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It would be easier to identify the most famous and historic C-Types, D-Types and Lightweight E-types that have not at some time been through the RS Panels Warwickshire workshops, than actually list the ones that have.

Considering that just 12 original lightweight E-types were ever build by the competition department at Jaguar, and are today valued at something just off the Richter scale, there were two sitting side by side quite recently awaiting bodywork restoration following unfortunate racing crashes.

 In 1962, Jaguar's competition department decided to build a lightweight racing version of the E-type for competition against the might of Ferrari and the awesome 250GTO.

Twelve cars were constructed on a prototype basis using unique components including a specially developed suspension system, an all aluminium body, aluminium engine, wide-angle cylinder head and the Lucas mechanical fuel injection system. The Lightweight E-types were raced in the USA, Europe and Australia, and although they often beat the Ferraris, newly designed mid-engine cars consigned them first to history and then to legend

Today, on the very few occasions when the real thing is not in evidence at Nuneaton, there are any number of aluminium bodied evocations of the originals, which are millimeter perfect replicas down to the very last rivet. Correct! You cannot tell the difference, and many would argue they are far better built than the originals.

In fact it was the demand for high quality replica D-Types which originally led Bob Smith and RS Panels to first replicate the skills of Jaguar’s Brown’s Lane experimental and competition department.

Bob was awarded a contract that would take the company’s profile from a highly skilled but run-of-the-mill car repair workshop creating the occasional race or sports car body, to the stuff of dreams!

Lynx, the sports and race car specialist decided to recreate the legendary Le Man’s winning D-type and invited RS Panels to build the bodies - the first ever monocoque car body created to the very exacting aircraft strength specifications laid down by Jaguar’s Chief Designer, Malcolm Sayer, who was one of the first engineers to apply principles of aircraft aerodynamics to a car.

“We were also involved with quite a few of the original cars, because Lynx were getting original D-Types to rebuild and others which needed body repair work,” said Bob. “The monocoque was delivered to us, which we took apart and used what we could salvage, although sometimes a tail or bonnet was needed to complete the work.”

Read more about the history of RS Panels

See pictures of our Jaguar restorations in the Gallery