Our 1971 Jaguar E-Type Restoration Complete

April 2nd 2016; we first announced our plans to import our 1971 Jaguar E-Type V12 Roadster from Canada, with a view of restoring her back to the original and deserving factory specification.

Having been used as a drag car, the body had been subjected to numerous modifications including fibreglass doors, boot lid with air ventilation cut in. The rear arches had been cut out to house much larger rims and tyres, traditionally used for the quarter mile strip.

Although not fitted, a Dodge Viper back axle and large Chevy engine also came with the car which suggested these were used at some stage in the modifications.

Fast forward over 3 years, many many hours of hard work and dedication. With a smidgeon of modern day upgrades and a Golden Sands colour change from the original factory specification, here we have the finished piece.

A wonderful example of outstanding British luxury and breathtaking beauty, say hello to our 1971 Jaguar E-Type V12 Roadster.

Power to the rear storage compartment

We are now connecting a power to our bespoke rear storage compartment of our 1971 Jaguar E-Type convertible.

The double USB will be capable of connecting phones and smart devices for charging as well as options to connect up refrigeration or any other portable device. We are installing a number of power supplies throughout the vehicle as well as Bluetooth and digital radio capabilities also.

1971 Jaguar E-Type V12 Roadster: Interior

We are now completing the refit of our bespoke interior trim in our 1971 Jaguar E-Type V12 Roadster.

The rear storage unit is looking sensational in maroon carpet piped in maroon. This space underneath the panel behind the front seats is traditionally redundant but we have created two bespoke storage compartments which will be finished off with a leather covered lockable top. The storage units will house electrics to be able to power up small appliances such as refrigeration boxes or charging points for portable devices.

The bespoke boot over-mat

We are currently in the middle of producing a bespoke maroon over-mat for our 1971 Jaguar E-Type’s boot space. The over-mat will form an extra layer of protection for the beige boot carpet and will tie in perfectly with the car’s interior. The car would have originally come from the factory with a light coloured boot area which we have kept to the original style. we have now added the extra over-mat which will be more practical for everyday use.

Making the E-Type storage surround

Great teamwork in the workshops today as Dave completes the work on his bespoke storage compartment surrounds.

The storage compartment is a unique piece to our 1971 Jaguar E-Type roadster, utilising the spare area behind the front seats. Our storage compartment will consist of two removable and lockable padded lids. Within the storage unit you’ll have access to a power supply for charging your devices of external refrigeration for road trips.

Our frame work has been produced in house to run around the outside of the compartment. Brian has taken control from Dave and has rounded the edges before highly polishing them to bring up the amazing finish.

Fitting the hood and storage box in our Jaguar E-Type roadster

We are currently in the middle of fitting up the brand new hood to our Golden Sands 1971 Jaguar E-Type roadster. Not always the easiest of jobs but once complete feels one of the most rewarding.

We are also progressing well with our bespoke storage unit in the rear of the car. The rear compartment will be covered in the same perforated leather used to cover the front seats. The look and style will kept similar throughout but underneath will be two lockable storage compartments with additional power outputs; ideal for refrigeration or charging devices.

Boot Carpet Fitted

Our 1971 Jaguar E-Type is now equipped with the new fitted boot lining.

It will take a little time to settle in and for the creases to be removed but it means the rear is just about finished!

Fitting the V12 E-Type windscreen

The windscreen of our 1971 Jaguar E-Type V12 roadster is now in place. Dave can now work on fitting up the hood frame and hood.

1971 Jaguar E-Type V12 engine running

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Our rebuilt V12 engine can now be seen in the heard running and sounding stunning in the car…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3N1F7eTyao” align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Fitting up the hood frame of our 1971 Jaguar E-Type

We have fitted up the hood frame to ensure all areas fit as they should before covering with the brand new hood.

Jaguar E-Type rear end, now complete

The rear end of our 1971 Jaguar E-Type roadster is now complete. The rubbers have been fitted up around the bumpers, the over riders have also been added so now we can move forward to concentrate on the bespoke storage compartment we are manufacturing.

Fitting a retro stereo with modern technologies…

We are now fitting up our 1971 Jaguar E-Type V12 with its new in-car entertainment system.

We have kept with the original look installing a retro fascia but with amazing capabilities. Our Autosound set up comes complete with all of the latest technologies, RDS FM, DAB, DAB+, iPhone, Bluetooth music streaming, Bluetooth hands free calling and much more…

Full specification also includes; rear USB input, rear Phono aux input, subwoofer output, amplifier output, iPhone and iPOD compatible (earlier 32pin iPods will play but not charge), DIN-D size, 4 x 45 watts output, ISO connector, 12V negative earth, Non volatile memory – retains radio memory presets even when all power is disconnected.

As well as this, the car will house four hidden speakers to create a full surround sound effect. The rear speakers will be hidden behind the rear side panels and the fronts will be under the front foot well.

We are also installing two addition USB charging points in the front and within our specially designed rear compartment will be power to operate any additional external devices: refrigeration, tablet devices, lighting etc.

Building our bespoke storage compartment

We are currently in the process of manufacturing a bespoke storage compartment in the rear of our Jaguar E-type roadster.

The compartment will be hidden by a lid that will be finished in the style of the front seats.

It will be fully lined and have power facilities built in.

The manufacturing process has now begun, the lids have been made up and we are now waiting on the arrival of our leather so we can start to piece it all together.

Here are some more pictures of the car in position…

Our 1971 Jaguar E-Type, now with bonnet.

With the iconic Jaguar E-Type bonnet making up almost half of the exterior of the car, the day we are able to fit up the bonnet is the day an E-Type restoration really starts to take shape.

With the bonnet off and the full engine on display the car looks relatively incomplete but now you can see just how beautiful she looks and how striking the Golden Sands with red interior combination is.

Work progressing on our 1971 Jaguar E-Type

Dave has now successfully re-instated the air intake to filter set up within the engine bay compartment.

The radiator surround has also been fitted into position.

…and the rubbers are also now being fitted up around the door.

Repairing our Jaguar E-Type rear interior panels

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Although the rear panel sections are covered in material, here at Bridge Classic Cars we insist on carrying out our work to the highest of standards.

Breakages in the plastic moulding could be easily hidden up with a quick fix solution and then covered in vinyl or leather but as we have an expert plastic welder in the form of Brian, we use his skills to carry out amazing repairs on items that could be deemed as irreparable.

Brian is used to carrying out plastic weld repairs in the motorcycle racing scene with competitors coming from far and wide to utilise his skills. These skills can be easily transferred to the world of cars so our panels, in the hands of Brian, will soon be broken no more…

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Our E-type V12 steering wheel is now refurbished

We have just received our Jaguar E-Type V12 steering wheel back from the guys and girls at Myrtle Steering Wheel and Steering Wheel Restoration. They have successfully refurbished an original Jaguar E-Type V12 steering wheel for us, a perfect addition to our 1971 E-Type restoration.

Fitting the E-Type parcel shelves

The long awaited arrival of the E-type parcel shelves. Over the years we have accumulated a lot of Jaguar contacts and we felt we had exhausted the majority of these when we searched for replacements for our parcel shelves.

We finally received a new pair and have been able to fit them up into the car.

Lowering the seats on our 1971 Jaguar E-Type

Dave has successfully re-manufactured the strengthening bars that hold the driver and passenger’s seat into position.

Our objective was to lower the seat as much as we could to allow for more head room and hopefully a more comfortable driving position.

The new structure has resulted in the seats being able to be lowered almost 1.5 inches but maintaining everything that will be required to keep the them safe and secure. the new bars have been colour coded to be in keeping with the Golden Sands finish.

The new heat shields are now in position

There are fores and againsts’ with the Jaguar E-Type V12 engine; the fores are that it is a truly stunning engine that looks and sounds incredible…the againsts is that it is so big and tight that it is difficult to take close up pictures of things 🙂

Here we have the new heat shields now in position. As always, Dave has worked methodically on getting these into position and we are very happy with the results.

We’ll now start to look at the interior fit…

Repairing and re-chroming the Jaguar E-Type bumper

Our rear off side bumper required some repair work due to it being ill-fitting. A replacement bumper was becoming difficult to source so we opted for repair work instead.

Dave carried out the repair work in-house to ensure a perfect fit. Once completed the bumper went away to Wyatt Polishing to be re-chromed and polished ready to be fitted back up.

Sourcing an original V12 steering wheel

We have been lucky enough to have sourced a used but original Jaguar E-Type V12 steering wheel. We can now look to refurbish this ready for install in our 1971 V12 E-Type when nearing completion.