Series I bonnet

[christopher storey]

Nick : re your questions

The aluminium bonnets are very nice but you have to recognize that they are more fragile and less durable than steel, so that even sitting on the nose may cause trouble. Also, they are more susceptible to cracking than steel, and with quite a lot of movement on the front end of Es on rough roads, this is a factor to consider . Aluminium may also be more difficult to get a durable paint job on, because of adhesion problems

It is not just a question of putting the scoops into your exisiting bonnet : the diaphragm ( the vertical piece which froms the rear face of the bonnet front section ) probably will have to be changed from your type . The scoops should then fit to the diaphragm and be secured by setscrews. Sometimes the scoops have to be trimmed/ground at their front end so as to fit

Hutsons make the centre section for many of the bonnets you buy
as well as diaphragms etc, but I do not think they make wings, but Andy there will tell you . It is the centre section which was unobtainable until Hutsons started to make them a couple of years ago

The centre section is in fact one of the least intricate of the sections , but it requires a big presstool hence the rarity. The expensive bits are the wings, the front undertray particularly( about ?700), and the ducts , and the whole thing then has to be assembled and glued which is quite a tricky operation . However, I see from my bills that my bonnet cost ?2950 + VAT in 9/2008 - but the price of them does go up and down because of supply and demand in what is a very curious market!