Shropshire Magazine

A classic E-Type Jaguar.

Tony Adams sees some classic motoring heritage on the road to restoration

Nick Goldthorp: Surrounded by classics.

Nick Goldthorp doesn’t own a classic car but can literally lay his hands on one any day of the week . . . in his workshops at Bridgnorth.

As managing director of Classic Motor Cars Limited, Nick provides a world famous restoration and upgrade service for classic Jaguar cars, including E-Types, XK sportscars and Mk2 saloons, many of which are destined for Italy, Holland, America and Australia. The company is the first Jaguar restorer worldwide to be awarded the British Quality Charter, says Nick.

Based at Stanmore Industrial Estate, and with a workforce of 20 – most of whom are classic car owners and enthusiasts – the company boasts a wealth of long-serving craftsmen with experience in trades and skills covering bodywork, mechanicals and interiors. They are able to faithfully create lasting cars, renowned for their beauty and grace.

Hand-made body panels are crafted in-house from a variety of materials and the latest techniques are used for cutting and welding. Individual or rare components can be designed and manufactured by the team for any make of vehicle, old or new.

To maintain the traditional quality of the vehicles, interiors, trimmings and upholstery are individually manufactured for each car to ensure a perfect fit and produce the feeling of luxury, quality and durability.

Nick comments: “I work with these cars every day but never cease to be impressed by the pure presence of the E-Type. You really need to be a very sociable person to drive one because whenever you fill-up or park, people will want to chat to you about the car, even if it’s parked next to a Porsche or a Bentley! 

“And though many are used as daily transport, it is the completely different frame of mind and sheer pleasure of the drive that makes these cars a joy to own, attracting respect and admiration from the unlikeliest of people.

“Owning one of our cars is much more subtle. Yes they cost as much as a Ferrari or Aston Martin, but you can go anywhere in them and no one feels envious or jealous, or thinks ‘look at that show off’,” he adds.

In one New York art gallery the E-Type Jaguar is on display as ‘a work of art’.

Classic Motor Cars Ltd also provides a service to source a suitable donor vehicle and can then either totally restore the car to its original factory specification, or more usually create a bespoke vehicle with performance, safety, handling upgrades and conversions, more practically suited to the driving needs of today.

This beautifully restored example is nearing completion.

A total ground up ‘nut and bolt’ restoration from bare metal, including options such as air conditioning, uprated suspension and engine modifications, will take between 18 months and two years to complete and can cost more than £100,000, subject to each customer’s requirements, preferences and, of course, bank balance!

Having gained an envious reputation for integrity and attention to detail CMC Ltd was chosen by owner Philip Porter to fully restore 9600 HP, registered as the oldest E-Type Jaguar in the world. Other prestigious projects have included notable machines such as 1 VHP, the first production E-Type fixed-head coupé, and Jaguar’s first racing D-Type, registered OKV 1.

Currently taking pride of place in the workshop is the ‘Lindner-Knocker Low Drag Coupe’, a famous lightweight E-Type racing car built by Jaguar in 1963 and described as ‘the prettiest ever’.  The car was almost destroyed during a race in France in 1964 and is being viewed as a very meticulous and painstaking long-term project by the Bridgnorth renovation specialists. Over 3,000 hours have been spent so far repairing the original body panels, each of which is being hand-beaten back into shape, to retain the heritage and historic provenance of this almost priceless competition car.

One recent customer, whom Nick has never met, ordered his bespoke car via e-mail from the Far East, then sent over monthly payments and received a series of progress pictures in return. On completion the dark blue Series 1 E-Type was shipped over to Japan and its proud owner now uses it to brave Tokyo’s notorious traffic system – and has even won a prize in a classic car show! v

• Classic Motor Cars Ltd can be contacted on 01746 765804 or visit www.classic-motor-cars.co.uk