 1974 only a few production numbers from the car to be restored.
The car was restored to the full extent that the word implies. Every panel was reworked to fit the way the factory had intended. The monocoque was welded, reshaped, and painted on a rotator which allowed easy access to all areas. Every mechanical detail was rebuilt or renewed before installation. The resulting fit and finish left little room for improvement.
The second major thrust of this renovation was originality. All the usual bolt head markings, hose clamps, hose markings, original plating and special wire ties were fully addressed. In addition unavailable stickers were researched and printed, defroster plaques and VIN tags specially manufactured as needed. All housings were original, the ignition control module was the original center valley type, all inspection paint markings were replicated and even the torsion bar and rear spring identification paint markings were reproduced.
Since the restoration took nine months, we were only able to catch the end of the 1994 show season. Showing in Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida and South Carolina, we achieved a 99.96 national average and won the 1994 Class 7 National Championship.
In 1995 we scored 100 points in three different regions, at the Biennial in Milwaukee, at the JANE show in Massachusetts, and the Carolina show in Charleston, SC to garner the national championship and achieve a national score of 100 points for the first time ever in Class 7.
We attended many non-JCNA shows with the highlight being the best restoration award at the 1994 Limerock Vintage Fall Festival.
The E-type has been retired from the show circuit and is seeing occasional road use.
Click here for a printable Adobe Acrobat PDF of this article.
If you do not have Adobe Acrobat 4.0, you can download it for free here.