The one and only factory-built low-drag E-Type Jaguar, chassis no: S850662, known as the “Lindner Nocker,” which crashed at the Montlhéy circuit in 1964 claiming the lives of its driver Peter Lindner, another driver Franco Patria and three race officials, has been restored to near original condition by world respected Jaguar restoration company Classic Motor Cars Limited (CMC). Damage to the car was so great it was originally thought to be out of the question. However, after more than 7,000 hours of resolute craftsmanship the impossible dream has become a reality using more than 90 percent of the original parts.
Peter Neumark, chairman of CMC, paid tribute to the skill, commitment, and capability of the team confronted with the task his company began in 2007, “I love Jaguar, I love the heritage of the marque, and I’m grateful of having the opportunity to be able to have a dedicated team behind me who have the determination and expertise to work on such a project.”
Neumark noted how his team sifted through boxes of mangled parts, painstakingly recreating the car, individual recognition was given to CMC’s Peter Southam for meticulously identifying, repairing and piecing together many obscure pieces, Thomas Fritz, nephew of Peter Lindner, for providing detailed historical notes from his uncle’s archive, and Bob and James Smith of body specialists RS Panels, Nuneaton, England.
Former Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis, paid tribute to the man-hours involved in the restoration with a quip. “I was just thinking back, if Sir William Lyons was standing by me now he would have said: ‘Dewis, why has it taken so long to get this bloody car finished?’ Seriously, the car has been beautifully restored, better than we turned it out when it was first built.”
Neumark explained his plans for the car, saying, “It isn’t going to be a museum piece, nor will it be raced, but it will be seen at events such as the Villa d’Este motor show in Italy, the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Pebble Beach Concours in California.”
A detailed history of this and the other Low-drag E-Types can be found in Philip Porter’s new book, Ultimate E-type – The Competition Cars, from Porter Press.
By Mike Jiggle
