| Company Profile | The Avon Roadster is produced by Avon Coachworks of Timsbury, Bath, a classic car restoration company of many years standing. An addition to the existing business, the car manufacturing operation is run by Nick Ramsey together with a small specialist team. The complete vehicles being made and built by experienced craftsmen, to order, in their West Country, England, workshops |
| Model Profile | The car is an exact replica in every detail of the series one Jaguar E-type Roadster of the 1960's. It uses virtually all Jaguar running gear and parts which are readily available and is available in various stages from kit to complete vehicle. |
 |
|
| Donor Vehicle | Is the Jaguar XJ6 range. The donor vehicle provides all the running gear, brakes and suspension, dashboards and instruments, radiator, steering wheel, wiring loom, door handles, etc., and the remainder of the parts required to complete the vehicle are all E-type parts such as the bumpers, lights, windscreen, hood/frame, propshaft etc., which Avon can supply. It looks, handles and feels like the real thing, and benefits from inproved handling and road holding using the updated technology of the XJ6. |
| Kit Contents | If not purchased as a completed vehicle, which costs between 18,200 and 22,500 UK pounds, depending upon specification, the Avon Roadster comes as a set of complete GRP body panels which are supplied together with the spaceframe chassis, integral floor pan and rear suspension cage for assembly together, for 3,200 UK pounds plus Value Added Tax (VAT). |
| Options | Various build stages are available: Assembled Kit: comes with the body completely fitted to the chassis and the doors complete with window and door mechanisms, ready hung and with the bonnet and boot lid fitted to the car, and costs 5,600 pounds. Rollling Chassis: it can also be provided as a rolling chassis which is an assembled kit fitted with all the suspension, brakes, steering, shock absorbers and coil springs, differential and drive shafts fitted, complete with wire wheels costs an amount of 10,000 pounds. Running Chassis: The cost of the vehicle in running chassis form complete with engine, gearbox and propshaft is an amount of 12,000 pounds. |
| Budget Build Costs | For the self-build using second hand and reconditioned parts plus some non Jaguar parts, it should be possible to complete the vehicle for around 12,000 pounds. The Rover V8 engine can also be fitted with ease, and manual or automatic gearboxes can be fitted to either engine. |
| Technical Summary | The vehicle is a replica series 1 4.2L E-type. The donor vehicle used is a
series I, II or III Jaguar XJ6, typically using the 4.2L engine together with the
automatic gearbox or the 4 speed manual gearbox with overdrive. The steel chassis is a robust semi monococque construction with integral E-type floor pans, tunnel and sills, with a front and rear space frame, in unitary construction, to take the front and rear suspension, brakes and running gear. The model uses 205/215 XJ6 tyres, usually fitted to wire wheels. The braking, suspension system used are from the XJ6 and the road holding is superior to the original E-type. The body is made from flame retardant 6mm thick GRP composite, and laid up in a gel coat colour to match the final colour of the car and is unstressed, being glued, bolted, screwed and pop rivetted onto the chassis. Exterior wise it is identical to the series I E-type. Certain of the donor parts have to be modified being the propshaft which has to be shortened and the rear drive and wishbone shafts have to be shortened by 4" each side, and the rear cage similiarly modified. Certain parts are specifically fabricated or modified, these being steering rack, steering arms, steering column extension, independent rear suspension cage, and these can be supplied together with track rod ends, and all the other parts required. Being Jaguar manufactured parts, these can be obtained from various Jaguar suppliers, but Avon are able to supply all parts necessary for this vehicle to be completed. The weight of the complete vehicle is just under a metric ton - considerably lighter than the original E-type which was 1325 kilograms. The vehicle is capable of 150 miles per hour, and achieves 0-60 in around 5 seconds, and this can be reduced to 4.6 by the fitting of triple carburettors and special cam shafts. The overall dimensions are: Wheel base 96" For further information, contact Tel/Fax (United Kingdom +44) 0-1761 472878 |
| Information supplied by Avon Coachworks and
correct as of January 1998. Return to the Jaguar Database Published by the Classic Car-Nection |
|