2004-01-22 23:37:37 | pauls writes:

Info gathered with permission from: www.hendi.nl/xke/main.htm

875026 is one of "Cunningham's Three." It, along with 875015 and 875027 where delivered to Cunningham as a group. It was originally registered 9024 DU in the UK, and was sold as a 'demonstrator" with a "couple thousand" miles on it through Walt Hansgen's New Jersey dealership. Recently published information on its sister car, 875027, state that Jaguar records indicate that it, too, was assumed to be a 'demo." The first owner took the car to Delaware, and in 1972, it was sold to another owner in Delaware. At this point the mileage was reportedly somewhere in the 40,000 die range. In 1973 the car was sold to the third owner, who took it to Michigan, where it has resided since.

2004-01-22 23:40:06 | pauls writes:

In addition to the above info. The dispatch date is reported to be May 1961, the engine block date 27-2-61, the hood is black.

2004-04-06 19:40:47 | Anonymous writes:

Exterior, interior and engine compartment pictured in unrestored condition on pages 7,8 and 9 in the 1991 edition of Dr. Thomas F. Haddock's book Jaguar E-Type Six-Cylinder Restoration & Originality Guide.

2004-04-15 15:09:13 | pauls writes:

The car is also mentioned in the March '82 issue of Ejag magazine. Partial text " Tom's earliest E-type is also the first one on the list: serial number 875109. This red roadster was sold new on the East Coast and was once delivered to Briggs Cunningham for sale. Tom became its third owner in 1973. Now the car is kept in storage and not driven but it is in close to original condition and has only 50,000 miles or so on it. Pictures added from the March '82 issue of Ejag magazine.

2004-09-29 19:23:16 | pauls writes:

This car was featured on the cover of the 8/76 edition of Ejag magazine and mentioned as being owned by Tom Haddock.

2018-03-07 16:20:58 | Bill writes:

Tom dated my sister in this time period. After he bought the car it resided in my father's garage in Wilmington, DE for a few weeks before he rented a U-Haul and drove it back to Michigan. If memory serves me correctly the original tires were located and went with the car back to MI. The only thing that wasn't original to the car was the fuel pump, a local British car 'expert' kludged an external pump on the car, something that was corrected immediately. Sadly Tom and my sister parted ways, I really liked him.

2023-09-30 09:00:58 | Lofty writes:

Whoever changed this entry to indicate the car has been restored has absolutely no idea what they are looking at. This is one of the most original and untouched early e-types of all. It recently received a sympathetic recommissioning but retains an entirely original interior and engine bay. There was some limited paintwork done but the car retains substantially original paint also. IT IS NOT RESTORED! The car and the recent work done to it were featured in ‘Magneto’ Magazine in 2022 and the car was shown in the PRESERVATION CLASS at Pebble Beach the same year.

2023-09-30 10:53:52 | xke7 writes:

Dönni Classic Car AG <snd@jaguarclassic.ch>

Newsletter, Fr 29.09.2023 09:33

Beaulieu Autojumble & Salon Privé Concours

875026 im Schlosspark Blenheim Palace

No rest for the wicked“ pflegt der Engländer zu sagen. So pfeilten wir schon am folgenden Dienstag nach England wo wir den sogenannten Haddock E-Type, Chassisnummer: 875 026 zum extra-edlen Anlass „Salon Privé“ beim Blenheim Palace abzuliefern hatten. Um ja das Maximum aus unserer Fahrt herauszuholen gingen wir noch einen Facebook-Freund besuchen, der sich für Gruppe C Jaguar stark macht. Das Navigationssystem führte uns in den richtigen Weiler, nur die Scheune fanden wir nicht. Da besagte Person scheinbar nicht glaubte, dass wir kommen würden glänzte er durch Abwesenheit. So lungerten wir auf dieser Farm zwischen den Scheunen herum und bald schnupperte unsere geübte Nase Jaguar Duft. Um es ganz kurz zu machen, wir kamen ins Gespräch mit einem Mechaniker und es stellte sich heraus, dass er unseren XJ-S Clubracer, den sogenannten Purple Ronny – obwohl er heute schwarz/orange ist – gebaut hatte. Was für ein unglaublicher Zufall!

Danach begaben wir uns zur anderen Scheune wo der Gruppe C-Mensch mittlerweile eingetroffen war und sein gut verschlossenes Reich für uns öffnete. Es war brechend voll mit Gruppe C Komponenten. Trotzdem erspähte unser geschultes Auge gleich zwei XJR-5 in verschiedenen Stadien der Zerlegung. Wir waren hingerissen und sprachlos, zugleich klebten wir an den Lippen des Herrn dieser Schätze und sogen seine Weisheiten auf.

Die Zeit aber drängte, denn wir hatten 026, den E-Type, im Geburtshaus von Sir Winston Churchill auf Zeit zu liefern. Der Park war voller grossartiger Autos aller Schattierungen, ein Fest der Sinne! Am folgenden Tage gewann „unser“ E-Type die Preservation-Class und die Neuanschaffung von Christian, der Hansgen XK120, den Presidents Award. Das Ganze wurde am Abend festlich im Palast mit Smoking, feinem Essen, Operngesang und interessanten Gesprächen gefeiert. Wenn die Engländer wollen, dann können sie schon Grossartiges zustande bringen.

2023-10-01 11:53:58 | Lofty writes:

Chassis 875026 was one of the first E-Types to reach customer hands in 1961, when it was delivered to legendary American racer, Briggs Cunningham, along with two other new E-types. All three cars were left-hand-drive, but British-registered, so that Briggs and his team could drive them in Europe during the race season; in fact, Cunningham’s E-Type trio would likely have been the first such models to attend that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, where he and his team were campaigning Maseratis in the race.

The E-Types were then exported to the United States, where one of Cunningham’s team drivers, Walt Hansgen, used chassis 875026 as his personal road car, and as a demonstrator at his New Jersey Jaguar dealership. Later that year, or early in 1962, the car was sold and up to 1973 passed through two more owners, until it was purchased by Jaguar authority, Tom Haddock, having accrued 53,523 miles. Still in remarkably original condition, Haddock hardly drove the car (he covered just 752 miles in the next 46 years) but used it as a reference for his respected book, Jaguar E-Type Six Cylinder Originality Guide. 

2023-10-03 23:03:32 | Lofty writes:

R S Panels (est. 1964) from from Nuneaton UK published the following early 2021:

We were approached at the end of 2019 regarding the preservation of 875026 (possibly one of the most original early 3.8 E-Types in the world) and when I was first asked to carry out this process I thought they must be mad.

I actually thought at one stage we couldn‘t achieve what we have been asked to do working around around all the original undisturbed areas of the car leaving the car as intact as possible, even leaving in all the dash panels, windscreen, rubber seals etc… which we would not normally do.

We even left the boot lid on the car in its original position possibly as it was last bolted onto the car back in April 1961.

The paint work was also left intact as much as possible and only cleaned back locally where needed.

The end result was unbelievable and we have possibly set a bench mark for other very important original cars to work to.

I am so proud of what we R S PANELS as a team, @pendinehistorics and @william.heynes have achieved and has possibly been one of the most satisfying projects we have carried out for some time.