Vista frontale di tre quarti di una Jaguar e-Type Roadster "Project ZP" Ex-Tommy Sopwith Equipe Endeavour 1961, in vendita nell'iconica asta di Silverstone
Chassis #18; one of the seven ZP537/24 original factory competition Jaguar E-Types that kept Jaguar Racing alive in 1961.Of those first 50 cars, seven were selected to be allocated to racing drivers/teams that Sir William and his advisors felt would be most beneficial in terms of public impact. Jaguar had ceased to take part in motor racing but remained ever mindful of the value of this form of publicity. On 19th March 1961, Claude Bailey issued instructions to the Production Department to build seven competition E-Types and the project's issue number was ZP537/24. Sir William Lyons, 'Lofty' England and Bill Heynes, amongst others, were copied in, and seven cars were prepared and discreetly tuned prior to despatch to the selected 1960s racing dynasties. The modifications were relatively mild and included an increased compression ratio, polished con-rods, gas-flowed cylinder head, lightened flywheel and a close-ratio gearbox. Two cars each were destined for John Coombs, Tommy Sopwith’s Equipe Endeavour, Peter Berry and a single car to Sir Gawaine Ballie. We are delighted to have been asked to handle the sale of #850018, one of the most sought after Jaguar E-Types in the World. It was initially used by 'Lofty' England as his personal car, however there was a waiting list of about ten names for every car that came off the production line, so he didn't get to keep it long before it was one of the two cars sent to Tommy Sopwith’s Equipe Endeavour racing team. Originally founded by Tommy Sopwith to race in sports cars, Equipe Endeavour entered cars in the very first year of the BSCC in 1958. Running two Jaguar 3.4-litre saloons for Sopwith and Gawaine Baillie, the team created history by taking victory in the first ever BSCC race, with Sopwith and Baillie taking victory in every race (in their class) throughout the year. Sopwith only lost the title after a head-to-head duel with Jack Sears.
