Food for thought

[abowie]

[chrisfell]

I recall a similar test being done by (of things) an independent TV program in which they crashed a Range Rover into an Renault Espace. The Range Rover crumpled just like the Bel Air, the Espace merely shook its panels (all plastic) but was still in tact, a bit bent, but it took the shock of the crash.

Thankfully the E-Type has about 6 feet of frontal crumple zone in front of the windscreen.

[Heuer]

From Collectors Corner:



And:


And:
At some point in the late 1960s or early 1970s, the Tourist Trophy Garage, by then sold and no longer related to Mike Hawthorn, recovered the wreck of a Jaguar E-type, registration 5600 RW. You can see from the images here that it was beyond hope - at least we hope no one resurrected it!

Mike Ellis told us the story behind how it got wrecked:

"A friend, Dave Westwood, worked at the TT garage from about 1964 to when John Adams closed it, first as a mechanic then foreman and he told me about it. It was either late 60s or possibly early 70s and the car had been stolen. The thief was driving towards Farnham on the old A31 through Runfold when a police car came up behind with lights flashing but they were going somewhere else and didn't know the car was stolen. Naturally the thief thought they were after him and accelerated. Apparently speeds of up to 100mph were reached which was too fast to negotiate Junction Bridge (long since gone) and the Jag crashed. The thief managed to escape and the car was brought into the TT Garage. The reason the car broke into three pieces was not just the speed of impact but the fact that there was a lot of corrosion in the monocoque."

This story and the smaller photos courtesy of http://www.mike-hawthorn.org.uk/

[andrewh]

Looking at the dash top it looks like a very early car, thinner profile.

Rot? My first experience of a 61 flat floor was in 1974 when my Dad and I plus pal and his Dad drove to Kiddermisnster to view a roadster in an advert for ?350. The car was bought. So it was 13 years old, already wore a fibreglass bonnet and was as rotten as a pear. Interestingly it was a roadster but has a FHC chassis number, even then! Anyone who has an un touched North European or North East American car that is rot free you are deluding yourself. They were rotten within 2 years of production . Honest, it's fact. My own first E was bought in 1978 and was/is a UK 3.8 FHC registered PEY... cannot recall. That was a basket case and that was 16 years old and also had a fibreglass bonnet. Wish I could find it though. gunmetal with biscuit .

[Dawnpatrol]

I would be pleased to restore any of the above if they appeared under my nose today.
Just economics!
Not in slightest interested in insurance CAT, then or now!
Do a top quality job and get it inspected appropriately.
Wouldn't put me off buying them now either if they had been done correctly.
Plenty of very tired E's passed under my Dads nose in the 70's, unfortunately I wasn't smart enough to buy one or two for what I blew on rally cars.
Equally, any OTS in a FHC or the reverse would be a good prospect to invest time and effort.

I'm sure there are other more principled opinions out there!

Michael