We are delighted to announce that we are in the running for the Classic Cars Magazine Epic Restoration of the Year 2024-25, in association with Machine Mart, for our 1962 Jaguar E-Type restoration, and we will need your votes to help us win.
Earlier this year, the team from Classic Cars magazine made a visit to Coventry to find out more about Clayton Classics and to see the results from one of our most challenging restorations.
Although we are up against some tough competition, our restoration of a 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 fixed-head coupé, that had been dismantled and left abandoned for 50 years, is surely a strong contender.
Voting does not open until May, as the remaining restorations still need to be featured in the monthly issue of Classic Cars Magazine, so we will keep you updated about how to support us nearer the time.
An abandoned bodyshell and boxes of rusty bits
For those who have not read all about our mammoth restoration project, you read the full story online and in the January edition of Classic Cars Magazine.
This was a huge challenge for our team, not least because we started from scratch with a bodyshell that had been left abandoned since the 1970s, along with several boxes of rusty bits. We were lacking some of the original parts, with many of the surviving parts beyond saving. We also faced the obstacle of having to fix previous restoration attempts, so we knew this would not be an easy task.
When showing the team from Classic Cars magazine around the workshop, one of our directors, Dean Allsop, summed up the scale of the project: “I remember saying ‘Right, we’re not buying another dismantled car again!”
His thoughts were echoed by our engineering manager Phil Beveridge, who added: “It was a true scrapper when it turned up – everything required attention.”
ONE METICULOUS jaguar E-TYPE RESTORATION
This type of project calls upon every area of our restoration and engineering expertise, not only because the E-Type is such a beautiful classic, but this particular model had a history worth saving.
This vehicle is the 252nd right-hand-drive fixed-head ever built, and was sold by ex-Le Mans driver and Coventry Jaguar dealer Sam Newsome to Gulson Engineering. Then in 1967, when the car was five years old, Gulson sold it to the grandson of former Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald. The car was then stripped down in the 70s and remained in the garage until it crossed our path and we took on the E-Type restoration.
True to form, our dedicated team pulled out all the stops, with meticulous attention to detail in all aspects of their work, including the bodyshell, engine and gearbox, suspension, and interior and electrics.
more than just a jaguar e-type restoration – it was an upgrade
This model even featured our bespoke heating and air conditioning system we designed as a classic, discrete upgrade for E-Types. In this model, we took out the original heater box, and put one of our kits with an evaporator inside the 1962 housing. It looks very similar under the bonnet, although we added a condenser in front of the radiator, and run pipes into the cabin.
We then integrated the air conditioning controls into the original heater switches, and we also had to add additional vents to deliver the conditioned air. They are subtly worked into the cabin either side of the centre console. However, this meant relocating the original stereo speakers within the footwell.
‘a perfect e-type’
We’re proud to say that the result of our hard work, that everyone associated with is rightly proud of, is a meticulously restored E-Type with just 700 miles on the clock (and hopefully worthy of your vote).
However, let’s leave the last word to Classic Cars Magazine, which fittingly described it as a ‘perfect E-Type’.
Be sure to keep an eye out for more updates on the ‘Epic Restoration of the Year’ title when voting opens later this year.
You can read more about our restorations and upgrades, including our options for heating and air conditioning upgrades on the Clayton Classics website.
Feel free to get in touch if you want to talk to us about your classic.