Falling Inline – The Story of the Jaguar XK Straight-Six
Jaguar. A legendary name in both performance and luxury. Just the name is enough to conjure images of elegant, long-legged coupes and saloons powered by
Jaguar. A legendary name in both performance and luxury. Just the name is enough to conjure images of elegant, long-legged coupes and saloons powered by
Brian, one of our incredible in-house trim experts here at Bridge Classic Cars, has been hard at work getting the interior of the 1973 Jaguar
Kath and the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team have been continuing to fit-out of the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster that we
Fern Grey, the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster, is a very special car. Not only has the car itself been hand built from
The 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster which we know as Fern Grey has officially been moved over to the the trim shop! A
It’s Alive! The beautiful 5 litre V12 that sits at the heart of Fern Grey has cracked into life for the first time since its
Our in-house restoration technicians have been hard at work on Fern Grey, the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster, which is being built and
Whilst Fern Grey, the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster, is being mechanically finished in our workshop. The interior is being worked on by
Brian has been working on the dashboard on the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster in preparation for the rest of the car being
From our last post, you saw our in-house restoration technician Scott busy at work in the workshop at Bridge Classic Cars plumbing and wiring the
Jaguar. A legendary name in both performance and luxury. Just the name is enough to conjure images of elegant, long-legged coupes and saloons powered by the now infamous XK straight-six engine. But, what is the story behind this incredible powerhouse which lived 1000 different lives?
Debuting in 1949, the XK straight-six came with a sizeable 3.4-litre displacement, it was the brainchild of four very important icons in the Jaguar world. Sir William Lyons, William Heynes, Walter Hassan and Claude Bailey. The introduction of this engine however stretches back nearly a decade before. During World War II when the company still went under the name SS Cars, the team were actively seeking and developing replacements for its engine lineup so, during its wartime efforts they worked on the new powerplants for its post-war cars. Jaguar had begun to produce and develop the engine just after the nightmares of war had begun to subside at the end of the 1940s. The cornerstone of these engines was to be higher output, higher quality and higher style, thus the XK Inline-Six was born.
The XK engines first saw service in 1947 with the 3.2-litre units (XJ 6 Cylinder) but during testing of the engines, it was found they severely lacked low-end torque, so the blocks were bored out to 3.4 litres (XK 6 Cylinder) and were destined to be the beating heart of one of the most beautiful cars ever made, the XK120 which broke cover at the 1948 London Motor Show. This would then see the engines fitted to the upcoming MkVII’s and countless other models over its production run.
The cast-iron engine blocks were not the lightest but were highly durable. The construction techniques developed for this engine would push other manufacturers to refine and develop new and improved engines to try and match the level that Jaguar was achieving. Jaguar fitted special vibration dampers to the crankshaft of the engine to absorb and limit the number of frequencies travelling through the crankshaft and ultimately the XK’s split case engine design.
In 1951, Jaguar began work on developing the idea of a smaller displacement but still useable version of XK straight-six. The results for the 2-litre engine were mixed and by 1954 the engine had grown to become a 2.4-litre unit. The engine itself was actually shorted than the bigger displacement engines but remained under the same name and architecture. These engines would be put forward to power the upcoming stylish and sleek saloon, the MkI. The road engines were entirely carburetted until 1978 (the first year of road engines being fuel injected for the US market) but would use a combination of two or three SU’s. Webers or Zenith carburettors except for the MkII 240 which had a set of downdraught Solex units.
From this, all the subsequent Jaguar XK straight-sixes were laid out. Short block engines would make up the smaller displacements such as the 2.4 and 2.8-litre engines and the longer, more torquey powerplants would go anywhere from 3.4 to 4.2 litres by the end of its production. Jaguar officially retired the XK 6-cylinder in 1992 replaced by the newly developed AJ6 platform it used alongside the faithful XK until the AJ6 was then also retired in 1996.
During this incredible engines lifetime, it would see all manner of changes and applications. From racing to agricultural work. Le Mans to Leicester and beyond. This incredible piece of not only industrial design but of engineering excellence and durability should be remembered and revered for the legend it surely is.
Long live the XK Straight-Six.
Brian, one of our incredible in-house trim experts here at Bridge Classic Cars, has been hard at work getting the interior of the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster.
Brian and the trim team are going full force at the interior of the E Type we know as Fern Grey in preparation for its completion. Brian began by lining and fitting the new boot liner to the Roadster.
The boot of the E Type is actually rather large. This is due to its design as being a long-distance grand tourer. Carrying 2 people in as much comfort, luxury and speed as was possible was the name of the game when it came to the E Type’s original design brief. Throughout its development, that always remained the same. Brian, finished the boot of Fern Grey in a beautiful soft camel colour to compliment the smooth green of the bodywork.
Next, Brian and the trim team got to work on the convertible hood for the E Type. This is being entirely built from scratch around Fern Grey. Using original templates, Brian has managed to recreate the padding for the top rail where it will meet the elegant, wrapping windshield of the E Type.
Whilst working on his next piece of the puzzle, Brian has wrapped the transmission tunnel in the vibrant green carpeting that is found throughout the entire car from front to back. Hand edged in leather that matches the exterior, this gives another level of sophistication and style to Fern Grey that helps to compliment all the small details.
Small details such as the cubby/armrest. Brian has worked really hard on getting the fit and finish of the armrest cubby to such a level it almost deserves a story of its own. The entire assembly was handmade by Brian to ensure the best fit and the best surface on which to wrap the green leather. Neat, precise cuts in every opening allow for a brand new feel to this and the trims to fit tight and close to the cubby.
Expect to see much more on Fern Grey in the coming weeks here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.
Kath and the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team have been continuing to fit-out of the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster that we call Fern Grey.
Kath and Brian have been working the rear of the E Type to get the rear compartment entirely trimmed and installed into the car. Below the rear hatch is also trimmed in matching green carpet with leather accents. Kath and Brian test fit each piece multiple time to ensure that each component of the rear of the interior in Fern Grey worked together and had the right fit and finish.
After the carpeting and rear bulkhead had been trimmed, it was time to install the deck-lid which Kath had built for Fern Grey. This really finishes off the rear part of the interior and completes its bespoke look in some ways. Next up, Brian and Kath will be working their way forward into the cabin of Fern Grey by trimming the tunnel and footwells with that incredible thick green carpeting.
Fern Grey, the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster, is a very special car. Not only has the car itself been hand built from the ground up, but its entire interior has too. The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim shop are truly world class. Brian and Kath’s team deliver handcrafted, bespoke interiors for our customers.
That is the story of the interior of Fern Grey. Kath and Brian have been working on getting more of the sound deadening into the car, while also fitting out the rear panels in preparation for the rear covering.
The sound deadening is being placed down where there will either be considerable road or driveline noise. The point of Fern Grey is to be a Grand Tourer like the E Type was always intended so part of that easy living is making sure cabin volumes is kept to a minimum where possible. The sound deadening material lays down perfectly flat after Kath and Brian make templates for each individual pieces, making sure it does not interfere with any piece of the custom made interior.
The rear panels are a work of art. Carefully covered in the signature green leather of Fern Grey are the quarter panels that overlap one another. A lot of time, care and attention has gone into these panels purely due to where and how they fit into the car. Kath must have test fit these panels 20 times before the final installation of them.
Next up for Fern Grey, Kath and Brian will be beginning to lay the custom carpet pieces into the bottom of this incredible one of E Type.
The 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster which we know as Fern Grey has officially been moved over to the the trim shop! A massive milestone in the build, which means now Brian, Kath and Lydia can began work on getting the handmade interior into this stunning E Type.
To begin with, Brian started to mark out and prepare the sound deadening panels for the car. This will be a crucial part of the interior as not only will it help with the final fit and finish of each of the handmade pieces, but will also be key for a pleasant driving experience for its owner. So, Brian used his years of experience and reference photos to place the sound deadening panels in just the right place which should mean all the piece go into the car perfectly but it has less intrusive cabin noise.
With the sound deadening now secured into the car, Brian could turn his attention to the doors. Brian and the Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team have custom made these absolutely stunning green door cards to match the rest of the interior accent colours. These are two piece door panels with an upper cap and a lower door card but were created specifically for this car. The door cards needed to be secured into place for Brian to do the last piece for passenger side doors. The all important sill cap.
The sill cap for Fern Grey is much like the rest of the car, entirely bespoke to the project. Wanting to continue to the elegance and comfort all the way from the centre of the car out, Brian wrapped the sills in upholstery foam to give them a totally new look and feel. Like they had become an extension of the dash/seats/consoles. Then, wrapped in a colour matched vinyl the sills look absolutely sensational and there’s still so much more to come!
Expect to see quite a few more updates in the coming weeks on Fern Grey here on the Bridge Classic Cars news page.
It’s Alive! The beautiful 5 litre V12 that sits at the heart of Fern Grey has cracked into life for the first time since its rebuild. This is a milestone for the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster that we have been building at Bridge Classic Cars.
The engine has been completely rebuilt but this was the first time it had been run since returning to our workshop and being installed in the nose of this unique, one of a kind E Type. The engine still has open headers so it sounds like an absolute animal whilst being run in the workshop with all those involved in the build to witness such a massive moment.
Scott and John have worked incredibly hard to get Fern Grey to this point and it was such a sight and sound to hear the engine run for the first time.
Our in-house restoration technicians have been hard at work on Fern Grey, the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster, which is being built and restored in-house by Bridge Classic Cars here in Suffolk.
Whilst John, our workshop manager, has been working on getting all of the wiring on the E Type preparing it for its first fire up. Our other technician Paul has been working alongside Scott to begin to fit the brightwork and body trim back onto this stunning Fern Grey Jaguar.
One of the big bits of the update is that the fuel tank is now in the car and wired/plumbed up also in preparation for the first fire up of that newly built 5 litre V12.
Expect to see a lot more very soon as parts of Fern Grey are in multiple departments here at Bridge Classic Cars currently so keep an eye here on the Bridge Classic Cars blog.
Whilst Fern Grey, the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster, is being mechanically finished in our workshop. The interior is being worked on by our amazing in-house trim experts over in the trim shop.
Brian has been fitting brand new seals to the removable hardtop that has been completely retrimmed and repainted to match the car. These seals are vital to keeping the water out of this stunning roadster when the hardtop is on the car. All new seals have been carefully fixed into the necessary channels to ensure a good tight fit between the body and the hardtop by Brian.
Whilst the trim shop was working on the interior for Fern Grey, Brian also began to repair the centre console before it is retrimmed to match the car. A large crack in the material was found and repaired by the team, making sure to smooth out the surface perfectly so that when it is trimmed in its leather covering, you won’t ever know it is there.
Brian has been working on the dashboard on the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster in preparation for the rest of the car being finished off in the workshop over the next few weeks.
Brian, one of our master in-house trim experts, has worked his magic on the dashboard of Fern Grey. Once the original covering had been carefully removed, Brian could then begin to prepare the surface for it’s new cover.
Fern Grey is a special car. Everything on the entire car (not just the interior) has been worked on by our in-house restoration teams. Brian completely recovered the dash in a new black leather piece. But, it’s not just the cover that Brian worked on. The Trim team also refurbished all the trim pieces, especially the air vents on the leading edge of the dash.
Carefully, Brian cut the new cover to accept the dash vents. Then, began to fit them up onto the panel. It looks absolutely sensational.
From our last post, you saw our in-house restoration technician Scott busy at work in the workshop at Bridge Classic Cars plumbing and wiring the freshly built 5 litre V12 that sits at the heart of this gorgeous E Type Roadster. While that has been going on in the workshop, one crucial piece has been in the trim shop under the talented eye of our expert trimmer Brian.
The hardtop. An important part of any Roadster has been carefully painted by our amazing in-house paint shop in glorious deep black. Then, it was time for Brian to work his magic. Slowly and methodically, Brian began to remove the old headlining to reveal the shell underneath. Some of the material was saved in order to create the templates for the new pieces that would be needed to completely restore the hardtop to a standard matching the car itself.
Brian worked through the hardtop piece by piece to ensure the best and finish possible on such a bespoke project as Fern Grey. Even taking care to form the new openings for the speakers that sit in the pillar behind the drivers and passengers headrests. Once the underlay had been put in and secured, Brian then got to work with the finish touches.
Using swatches of existing black material, Brian took the time to find not only a close colour match but also a complimenting texture to work with the hardtop shell but also the other interior pieces that are in dark green leather. It’s these details that truly make this build, one of a kind.
Bridge Classic Cars are award winning Classic Car Restoration and Maintenance specialists. Your pride and joy is in safe hands with our expert Classic Car Technicians. Take a look at our awards here.
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