A QUEST FOR PERFECTION
Classic & Sports Car|June 2022
The 30-year saga of one man's obsessive mission to return an early Jaguar E-type to factory-fresh condition
MARTIN BUCKLEY
A QUEST FOR PERFECTION

You might think there would not be much left to say about Jaguar E-type restoration. And yet, after listening to model expert Paul Bridges, you begin to realise that there is still quite a lot we don't really know about how these cars were put together. The saga of Bridges' epic rebuild of this very early 3.8-litre roadster spans three decades, with surges of activity at either end. The restored car had its debut at Salon Privé last year, the first time it had been seen in public for 50 years.

Having won the combined Jaguar car clubs' 60th-anniversary concours in July, 160 RKJ is now widely accepted as the “reference quality early E-type roadster, so painstaking have been Bridges' labours in making sure that every detail - quite literally down to the last nut, bolt, screw and washer - is absolutely correct.

Το say that all of the numbers match is only the beginning. It would be fair to suggest that this Jaguar has been rebuilt with an attention to detail normally reserved for precious antiques and works of art. It is a lovely balance of preservation and painstakingly accurate restoration. Having spent 30 years squirrelling away new-old-stock parts - he even found a set of original, unused Dunlop RS5 crossply tyres that had not seen the light of day since the early 1970s - Bridges was possibly uniquely placed to hit these heights, not least because he also had a 31-year engineering career at Jaguar, latterly as the programme manager for JLR's 'Reborn project and setting up the reverse-engineering for E-type body tooling. Since 2018 he has worked for himself as Heritage Classics, based in Kenilworth, having by then put several award-winning E-type restorations under his belt.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2022-Ausgabe von Classic & Sports Car.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2022-Ausgabe von Classic & Sports Car.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS CLASSIC & SPORTS CARAlle anzeigen
Mick WALSH
Classic & Sports Car

Mick WALSH

'Had someone said that this worn-looking titan would win the most famous old-car event, we would have laughed'

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 2024
ALFA ROMEO STELVIO QF
Classic & Sports Car

ALFA ROMEO STELVIO QF

Rewriting the rulebook on what an SUV can do, and how it can make you feel

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2024
FLOATING INTO THE FUTURE
Classic & Sports Car

FLOATING INTO THE FUTURE

Citroën's DS-replacing CX was at a cutting edge so sharp it still looks fresh today, and it had the drive to match - as five superb survivors reveal

time-read
8 Minuten  |
November 2024
"It's a car for posing in really"
Classic & Sports Car

"It's a car for posing in really"

Broadcaster Michael Buerk reflects on more than three decades with his beloved Jaguar E-type S1 3.8 fixed-head coupé

time-read
8 Minuten  |
November 2024
HONDAS DECK THE HALL
Classic & Sports Car

HONDAS DECK THE HALL

The Japanese firm's Los Angeles collection is now on public display for the first time in two decades

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 2024
ABSOLUTELY buzzing
Classic & Sports Car

ABSOLUTELY buzzing

Honda's Si Civics brought agile, cheap fun to motorists long before the Type R name got anywhere near a hatchback

time-read
7 Minuten  |
November 2024
THE FEMININE TOUCH
Classic & Sports Car

THE FEMININE TOUCH

In 1955, General Motors styling guru Harley Earl brought 11 talented women into the male-dominated world of automotive design. What was their lasting impact?

time-read
7 Minuten  |
November 2024
Out on a limb
Classic & Sports Car

Out on a limb

Panther's innovative Solo 2 was something completely different, both for its maker and the sports car market

time-read
7 Minuten  |
November 2024
Restyles with substance
Classic & Sports Car

Restyles with substance

Panther Westwinds blended a passion for pre-war designs with modern-era mechanical usability and remarkably fine coachbuilding

time-read
10 Minuten  |
November 2024
Dead ringers
Classic & Sports Car

Dead ringers

The Maserati Kyalami and De Tomaso Longchamp share much, having emerged from the same stable, but are poles apart at heart

time-read
8 Minuten  |
November 2024