A Car Is Reborn

Mark visits the Classic Car Show at the Birmingham NEC where he meets like-minded car-obsessives. From wrecks in need of a complete restoration, to fully-restored Ferraris. Mark asks the visitors to the show which car he should restore

The Jaguar factory in Coventry is home a private collection of classic Jaguars. Mark meets Tom Jones (no, not that one) the man who designed the E-Type chassis and a man who had a most enviable job. Norman Dewes, Jaguar’s chief development test engineer - the test driver. We see the car Mark will restore; found on a farm and left to rot, the 4.2 E-Type Roadster is in a sorry state. Paul Clerkin shows us his E-type Jaguar - fully restored to concourse condition, a job that took him 6 years to complete.

The Jaguar arrives at the garage and the laborious job of restoring the car begins. Bolt by bolt, the car is taken to pieces, the parts that can be re-used are kept and anything beyond repair is discarded. Racing Instructor Ian Forrest introduces new regular feature 'Classics on Test’ A Jaguar V12 owned by James Wilson is put to the test around the Knockhill circuit. David Rochford shows us his restored Ferrari 246GTS.

Stripped down to its shell, the car is sent to be blasted; a process whereby tiny plastic beads are fired at the car under great pressure to remove paint, underseal and any grime. This process reveals many problems that were not apparent when the car was first seen on the farm. Every panel on the car will need to be repaired or replaced. This is going to be a big restoration job. At Knockhill, Ian Forrest drive the Alpha 200GTV belonging to, Steve Barberi. John Jackson shows his Jaguar XK150.

Work has begun on the car’s body with new floor sections going onto the car. Mark turns his hand to spot welding and lead loading. After a ‘small accident’, he also learns a little about panel beating and heat shrinking. Ian Forrest drives the TVR Griffith owned by Steve Wallace around Knockhill and John Janes guides us around his Riley Winchester; the last car of its type in existence.

Attention is turned to the glorious engine that powered the E-Type. The engine needs to be stripped completely with parts removed and sent to be polished, so they look as good as they did when the car was new. The Jenson FIFA 1R belonging to Leonard Bolton is featured and at Knockhill, Ian Forrest drives a 1977 MK II Triumph Stag.

The Jaguar gets a new coat of paint - several coats of paint in fact. The seven-stage paint process sees the car transformed. Its original colour [white] is replaced by a new colour, classic E-Type carmine red at a cost of £7,000. Back at the garage, Mark cuts and polishes one wing of the car to reveal the gleaming new paintwork. Mick Clifton shows his MG V8 GT - a concourse winner and Ian Forrest drives a 1963 Austin Healey 300 around the Knockhill circuit.

With the paintwork finished, cut and polished, it’s time to start putting the car back together. Washer jets, a new brake servo, a rather complicated-looking wiring loom and the rear suspension are among the first bits to go back on the car. Jim Scott’s restored MKI Ford Cortina 1200 Deluxe is featured and Ian Forrest drives a Triumph TR3 around Knockhill’s racing circuit.

The fuel tank, piping and the boot lid are fitted to the Jaguar. The dashboard wiring is completed and work begins on the car’s electrics. Alistair Ross shows us the car he spent two years restoring, his MG L2. Ian Forrest drives the 1965 Hillman Singer Chamois around Knockhill.

The restored engine and gearbox are ready to go back into the Jaguar. The oil filter, exhaust and fan are put onto the car and the big moment is almost here: the moment when the start button is pressed. Will the engine start? A Sunbeam Alpine belonging to Geoff Parr is featured and Ian Forrest drives a 1973 Lotus Elan around Knockhill.

The doors are hung on the car, a tricky job which needs care, not least of all to avoid damaging the new paintwork. The windscreen is tackled with the help of a specialist windscreen fitter. Paul Wilkinson’s Volkswagen Beetle is featured and Ian Forrest drives one of his favourite cars around Knockihill: a Lotus Cortina.

The unmistakable bonnet of the Jaguar E-Type is fitted to the car along with the newly-chromed bumpers and the light clusters. The old wheels have been replaced with more sturdy 18” wheels. Roger Philips’ Triumph Stag MKII is shown and the MGB GTV8 of John Walpole is driven around the Knockhill circuit by Ian Forrest.

With most of the bodywork now restored, attention turns to the car’s interior. The original seats have been reupholstered and put back into the car. New carpets and upholstery are fitted with the help of specialist Steve Frost. The roof frame, roof and the door fittings are also put back onto the car. Ian Proudfoot’s Jenson 541S is shown and Ian Forrest drives a Mark I Ford Capri around Knockhill.

With all of the bodywork now back on the car, it’s time to test the car before driving it. The engine is tuned and the suspension is set up. The car’s tracking is adjusted and then it’s a final polish of the paintwork before the car is back on the road. An Aston Martin Le Mans - once owned by Sir Malcolm Campbell, but now proudly owned by Philip Haslam is featured. Ian Forrest picks his favourite car from all of those which he has driven during the series.

After six months solid work, the Jaguar E-Type Roadster is back where it belongs: on the road. Looking resplendent with its new carmine red paintwork, the car is driven around the test track. Mark, Ian Forrest and Norman Dewes, (who’s job it was to test drive the Jaguar E-Types) all drive the car. As a fitting tribute to all the hard work done to restore the car, it and Mark are invited to take part in the William Lyons Memorial Rally in Coventry with other Jaguar owners. 36 years after it left the factory, the Jaguar E-Type Roadster is back home.