jaguar e-type restoration

A Special Project

A very special project has recently arrived at Bridge Classic Cars in the form of our 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5 The former owners of

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Carb Clean Up

We’ve worked on this Jaguar E-Type V12 before but this time it’s only in, in part. Ady has been taking the carburettors off it to

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E-Type Shape Up

Matt and Chris have been working on applying filler to our white Jaguar E-Type so that they can smooth and shape the body, ensuring there’s

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A Special Project

A very special project has recently arrived at Bridge Classic Cars in the form of our 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5

The former owners of the vehicle were restoring it but, unfortunately, the project had stalled. Now it is with us though, we will be starting work to finish the restoration and bring this beautiful classic Jaguar back to its former glory.

We will be completing paint remedial work, reassembling the vehicle including rebuilding the engine and gearbox, as well as fitting a new interior.

Rebuilding an E-Type is special enough, but what makes this project extra special is that once complete, the plan is for our 1968 Jaguar E-Type Series 1.5 to be a competition car through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions.

There is obviously a lot of work to do before that can happen but, if winning an E-Type is something you would love, it will be well worth the wait.

Final Look – The Final Photoshoot with the 1973 Jaguar E-Type V12 Series 3 Roadster

The 1973 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 Roadster is due to leave the Bridge Classic Cars workshop any day now so, we thought we would take one final look around the car that the team here have built from the ground up.

Fern Grey, as the car is known to us, arrived from the US as a white and red 1973 V12 E-Type. But, it didn’t stay that way for long. The restoration team began to strip, assess and work on the car for one of our amazing restoration clients who has had several classics hand-built by us specifically for him.

Fern is on another level. There isn’t a single panel, component or piece which hasn’t been worked on by the term in the single-minded and absolute pursuit of perfection we aim to achieve on our projects. This E-Type is very special and it is due to go on and have a very special life with its enthusiast owner.

The car has gone through numerous test hours and checks, double checks and triple checks by the workshop team before being prepared to leave our Suffolk HQ bound for its new life away from us.

So with that, we all that we would have one final look at Fern Grey before it was loaded into our enclosed trailer and buckled in for the drive.

Final Details – Fitting the Bonnet and Wiring Changes to the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

The team at Bridge Classic Cars are on the final stretch in getting the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster ready for road testing.

One of the biggest and most delicate jobs of the whole build was fitting the bonnet to this one-off E Type. Carefully (and using almost everyone in the workshop) the bonnet was gently lowered onto the nose of Fern Grey. Once in place, our technicians Jon and Scott could begin the task of firmly attaching all the necessary brackets and braces to secure the bonnet to the car. Along with our bodywork expert Chris, the team worked on getting the hinges and clips aligned so the bonnet sat perfectly on this beautiful car.

Along with the bonnet being fitted, the team went through the car to add some last-minute adjustments. A new passenger grab handle was made and fitted by Brian, our lead in-house trimmer, and the headlights have been removed and rewired for a new pair that feature sidelights incorporated into the unit themselves.

It’s all coming together on Fern Grey, so keep a look out on the Bridge Classic Cars news page for updates on the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster.

Small Details – Post Test Checks on the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

Bridge Classic Cars in-house restoration technicians, Jon and Scott, have been working on some minor repairs and revisions to Fern Grey after its tests.

Fern Grey is of course the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster we have been building in our Suffolk HQ. After the tests, Jon and Scott noticed some issues with a couple of interior/dash lights which were solved by removing the cover plate and rerouting some of the elaborate wiring with a few pins needing to be recrimped and shielded.

Along with that, Jon has made a new fuel return pipe for the car as he found the original was not returning correctly to the fuel tank. So, with all of the underside jobs finished on Fern Grey Jon could begin to fit the shields to the underside of this one-off E Type.

Now, with everything buttoned up on Fern Grey, our technicians can begin retesting and rechecking the car before its road tests begin.

Ready for Brightwork – Ready for Chrome on the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

The team at Bridge Classic Cars have begun work on the stunning bonnet of the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster we have built for a client. With all of the weatherstripping installed into the headlight surrounds, they can now begin with the final brightwork.

All of the chrome for Fern Grey was sent off to a specialist, Wyatt Polishing, for refurbishment and polishing to make sure it looked as good as the rest of the incredible car. Now Paul, one of our in-house technicians, will start the meticulous task of getting the chrome back onto the headlights ready for when the bonnet is finally installed onto the car in the coming weeks.

Expect to see a lot more on the progress of the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster here on the Bridge Classic Cars newspage.

Final Fitment – Fitting the Exhaust to the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house restoration technicians have finished up the custom-made exhaust on the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster that we refer to as Fern Grey.

Paul has been working on getting the new exhaust safe and secure underneath the iconic sports car. From the exhaust collector to the stunning, bright double-tipped outlet which perfectly follows the line of the bottom of Fern Grey.

With the new exhaust fitted underneath the E Type, our in-house restoration technicians can move forward wit the final assembly of this stunning classic Jaguar.

Coated – Exhaust for the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

The 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster, Fern Grey, is getting closer to completion by the day. Recently our in-house restoration technicians have been working on completing the exhaust for this amazing project.

Our technician Paul has been working on cleaning, preparing and coating the exhausts for the 5 litre V12 that sits at the heart of this E Type. Paul carefully cleaned and prepared the original headers for the car before applying several coats of glossy black exhaust paint. This paint is specific for the use on exhausts as it can withstand incredible high temperatures and the environment.

Paul also worked on cleaning and painting the exhaust brackets for Fern Grey to match the rest of the immaculate underside of the car.

Finishing Touches – 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house have been finishing the final pieces for the interior of Fern Grey, the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster before it goes into the main workshop for final assembly.

Brian, our head trimmer, has got the cars handmade seats back into the car to complete that part of the interior and they look absolutely fantastic. This car is intended to be a true GT car so they are comfortable and well-padded to add to that sense of comfort while covering huge distances.

Next, Brian began fitting up the Hardura padding underneath the dashboard. Hardura is a vinyl wrapped sound deadening material used in place where it is remained exposed and is also close to the original style material used on the car.

Then, for the final piece Brian fitted the chrome stalks from the old sun visors onto the new pieces. These were then fitted up into the car and really finish of the dash and windshield surround.

Lifting the Cover – Tonneau Cover for the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

Our head trimmer here at Bridge Classic Cars, Brian, has been perfectly tailoring a tonneau cover to protect the interior of Fearn Grey. The 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster we have been restoring in-house.

Brian has masterfully created the new cover entirely from scratch using his wealth of knowledge and experience to produce a tight, elegant fit on the cover. Just like every piece on Fearn Grey, our restorations teams have tailored everything around the car and for the lucky owner of this stunning roadster.

There are a couple more jobs to do in our trim shop on the E Type and then it will be going into the workshop for the team to begin final assembly.

Raising the Roof – Fitting the Soft Top to the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster

The Bridge Classic Cars trim shop have been incredibly busy just before Christmas. One of the jobs that has been done was fitting the foldable soft top into Fearn Grey, the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster.

Brian, our head trimmer, has been carefully pulling and stretching the new material into place and securing it to the spars on the hood to make sure that the fit and finish on the soft top is perfect with no creases or loose spots. Once it was in place, Brian could then focus on testing the mechanism worked flawlessly up and down without binding up or damaging the new soft top material in any way.

Along with the completely refurbished hard top, Fearn Grey is looking absolutely sensational! and the interior is definitely a massive part of that process.

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 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.

Another Step Forward – More of the Interior of the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

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.

It’s Whats on the Inside – Beginning Install of the Interior on the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

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.

Must Dash – Covering the Dash of the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series III Roadster

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.

Next Phase – Wiring and Plumbing the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster

Scott, one of our in-house restoration experts has been hard at work getting ”Fern Grey” the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster plumbed and wired.

Recently Scott carefully got the newly built 5 litre V12 into place in the car, taking his time to make sure everything was exactly where it should be and safely locked into place. Then once the engine was in its final position, Scott got to work hooking up the various systems needed to fire this stunning 12 cylinder Jaguar into life.

First up, the team fitted up the newly rebuilt Stormberg carburettors onto either side of the engine. Along with that were the large aluminium intakes that feed the Strombergs. Along with that are the various pipes and hoses that need to be spread across the engine bay and allow the long-legged V12 to run faultlessly and reliably. All of these components needed to go into place first to then get the heater system into place as it sits close to the back end of the carburettors.

From there, Scott worked his way from the engine bay into the cabin with the wiring. All of the related dials and lights needed to be wired up to the engine and the fuse box for when Fern Grey bursts into life. Each of the wires was meticulously run by Scott to ensure they would not chafe or mar the elegant green/grey paintwork that flows with the elegant, iconic lines of this E Type Roadster.

Back Together – Carburettors for the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster are Rebuilt

The carburettors on the 1973 Fern Grey Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster are freshly rebuilt. Our master engine builder Ady spent many hows carefully dismantling each and every component to check for any damage.

Each of the pieces was given a clean bill of health by Ady. From there it was time to clean down every surface of the giant Strombergs. Ady always takes great pride in his work, he sat there and hand cleaned every individual part to continuously inspect the component while he cleaned away years of dirt.

With a full gasket rebuild kit, Ady managed to get the Carburettors back together in an afternoon, performing a small part of the set-up while still on the bench.

Next up for the carburettors is to be bolted up the manifold and put back on that glorious V12. Expect to see that very soon on the Bridge Classic Cars website.

Ground Up – Reupholstering the Rear Seat Doors on the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster

The Bridge Classic Cars in-house trim team have worked their magic yet again. This time recovering the rear seat doors on the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster.

Kath, one of the trim experts, carefully deconstructed the original panels not only to find out how they were originally made but to try and save as much of the original piece if possible. Kath managed to even save the original hardware and hinges for the piece.

After refinishing the wooden cores of the panels, Kath could then start to get the new coverings fit just right for such a hand-made sportscar. After this, it was time to put the body-coloured piping onto the new material.

After the pieces had been perfectly readied to go into the car it was time to get the original hardware Kath had removed looking just as good. Kath carefully prepped each piece for a new coat of paint to go along with the rest of the panel in terms of the finish and quality.

Expect to see more of this incredible, one-off E Type on our News Page very soon.

On the Inside – Working on the Interior of the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster.

With such a bespoke and unique car as the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster currently in at Bridge Classic Cars, only a handmade bespoke interior would suit.

Our master trim technician Kath has been working hard to get all the interior trim pieces for the E type stripped back to begin work on. Carefully she worked her way around each individual piece to preserve them for any templates that may need to be made for the car.

Some of the interior trim has metal components underneath the hides used originally. So, to make sure those pieces are in just as incredible shape as the body and chassis Kath worked on rust prevention for each piece and then finished in black.

Expect to see much more on Fern Grey very soon here on the blog.

Best Side Forward – Building up the Bonnet of the 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster.

One of the most recognisable parts of a Jaguar E Type is its long, elegant bonnet. It is also one of the most beautiful shapes of any car. That is certainly true with our Fern Grey 1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster.

After the bonnet had come back from being painted and finished by our in-house paint team here at Bridge Classic Cars, the ultra-rare colour looks absolutely phenomenal. Then once Matt and Chris in the paint team were happy with the finish and high sheen of the bonnet, it was handed over to our restoration technician Scott.

Scott has been part of this project all the way through its work. He knows the car probably better than anyone due to the number of hours he has put into this single car.

Carefully, Scott began the process of putting in the grilles. Along with those was the indicators, being gentle not to mar any of the stunning work Matt and Chris have done.

The headlights complete that famous E Type look. All hand-wired by Scott to make sure the cabling runs for the harnesses fitted perfectly and worked without issue.

Prep work on the E-Type continues!

Chris and Matt have been doing more paint prep work on the 1973 Series 3 Jaguar E-Type.

They put the body of the car in the paint booth and masked it up ready for polyester primer. Once primed, it was covered in guide coat and blocked and finished in 180 sanding paper. The underside of the car body was prepped in 180 and any damage that was found was repaired and primed. All metal joints around the car were sealed, like where the metal had been welded together.