To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' The Elkhart Collection
event, 23 - 24 October 2020.
Estimate:
$1,750,000 - $2,225,000
- Known as "Car 0"
- The first of seven new Lightweight E-Types built by Jaguar
Classic
- Built to the original 1963 specification; includes FIA and HTP
documentation
- Used as the North American press car; rebuilt prior to
delivery
- Wide-angle 3.8-liter with triple Weber carburetors
- Offered from its original owner; as-new condition with 717
miles
- Includes 1:8 scale Amalgam model and Bremont Jaguar
presentation case with watch
Please note this car is a racing car, intended for track usage and
as such, offered on a bill of sale only.
THE LIGHTWEIGHT E-TYPE
In 2014, Jaguar picked up where they left off in the 1960s and
produced an additional six examples of the revered Lightweight
E-Types. However, that number did not include this E-Type, "Car 0,"
the first such Lightweight built for promotional use by Jaguar
Classic. Not "replicas," these were brand-new cars built as the
originals had been, using the original engineering blueprints and
designs as well as much of the original materials and methods.
Further, the cars were given chassis numbers not utilized in the
original production-thus "completing" the Lightweight E-Type model
run. Needless to say, the project drew a great deal of attention,
and the Jaguars were eagerly snapped up by private collectors.
The new Lightweight E-Type (LWE) was based on a unibody built by
JLR of Whitley, England, and fully wrapped in aluminum panels,
which reduces its weight by 250 pounds over the production steel
bodies; the shell was reproduced using detailed scans of an
original lightweight body. The grade of aluminum and the forming
methods were both the same used in the 1960s. It is important to
note that while techniques such as high-strength aluminum alloys
and bonded structures are now available and could have been used,
they intentionally were not, as they would have invalidated the
cars for historic racing events. To that end, a roll cage was
mounted as standard equipment. The only components uprated have
been for safety and durability, such as later oil and water
temperature gauges and Willans safety harnesses.
The engine is a Crosthwaite & Gardiner-built 3.8-liter inline-six
with an aluminum block with steel liners, significantly reducing
weight over the front wheels, and featuring a "wide-angle" aluminum
head, dry-sump lubrication system, and either fuel injection or
three Weber 45DCOE carburetors. Jaguar quoted over 300 horsepower
and 280 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 rpm, delivered to the rear
axle via a close-ratio, fully synchronized four-speed transmission
and single-plate clutch. Additional lightweight mechanical
components included the radiator, oil cooler, and expansion tank
for the coolant. The suspension was fitted with upgraded shock
absorbers, controlling the front torsion bars and rear coil
springs, while steering is handled by a stock E-Type
rack-and-pinion system. Larger 12.25 in. brake discs were mounted
at the front, while the perforated 15-inch-diameter wheels were
correctly cast of magnesium.
CHASSIS NUMBER S 851001
The LWE offered here, chassis number S 851001, was equipped with a
3.8-liter, six-cylinder engine with triple Weber carburetors and
"wide-angle" cylinder head. This car, dubbed "Car 0," was utilized
by Jaguar Classic as a North American press car, widely seen in
promotional materials and magazines as well as at the Rolex
Monterey Motorsports Reunion on the Jaguar Special Vehicle
Operations stand. Afterward, it was returned to the factory and
rebuilt to "new" condition prior to delivery to the current owner.
Today, offered from the Elkhart Collection, it has been only gently
and occasionally used and now has only 717 miles recorded. Offered
with the car is the original presentation, a booklet featuring this
very car, a Bremont Jaguar Lightweight E-Type presentation case
with watch, and a highly detailed 1:8 scale Amalgam model of this
very car.
This is believed to be only the second of the seven new Lightweight
E-Types to be offered on the open market, and the opportunity to
acquire it from its original collection, with limited mileage and
its original accoutrements, is a priceless one. It will place its
new owner in a very small club indeed, one of only seven persons
who can enjoy the reborn Lightweight's unbelievable, evocative
performance, worthy of the legend.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/el20.