2005-04-11 19:27:25 | pauls writes:

Information on this car was found at:
www.westnet.com/~mfrank/lightweight.html
The car has been completely rebuilt as a factory lightweight to absolute factory specification.

2007-12-10 18:58:48 | Mike Frank writes:

Car has been converted to Lightweight specification using an all aluminum body by Dunford. Changed to right hand drive, full race specification. White with blue stripes, Cunningham Lemans colors.

2010-08-09 17:45:51 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 8/10
www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r

Auction description:
Sale 18267 - Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia, 12 Aug 2010 to 13 Aug 2010
Quail Lodge
Lot No: 632•
1963 Jaguar XKE Series 1 Lightweight Replica
Chassis no. 879127
Engine no. RA1269-9
The E-type Lightweights' success never matched their potential as Jaguar hustled to respond to changing rules – notably a 3-liter displacement limit that played into Ferrari's hands and lumbered Jag's 3.4 and 3.8 liter straight sixes with an unexpected handicap – and fast-advancing racing technology that tested the ability of Coventry's small racing shop to adapt.

The Lightweights' recognition, however, is secure. In fact, it's almost never necessary to explain "E-type Lightweight." The image of Cunningham's '63 Le Mans racers, the Lindner/Glockner Lightweight and others is indelibly fixed in the memories of fans, and in the iconography of the legendary GT wars of the Sixties.

So, too, is the position of a few carefully constructed replicas that capture the seven-figure allure of the fourteen Lightweights in meticulous re-creations that duplicate the originals' construction, configuration and performance.

879127 was on the Jaguar assembly line in March 1963. Simultaneously the Lightweights were taking shape nearby. That confluence of calendars influenced 897127's owner in the late 90's to eschew a rebuild of its careworn chassis into a street car and instead to create a largely faithful replica of one of the Lightweights. Simon Dunford's Classic and Sports Cars in East Sussex built a meticulously accurate Lightweight monocoque and body from aluminum using period riveted panel joining techniques. The original reinforced Jaguar Lightweight front and rear subframes were exactly duplicated.

While the original Lightweights used special 2" SU sand cast carbs racers subsequently favored the triple 45DCOE Webers installed on this Lightweight Replica's 4.2 liter 10.75:1 compression ratio engine built by Gran Turismo Jaguar. Modestly tuned they deliver just 369hp at 5,300 rpm and 375 lb-ft torque at 5,200rpm on the dyno. Other sophisticated tweaks include stainless steel headers, a lightweight flywheel with dual disc Tilton clutch, high capacity water pump with Racemate alternator, Accusump pre-oiler, TX51 five-speed transmission and Salisbury limited slip differential.

The Lightweights had wider rear track, as does 879127, requiring new radius arms, control arms and half shaft spacers with adjustable HAL spring/shock units. Drilled hub carriers cool XJ6 vented brakes.

Wheels are accurate one-piece reproductions of the unique pin drive magnesium wheels deployed on the original Lightweights. Other details of construction, equipment and features – like the custom Lightweight Moto-Lita steering wheel – fill an impressive résumé that fills many volumes of its construction details and a comprehensive website.

Completed in late 2006, this sophisticated Lightweight replica has been raced in historic events with SOVREN in the Pacific Northwest with success, but even more that that, with exhilaration and enthusiasm. Driven with enthusiasm by Tom Black in the 2008 Columbia River Classic, it demonstrated both its driver's talent and the Lightweight's balance with its performance on a race course that resembled the Columbia River's deluge.

Nicely presented in the white with blue stripes livery of Briggs Cunningham's 1963 Le Mans Lightweights, its aggressive stance and meticulous presentation mark the E-type Lightweight presentation of 879127 as one of the outstanding opportunities in historic racing.

Estimate: $150,000 - 175,000

2010-08-19 10:21:36 | pauls writes:

Sold for $161,000 inclusive of Buyer's Premium