Vehicle Description
Throughout the 1950s, Jaguar worked feverishly to establish its
dominance in sports car and endurance racing. The XK120 was a
popular choice for club racers, although the factory required
something more focused for use in world-championship events. The
legendary C-Type (officially the XK120-C) used modified XK120
running gear in a lightweight tubular frame and skinned in a
beautiful alloy body. The light and powerful C-Type won the 24h of
Le Mans on its first attempt in 1951, sparking a string of
victories at the French classic that continued throughout the
1950s. Dunlop disc brakes arrived in 1953, marking one of the most
significant developments in motorsport, and are widely credited for
Jaguar's second Le Mans win that year. In 1954, the revolutionary
D-Type replaced the C-Type as the top works racing car. Designers
scrapped the tubular chassis in favor of a light and sturdy
semi-monocoque tub and then wrapped the car in stunning bodywork
courtesy of Jaguar's aerodynamics-obsessed stylist Malcolm Sayer.
Despite a horsepower disadvantage, the slippery shape allowed it to
be more than 12 mph faster down the Mulsanne straight than the
brutally powerful 4.9-liter Ferraris, and Jaguar scored three more
victories at Le Mans in 1955, 1956 and 1957. While the E-Type road
car shared much of its DNA with the purebred D-Type, Jaguar never
seemed as committed to developing it into a top-tier racer. The
first attempt was a fixed-roof GT known by its famous registration
number "CUT 7." That car wore gorgeous low-drag bodywork designed
by Sayer, with an evolution of the D-Type engine. But instead of
developing the low-drag concept, Jaguar abruptly changed course in
favor of a lightweight, all-alloy version of the E-Type OTS
roadster. The styling was essentially the same as the road cars,
but subtly widened to accommodate the fat Dunlop alloy wheels, but
the real difference lay in the use of aluminum for the tub,
bodywork, and 3.8-liter block. By the time the lightweight E-Type
debuted in 1963, a new prototype class had opened up the World
Sportscar Championship to more exotic, purpose-built machinery,
effectively killing Jaguar's chance of continuing their streak of
overall victories at Le Mans and Sebring. Jaguar sold just twelve
of a planned sixteen cars, and while works cars saw limited
results, privateers like Briggs Cunningham, Peter Sutcliffe, and
Peter Lindner proved the Lightweight E-Type could be a winner, even
against Ferrari's formidable 250 GTO. Today, the works lightweights
are some of the most valuable cars in the world, making even
Jaguar's factory-built continuation cars seem like a relative
bargain at over $1M apiece. But many enthusiasts keep the legend
alive through recreations built from standard E-Type road cars, and
these so-called "semi-lightweight" E-Types are quite popular in
historic motorsport events around the world. This Jaguar E-Type 3.8
is an evocative and beautifully prepared "semi-lightweight" built
to a very high standard from a 1962 OTS donor car. Mr. Mark Wright
of Leicester, England, commissioned Brian Wilkinson's Zealia
Engineering to create this car for use in the highly-competitive
club racing scene in the UK. The late Mr. Wilkinson was highly
respected in motorsport circles, noted as the founder of the roll
cage and harness manufacturer Safety Devices Motorsport. Later in
his career, he founded Zealia Engineering, which specialized in
building lightweight E-Types such as this. In the transformation
from standard to "semi-lightweight," Zealia Engineering scrapped
much of the original sheet metal, leaving only the steel tub and
subframes. To that, they fitted high-quality fiberglass panel
including a one-piece bonnet, lightweight doors, hardtop, boot lid,
and a flared tail section made to accommodate fatter rear rubber.
The car now wears a beautiful opalescent gray livery with white
roundels, similar to the early works cars. Paint quality is
excellent, and the fit of the bodywork is quite good, particularly
for a purpose-built club racing car. The ventilated lightweight
boot lid and hardtop stay true to the original form, and details
such as outside bonnet locks with leather straps, an oversize
Monza-style fuel filler, flush headlamp covers, and magnesium
Dunlop pin-drive wheels complete the look. The two-place cockpit
features period-correct bucket seats trimmed in dark blue leather
and is otherwise stripped out for the singular purpose of racing.
Zealia Engineering built the FIA-approved roll bar and added a
"works" style transmission tunnel - which allows mechanics to
change the gearbox without first removing the engine.
Instrumentation consists of Vicarage tach and speedo, with updated
minor gauges and switchgear in the standard locations. The
co-driver's side features a Halda Speedpilot trip computer and a
chronograph, great for competitive historic rallying. At the heart
of this E-Type is a 3.8-liter, dry-sump XK with 9:1 pistons, wide
blade rods, and large stainless steel valves. Three Weber DCOE
carbs attach to a high flow manifold, and cooling is suitably
updated with a Series 2 water pump, large alloy radiator, Kenlowe
fan, and the 3-gallon Zealia belt-driven dry-sump oiling system.
The engine feeds a 5-speed Getrag gearbox, going back to a 3.31
limited-slip rear diff with lightened half-shafts. The suspension
consists of adjustable Spax dampers, uprated springs and torsion
bars, and lightweight rear wishbones. Braking is by AP 4-piston
calipers with huge ventilated discs in front and uprated Girling
calipers from an XJ in the rear. Previous caretaker Mark Wright
competed in numerous Jaguar Owner's Club and Aston Martin Owner's
Club track events in the UK, with highlights including an
impressive pole-lap of 0:57.68 at Brands Hatch, and beating the
famous CUT 7 in a JOC event at Silverstone. An impressive stack of
time sheets accompanies the history file, which also includes build
records, correspondence, and a copy of a FIVA Passport in a
previous owner's name. Equipped for street, rally, or race duty, it
remains in superb running order and is properly quick while also
proving quite tractable and driver-friendly, even for the
occasional blast along your favorite back roads. This is a
fantastic opportunity to acquire a proven and beautifully prepared
"semi-lightweight" E-Type for historic rallying, circuit racing, or
thrilling fast-road enjoyment. Offers welcome and trades considered
For additional details please view this listing directly on our
website
https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6633-1962-jaguar-e-type-semi-lightweight-roadster/