Thursday 24 March 2011

Heavyweight - Jaguar E- Type 3.8 Coupe

Call me a hopeless romantic but there is something I find irresistible about the notion of walking into a showroom purchasing the fastest vehicle they have in stock, adding a couple towing eyes, a fire extinguisher roll cage and 5 point harness and ignition cut out switch and heading down to the nearest race track.

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This kind of racing used to be called stock car racing in the US and Production racing in the UK.

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Today's stunning 1961 E-type 3.8 litre Coupe has been kept in more or less original trim since new.

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It still has an all steel shell and opening panels.

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Until recently the current owner; ex power boat racer, Michael O'Shea has been racing a 1958 XK150S, he has a decades experience racing Jaguars and a couple of years racing a Cooper - Maserati.

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Michael first started racing karts at 12 but did not start racing cars for another 34 years.

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Racing has been in Michael's blood all his life his Dad was the mastermind behind the O'Shea Racing Organisation which ran a car for a then unknown, future world champion, Jack Brabham.

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Michael will be racing his car in the new HSCC Jaguar E-Type Challenge a series created to cater just for E-types on their 50th Anniversary.

My thanks to Jaguar World and Classic & Performance Car for additional information.

Hope you enjoyed todays Heavyweight edition of 'Gettin' a lil' psycho on tyres' and that you will join me again tomorrow for Ferrari Friday. Don't forget to come back now !

2 comments:

  1. On the outside, this Jag looks almost like a Monogram 1:8 scale plastic model that I built sometime in the mid-1960s, except the model was red.

    http://i00.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/111130080/MONOGRAM_JAGUAR_1_8_MODEL_CAR_KIT.jpg

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  2. The E-Type model I built was 1:32 scale and also red to start with a convertible though.

    http://mfpilot.com/images/Airfix2415Jaguar.jpg

    I remember it ended up with a Ford V8 from a T for Two kit.

    http://www.musclecars.net/parts/parts-images-large/aurora-1-32-1921-ford-high-coupe-t-for-two-model-misb_250786230542.jpg

    The V8 was later taken out and put into a Ford Escort,

    http://www.creativemodels.net/images/Products/AIR50091.jpg

    which featured a rear suspension assembly from a Porsche 917 that carried the 917's smaller 5 speed transmission at the back, to improve the weight distribution front to rear, it looked great with the 917's ultra wide wheels and tyres :-)

    http://fast-autos.net/diecast-cars-models/diecast-car-image-large/airfix-1-32-scale-gulf-porsche-917-series-3-vintage_330529192587.jpg

    Happy days :-)

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