LOST IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE: 10TH E-TYPE 4.2 EVER BUILT RESTORED TO FORMER GLORY

LOST IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE: 10TH E-TYPE 4.2 EVER BUILT RESTORED TO FORMER GLORY

The 10th E-type Series 1 4.2 to ever roll off the Jaguar production line has now undergone a full nut and bolt restoration at the hands of one of Britain’s leading E-type specialists. E-Type UK discovered what is believed to be the 10th Jaguar E-type Series 1 4.2 RHD FHC ever built, lost in the shrubbery of a Gloucestershire estate. The team has now delivered the fully-restored motoring icon to its proud new owner.

After this incredible matching numbers 1964 E-type Series 1 4.2 RHD FHC was unceremoniously dragged from the forest undergrowth, a total re-build commenced at the workshops of E-Type UK. With much of the car having sat open to the elements for the best part of three decades, the entirety of the vehicle’s body was unsalvageable. However, this very special Jaguar was discovered with completely original, matching numbers running gear and suspension units - maintaining its incredibly significant identity. E-Type UK felt duty-bound to uphold the great history of this iconic sports car and went about the complex task of putting it on the road once again.

The mission ahead was momentous; everything aside from the original logbook, running-gear and IRS had to be sourced or hand-crafted. So, while the team searched for a period-correct floor pan and front and rear bulkheads, the in-house body shop set about the panels, assembling them using a specialist body alignment jig. The roof and tailgate also needed to be sourced, and carefully attached to a new set of specially fabricated inner and outer C post panels.

With the body shell and iconic 60’s lines and gaps perfected, this incredibly significant E-type was handed on to the paint team for a stunning coat of Opalescent Silver Grey. To achieve the perfect finish the car was subjected to 60 hours of polishing - the only way to truly appreciate the quality of the new paint finish. The interior has also been updated, with completely new electronics, dashboard, black leather seats, dials and pedal box – all sourced or hand-crafted by the in-house team.

As would be expected, most of the engine components were unusable, but some parts were salvaged in the hope of keeping as much of the car’s wonderful character as possible. The original cam covers and cylinder head have been painstakingly machine-polished – certainly to a higher quality than the car left the Coventry factory some half a century ago. The powertrain has also been fitted with an uprated stainless-steel sports exhaust with tubular manifolds, creating a beautiful 4.2-litre symphony from beneath the iconic sweeping bonnet.

With the extent of work required to make this classic drive once more and the number of components needing replacement, it gave its new custodian the freedom to upgrade certain aspects of the car to suit modern-day driving. An upgraded fast road specification with high-lift cams, a balanced and lightened crank and a 5-speed gearbox make this 60’s icon a marvel for modern roads. Now running and driving, what may be the 10th Series 1 E-type 4.2 RHD FHC off the production line has not only been brought back to life, but is now looking and performing better than ever.

E-Type UK Founder, Marcus Holland commented: “We are incredibly proud and privileged to have been given the opportunity to complete a full restoration of the 10thJaguar E-type Series 1 4.2 RHD FHC to come off the production line. This historic sportscar certainly came with its own unique challenges, bringing out the best from our in-house team through the extent and quality of the work required. We have seen and completed a number of ‘Bush-Find’ restorations, but this must be one of the most significant E-Type UK has ever undertaken. Learning of its wonderful history, and being able to restore another Jaguar classic to its former glory has been a pleasure. It is now back on Britain’s roads, upholding the incredible legacy of the E-type and ready to be enjoyed for the first time in over thirty years.”

GHOST OF LOST 1907 PEKING PARIS VEHICLE RE AWOKEN DRIVING THE ABSolute IMPOSSIBLE

GHOST OF LOST 1907 PEKING PARIS VEHICLE RE AWOKEN DRIVING THE ABSolute IMPOSSIBLE

A 112-year-old Mototri Contal three-wheeler is set to take on the 2019 Peking to Paris, aiming to finish a 13,840 km journey it started in 1907.

The first Peking to Paris (P2P) ran in 1907, five competitors accepting a seemingly impossible challenge. Amongst them was a French three-wheeled Mototri Contal piloted by an ambitious duo, Frenchman Auguste Pons and Oscar Foucauld. A story of struggles and triumphs eventually saw them, and their three-wheeler, stranded in the Gobi Desert. The story ended with the crew attempting to walk back to Peking, almost losing their lives in the process.

But now Anton Gonnissen (58) a successful architect from Sint-Martens-Latem near Ghent in Belgium will attempt to rewrite history by starting the 2019 Peking Paris Rally in a rebuilt second Mototri Contal and bring her back to Paris, a feat the brave Pons failed to do in 1907. Inspired by the story that almost cost Pons and his co-driver Foucauld their lives, Anton Gonnissen set about acquiring an original Mototri Contal. He reached out to many for support and all, including the Rally Director of the Endurance Rally Association, who asked: “Are you mad Anton?”

On the contrary, Anton Gonnissen is an accomplished modern-day adventurer who has finished three Dakars, four Rallies of Egypt, and one UAE desert rally variously in a car, truck and on a quad bike. He is taking this bold venture very seriously and intends to make the impossible journey possible, using all his experience from his previous adventures.

Gonnissen eventually found one of the very few Mototri Contal’s left in the world together with its original manual and went about making the necessary study of the antique machine following a structural test by Ghent University. Some improvements have been made to the chassis, wheels and engine, although, as with the original Mototri Contal, there is no rear suspension together with the 1906 crude springing still on the front. The navigator will sit over the front axle perched out front in what has long been christened the ‘suicide seat’, or as the French said: ‘le tue belle-mère’.

Brave navigator, Belgian Herman Gelan, an interior architect from Ghent, will be in that seat perched out front as Foucauld was all those years ago. Herman is an accomplished triathlon and marathon runner, a passion he shares with Anton. However, he is being thrown in at the deep end as this will be his first motor sport event, he is a total novice. 

Anton Gonnissen will be behind him steering the trike from over the rear wheel for 36 days, 13,840 km (8,600 miles) aiming to finish in Paris six weeks later. The only concession to comfort for the endurance rally specialist from Belgium is a Harley Davidson saddle in place of the original bottom crusher.

Anton Gonnissen: “The story for Auguste Pons was a short one. Stranded without petrol early in the race they couldn’t be rescued by the other competitors as they were ahead of them. They ended up drinking the water out of the radiator and then started their perilously long walk back to Peking in the heat. They nearly died and the Contal is still out there covered by sand somewhere.

“Auguste Pons and navigator Oscar Foucauld were the only men not to eventually make it back to Paris so we intend to lay that ghost to rest and exercise their long lost spirits. Pons was certainly the bravest of the five competitors in the race, as he attempted the absolute impossible race. He lost everything in the Gobi Desert, even his 1906 driving licence was left in the trike when the Contal was abandoned. However, we did find his 1908 replacement document.

“As it is one of the few original Mototri Contal, we have tried to keep as many original parts as possible which is why some components of the original trike will be in place. In some cases, we have simply had to beef up the chassis with the endurance rally and the finish in mind.

 “We are nearly ready to start testing the Mototri Contal which has to be ready to be shipped to China in early March. We want to be prepared but I am not underestimating the formidable challenge ahead. We know this will be a life-changing event, but it could turn us, ordinary men, into heroes if we can get the Mototri Contal all the way to Paris and finish the job for Auguste Pons 112 years on.”

*Testing of the Contal Mototri will begin in February. A further release with VT/ photos from the tests will be distributed in early March. Please kindly indicate if you would like to receive the material and follow the story as it unfolds.

*Please also follow Anton Gonnissen’s blog here.