I have been trying to piece together the story of this car, so excuse me if I already asked this, I don't remember if anyone answered. This was one of 12 lightweight e-types roadsters for '63, supposed to go to Briggs Cunningham but ended up with Howard, a famous WWII ace and X2 rocket plane driver. My questions are misc., like:
--why didn't Briggs Cunningham over-rule Howard getting one of the four Jags he had ordered? I would have thought Briggs had more clout than Kjell Qvale...
--Why did Jag make the lightweights roadsters when coupes have more structural rigidity?
--were the hardtops special alloy ightweight ones or lighter than the normal hardtops available at dealers?
--Did HowardHoward's car SN Chassis No. S850660 have a ZF 5-speed as delivered/ I heard he was ordering one but never got the car ready for racing.
-Finally, like to know how the family initially spread word on the car so that it went from the family to an auction company? Usually some barn finder finds it first and they benefit from the increase in value but this time apparently it went from the family to the auction.
Any clues appreciated.

 

Try coventryracers.com. They have notes on the 13 Lightweight OTS E-Types.

 

I just bought a used copy of the Paul Skilleter book Jaguar Sports Cars. In there he offers an explnation on Pag 263 of how the 12 aluminum monocoque cars were homologlated. He said that the steel open two seaters were entered with the FIA as the competition model and the lightweights called the standard model. This allowed it to be homologated in Jan. 1963. I can't believe the FIA fell for this ruse, is it true? Didn't the FIA retract the ruling later or by then had the Jags already competed?