The 'E' Type Forum

My step-daughter (SD) inherited her father's E-Type undergoing restoration when he passed. The restorer James Tester had been paid £132,000 for purchase & restoration. His rented unit, (17 Brunel Close, Drayton Fields Industrial Estate, Daventry, Northamptonshire, was repossessed by the council in December 2024 and it has taken us until now to get access to the unit.WNC have been extremly obstructive.
We were shocked, what we found was a painted bodyshell with a few parts fitted, everything else had gone. The major missing parts that had been rebuilt & were ready to fit, are the engine, gearbox, complete rear subframe and axle and even the rev counter and centre dash panel had been taken out.
We are now waiting on the Baliffs/Council's entry pictures and video to show if these were there when they entered, therefore the restorer has hidden/sold them or that owners of the other cars that have already been collected, helped themselves.
We know that in the unit was a lightweight, white E-Type race car, a couple of XK's 140/150 (one black) and a brown E-Type. There were others but memory fails me.
Whatever the circumstances, we hope that through forums such as this we can either trace the missing items or make them too hot to handle.
The engine number that we have pictures of (block & head) is 7E2527-9 the remainder of missing items are pictured below.
The businesses that traded from the unit are-Tester Racing Engines Ltd, Tester Race & Engineering Ltd and Tester Auto Paint & Upholstery Ltd.

If anyone can help in tracing these parts or if accidentally taken, want to return them, we would be extremely grateful for any help or assistance. My SD is absolutely distraught about what was her father's pride & joy.
Her father once owned the silver, Pearl of The Gulf V12 E-Type.

You can post the full names if it helps anyone else from being scammed!

Heuer wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 02, 2026 11:04 am

You can post the full names if it helps anyone else from being scammed!

Thank you, I have edited the original post to include his name and the names of the businesses.

Studying all the pictures I have of the E-Type in the workshop, there are other customer’s cars in the background. I have posted these pictures in the hope that someone may be able to identify the cars and/or owners and make contact with me, they were taken in October 2025, the cars had been in the workshop for some time prior, as seen on earlier visits. Any information can be sent to my email: jphillips2361@gmail.com.
I know from the police that we are not the only people affected by this situation.


This E-type I was told, was very special, an aluminium racing shell that Tester said was worth close to a million pounds.




Another view of the racing E-Type.


Rather unusual Brown E-Type.

The "Aluminium E type" looks very much like a replica XKSS to me...Steve

mgcjag wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 03, 2026 1:55 pm

The "Aluminium E type" looks very much like a replica XKSS to me...Steve

Steve, I have just found it was up for sale, I assume by Mr Tester,

That definitely isn't an E Type on the lift. Just look at the curvature of the windscreen and you'll see it is nothing like an E Type screen.

I think Steve's suggestion of it being an XKSS is spot on.

Regards

I have the names, from the bailiffs, of the owners of 2 of the other E Types that were in the units.

Can I ask if anyone knows them or if they are on this forum. I would really appreciate it if they would contact me (e mail jphillips2361@gmail.com) if only to confirm what they saw when collecting their cars.

The first is the owner of, what is described as a Sable coloured E Type, that the gentleman has owned for around 40 years and his name is given as Mr Wood.

Mr Andrew Streek was the named owner of the second one, unfortunately I have no information about his car except that it was an E Type and in the unit next door.

I am reasonably sure that the missing items were removed and have either been sold or are stored at an unknown storage unit somewhere but at this point I am unable to obtain a copy of the baliffs entry video from them, the council or the police to prove or disprove this and that is making me suspicious.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance.