Jalopnik: Man Assembles E-Type from Factory leftovers

Amazing. I have always loved the Jag XK-E and this story is just too good to miss. Seems Ray Parrot bought a truckload of left over parts that had been stored for 30+ years and built him the last E-Type.

Parrott set to work assembling the car in his Essex home, using his detailed knowledge of the car and his fully assembled Series 3 for reference along with shop and original assembly manuals. The idea of actually putting brand new, still in the packaging parts of a thirty year old car together for the first time is astonishing. Things like the mild-steel exhaust system were still perfect, the dashboard came pre-assembled just as it would have in the factory, even the Dunlop tires were original and in perfect, new condition. Bolt holes matched exactly, there was no grime to clean out, no rust to remove, nothing to strip and paint and prime. More or less, a car guys wet dream. Ray meticulously undertook the work over the course of eight months and when he fired it up and took it for a first drive, it was as if it were rolling off the assembly line for the first time — because it was.

Get the whole story at Jalopnik: British Man Cobbles Together Last Jaguar E-Type From 31-Year-Old Factory Leftovers