Found an E type that I am considering.Very well preserved super very low mileage car.. All Original E...just needs a color change and a polishing of all mechanical parts... Maybe a new interior...can steal it if I want.... Who are some of the Top Jaguar specialists in the Ne...for paint and minor restoration.. within 500 miles of NY. Anyone??
Bassetts Jaguar in Rhode Island specializes in Jags and Autosport designs appears to do nice work in Huntington station.
Thinking of reproducing this car for a winter project Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Try these guys, they might know of someone if they can't do it themselves. http://www.donovanmotorcars.com/
Brian Donovan is a first class E type mechanic who runs the racing program for Jaguar. I would trust him to do anything mechanical to the car and for a reasonable price. I'm not so sure I would take a cosmetic project to him, though, not because he is bad, but because I'm just not sure he is the absolute best. If you wanted to do the best cosmetic work, talk to the Paul Russell & Co. guys. If you are not ready to spend Ralph Lauren money, there are probably any number of very, very good body people in the area-- indeed, there is one guy not far from me, who typically restores mid-year Vettes, and does amazing bodywork. But, E types are not easy to restore, are rustprone, and the last thing I would want to venture into is a cosmetic re-do of an E type. You will spend a fortune. The best E type restorer in the country is allegedly the guy at XK Unlimited on the West Coast, with a close 2d being the guy in Texas whose site I can find for you if you are interested. As I mentioned in a previous post on the subject when you raised E-types, I did a huge amount of research on these cars within the last year. I wound up buying something much, much older, but British, nonetheless. You should also talk to Jamie Kitman. He just finished a 1.5 Series E.
Unless you are really good with an English Wheel it will take more than one Winter to copy that aluminum body.
Found an original car that is original paint, 2 owner car that has never rusted...Yet.. Yes thats some trick....it is a series 2...so rear end is a bit different than above pics..
Rust can be a problem (with all cars) but fortunately virtually the entire car is available in reproduction. Martin Robey sheetmetal is very good (stamped from original tooling) but you still need to know what to do with the parts.
I used to deal over the phone mostly (years ago) with John Giles (sp) in Worcester Ma. he restored and sold many old race cars. He's best known as guitarist w/ J.Giles Band. If not him maybe he'll know of someone for you
Older thread - did you pick up an "E"? Donovan and Bassett are often mentioned. Others include Brian Maletsky at Motorcraft in East Rutherford, NJ and Terry Lippincott of Sinking Spring, PA. My "E" needs mechanical work - it's only got 32K miles, but it's been sitting for a loooooong time. Cosmetically, it's sound, but the mechanical has to be done over to make it right. Many people recommend Terry Lippincott - he races the cars and it's rumored he's reasonable in terms of pricing and flexibility, but his work is first rate. As someone else mentioned, you'll want to take your E-Type to a specialist, not a generalist.
Another one that might help is Stew Jones Restoration in Winstead, CT. They seem to concentrate on the Series III, but could know of someone else if they can't help. http://www.jaguarv12etype.com/index.html
There's Classic Showcase in Oceanside, Ca; Classic Jaguar in Austin, Tx; Steve Crowley Services in Dallas; XKs Unlimited in San Luis Obispo,CA You might search www.jagweb.com to see what's there Steve Crowley recently did a chrome off, glass out bare metal respray on my '66 E-type and did a great job. He was the paint and body guy for Buckingham's Restoration before they closed. I believe they did several Pebble Beach restoration jobs.
