13 replies to this topic

[HistoryBuff]

I have been reading up on this amazing car but not being an E-type expert have a couple questions:

1.)I know this is asking for 50 year old gossip but if Cunningham had the car ordered along with three more, how was Qvale able to wrest it away and not give it up when it was ordered by Cunningham. Is the distributor of Jags on west coast more important than millionaire spending his own money to race your brand of cars? Maybe Briggs was too polite to protest?

2.)why did Jaguar build the twelve lightweights as roadsters? Why not the more aerodynamic coupes? (I know about the Malcolm sayer designed coupes but I'm talking about the roadsters here).

3.) does Lynx's Chairman and Managing Director, John Mayston-Taylor, still own and run the car?

for you RAF history guys, was the original owner an "ace"--how many enemy planes did you have to shoot down to receive Ace rating?

Thanks for any expertise,

[RCH]

I have been reading up on this amazing car but not being an E-type expert have a couple questions:

1.)I know this is asking for 50 year old gossip but if Cunningham had the car ordered along with three more, how was Qvale able to wrest it away and not give it up when it was ordered by Cunningham. Is the distributor of Jags on west coast more important than millionaire spending his own money to race your brand of cars? Maybe Briggs was too polite to protest?

2.)why did Jaguar build the twelve lightweights as roadsters? Why not the more aerodynamic coupes? (I know about the Malcolm sayer designed coupes but I'm talking about the roadsters here).

3.) does Lynx's Chairman and Managing Director, John Mayston-Taylor, still own and run the car?

for you RAF history guys, was the original owner an "ace"--how many enemy planes did you have to shoot down to receive Ace rating?

Thanks for any expertise,

I have never heard of any controversy regarding supply of the Lightweights to Qvale and Cunningham. Qvale had one ordered which he got in time for Sebring and Cunningham got one of his three in time for Sebring but presumably the others weren't ready until later, seems reasonable unless you know something different.

I suspect that like all GT racers of the time homologation was somewhat fraught. The Lightweights were developed out of the Coombs roadster which was intended for races on British circuits and the roadster and hardtop concept was probably lighter and more convenient. I'm not sure that the "standard" coupe body had any aerodynamic advantage over the roadster and to have gone straight to the "low drag" design would have been one step too many for initial homologation.

Edited by RCH, 20 July 2013 - 23:00.

[BRG]

Knowing slightly less than sweet Fanny Adams about lightweight E-types, I wonder on the coupe/roadster point whether a coupe shell would not have been stiffer than a roadster (even with a hardtop)? And stiffness in a chassis was always a VG thing.

[terry mcgrath]

everything you ever wanted to know or not know is in the Philip Porter book "Ultimate E type"

http://porterpress.c...mpetition-cars/
Ultimate E-type – The Competition Cars

Standard Edition: Hardback, 528 pages, 11.22" x 10.22" (285 x 260mm). Price: £120
Introductory offer: £95 incl P&P direct from the publishers (Mainland UK only)




de Luxe Edition: Hardback, 528 pages, 11.22" x 10.22" (285 x 260mm), limited to only 150, leather-bound with cloth slip-case. Price: £450




Collectors' Edition: Hardback, 528 pages, 11.22" x 10.22" (285 x 260mm), limited to only 25, leather-bound with craftsman-made box. Book includes original metal from Lindner Lightweight E.

Price: £2,200
(£1,000 per copy to charity)


For more information on this edition please contact Louise Gibbs on +44 (0)1584 781588 or email: sales@porterpress.co.uk.


‘Motorsport Book of the Year’, British Sports Book Awards

‘Book of the Year’, Octane International

Motoring Awards, 2011

GoMW Chairman Richard Aucock: “Philip’s book was a clear winner. This is the first time the Guild has been involved with the British Sports Book Awards and we are delighted the inaugural prize has gone to such an impressive title.”

The Lightweight Es are the ultimate E-types, and this is the ultimate book on these charismatic cars. This is the full story of the competition E-types that took on the might of the Ferrari and often beat the legendary GTOs and the AC Cobras. With copious unseen period photographs and original Jaguar reports, the glory years of the ’60s are told as never before, including the build up to the Lightweights and the evolution of the Low Drag versions.



This book is packed full of material to fascinate and inform E-type and motor-racing enthusiasts..

•Lively, authoritative, intriguing, definitive
•A chapter for each of the 12 cars
•The full Lightweight E story
•The history of the E2A prototype
•The development story of Jaguar’s answer to the GTO
•The driving impressions of E v. Cobra v. GTO
•Revelations from Adrian Newey
•Why a fresh water mussel was found in one car!
•Masses of fresh information
•The early racers to the final Low Drag Coupés
•Stunning period and studio photography
•Over 200 interviewed including Sir Jackie Stewart, Dan Gurney, Roy Salvadori, Martin Brundle, Brian Redman, ‘Whizzo’ Williams, John Coombs…
•Almost every owner of each car traced
•Part 1 – Period Story, Part 2 – The Cars, Part 3 – Evaluation
•By Philip Porter, award-winning author of over 15 Jaguar books.

[RCH]

Yep, that's where I dashed to check after my first post, there is no mention of Qvale somehow pinching one of Cunningham's cars. Promised myself I would check to see if there was any mention of roadster v. coupe tonight. In response to BRG's post I suspect that body stiffness of the E Type would have been way ahead of any of its competitors and a roadster with a metal hardtop would be as stiff as a coupe.

By the way, anyone with an interest in Jaguars or Sports/GT Racing in the early '60's should buy, beg, borrow or steal a copy of this wonderful tome. No you're not having mine!

Edited by RCH, 22 July 2013 - 14:31.

[Alan Cox]

By the way, anyone with an interest in Jaguars or Sports/GT Racing in the early '60's should buy, beg, borrow or steal a copy of this wonderful tome.

'Hear, hear' x 10

[Joe Bosworth]

Ace = 5

[Lola5000]

everything you ever wanted to know or not know is in the Philip Porter book "Ultimate E type"

http://porterpress.c...mpetition-cars/
Ultimate E-type – The Competition Cars

Standard Edition: Hardback, 528 pages, 11.22" x 10.22" (285 x 260mm). Price: £120
Introductory offer: £95 incl P&P direct from the publishers (Mainland UK only)




de Luxe Edition: Hardback, 528 pages, 11.22" x 10.22" (285 x 260mm), limited to only 150, leather-bound with cloth slip-case. Price: £450




Collectors' Edition: Hardback, 528 pages, 11.22" x 10.22" (285 x 260mm), limited to only 25, leather-bound with craftsman-made box. Book includes original metal from Lindner Lightweight E.

Price: £2,200
(£1,000 per copy to charity)


For more information on this edition please contact Louise Gibbs on +44 (0)1584 781588 or email: sales@porterpress.co.uk.


‘Motorsport Book of the Year’, British Sports Book Awards

‘Book of the Year’, Octane International

Motoring Awards, 2011

GoMW Chairman Richard Aucock: “Philip’s book was a clear winner. This is the first time the Guild has been involved with the British Sports Book Awards and we are delighted the inaugural prize has gone to such an impressive title.”

The Lightweight Es are the ultimate E-types, and this is the ultimate book on these charismatic cars. This is the full story of the competition E-types that took on the might of the Ferrari and often beat the legendary GTOs and the AC Cobras. With copious unseen period photographs and original Jaguar reports, the glory years of the ’60s are told as never before, including the build up to the Lightweights and the evolution of the Low Drag versions.



This book is packed full of material to fascinate and inform E-type and motor-racing enthusiasts..

•Lively, authoritative, intriguing, definitive
•A chapter for each of the 12 cars
•The full Lightweight E story
•The history of the E2A prototype
•The development story of Jaguar’s answer to the GTO
•The driving impressions of E v. Cobra v. GTO
•Revelations from Adrian Newey
•Why a fresh water mussel was found in one car!
•Masses of fresh information
•The early racers to the final Low Drag Coupés
•Stunning period and studio photography
•Over 200 interviewed including Sir Jackie Stewart, Dan Gurney, Roy Salvadori, Martin Brundle, Brian Redman, ‘Whizzo’ Williams, John Coombs…
•Almost every owner of each car traced
•Part 1 – Period Story, Part 2 – The Cars, Part 3 – Evaluation
•By Philip Porter, award-winning author of over 15 Jaguar books.

My years of hopping a quality author ,would produce a book on the LWT "E's" was fulfilled when this book was published.

[xj13v12]

Also try Cat Out Of The Bag by Peter Wilson. It tells the inside story of the competition department from 1961-1966. He states that the 4 original objectives were to reduce weight, reduce drag, increase power and improve handling. He explains the use of different gauge skins in aluminium and the Malcolm Sayer designed hardtop etc.

[D-Type]

Ace = 5

I think that the "5 kills and you are officially an 'Ace' " concept applied only in the USAF. I don't think the RAF adopted it formally.

[ray b]

''Why a fresh water mussel was found in one car!''

not having 450 pounds to spend ok why?

[RCH]

''Why a fresh water mussel was found in one car!''

not having 450 pounds to spend ok why?

Speaking of the top of my head because David Wansborough crashed the ex Protheroe CUT 7 into the lake at Oulton Park.

Oh and you only need 95 or so.

[Joe Bosworth]

I think that the "5 kills and you are officially an 'Ace' " concept applied only in the USAF. I don't think the RAF adopted it formally.

D-Type

If you will refer to the Tony Gaze thread started a couple of days ago with respect to his passing you will find a first person statement by an RAF pilot.

There is an excellant 25 minute u-tube video replay of a past tv programme with Tony. For those not knowing of Tony he was a 485 sortie Spitfire pilot of WW2. He gained 3*DFC. He had 11 confirmed air kills as well as 3 more shared with others making him a double ace. When asked at the 9:30 point of the interview what constituted an ace he specifically replied that it was 5 confirmed kills. Tony was also Australia's first F1 driver which was well covered in the tv show as well as he representing OZ in the world gliding championships.

Regards

[drivers71]

Alfred Momo successfully modified two of the Briggs Cunningham E-Type Jaguars (Roadster 875027 and Coupe 860630) to save weight for the 1962 season. A series of performances in the USA, together with a fine 4th place overall at Le Mans (Briggs + Roy Salvadori), presumably indicated to the British manufacturer that there would be a demand for such cars. The run of factory 'Lightweights' were built for 1963, three of which were raced by the Cunningham team at Le Mans that year, with Briggs and Bob Grossman being the only one of them to finish, in 9th place overall.