Bonhams to Auction Two Exceptional Jaguars at the 2011 Goodwood Revival
Bonhams has just announced two ultra rare and exciting Jaguar consignments for its upcoming Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobilia auction at the Goodwood Revival Meeting on Friday 16 September, 2011.
In the 50th anniversary year of the Jaguar E-type, these two exceptional consignments are the ex-Sir Robert Ropner ‘Semi-Lightweight’ E-type, plus the ex-Briggs Cunningham Team 1958 Lister-Jaguar ‘Knobbly’ sports-racer. While the ‘Semi-Lightweight’ E-Type is one of only two built by Jaguar, the Cunningham team car – which was driven in period by American road racing superstars Walt Hansgen and Ed Crawford – is billed as one of the finest of all surviving examples.
The Semi-Lightweight E-type has never been offered for sale at auction before. A now legendary batch of 12 Grand Touring competition cars - known as the ‘Lightweight’ E-Types – WEE BUILT BY Jguar for the 1963 Internatiojnal motor racing season. They featured monocoque chassis which were aluminium-skinned – instead of steel-skinned – together with aluminium body panels and aluminium-block 6-cylinder 3.8-litre fuel-injected engines. Bonhams says that it is a close as you can get to the Competition Lightweights and is perhaps the ultimate road going Jaguar.
For those who covet a Lister, this ex-Briggs Cunningham team 1958 Lister-Jaguar ‘Knobbly’ example is the ideal combination and ticks every box on the wish list: a car run in period by a well known and respected team, with Jaguar power, and a Knobbly body. It has a record of Sports Car Club of America Championship-winning success when run by the Briggs Cunningham team. In the hands of the late Walt Hansgen, it dominated SCCA national road-racing through 1958-59.