Meet the Fleet – Sports Cars: Jaguar E-Type Coupe

• BODY: Aurora Model Motoring
• WHEELS & TIRES: Road Race Replicas

In the aftermath of the sad passing of the Empire’s beloved Q.E. II, it is time to do a “MtF” profile of the last of the tetragrammaton of Aurora Jaguar E-Type coupes that populate my numbered racing fleet, a car which is named “God Save The Queen.” And no, the name is not going to change in the aftermath of recent events!

This just may be the fastest car in my entire sports car fleet; it has always been something of a troublemaker because it is so fast that it has been a real challenge to control and keep on the track. This is the last of the E-Type coupes I bought, and although its certainly not my favorite color on the real car, a racer on the track in a loud color like yellow bearing red or green stripes and numbers is always eye catching. Fitted with black wire wheels and low profile silicone tires from Road Race Replicas, “GStQ” is certainly outfitted for racing, although I chose a more subdued black stripe to go with its more subdued stock shade of “Primrose,” a factory original color. The chassis runs with its stock Auto World magnets and has had very little modification done to it. So why is it so fast? In the world of toys, I can’t tell you! The chassis just came that way! I bought it as a complete chassis to mount the body on and it took off like lightning and has never slowed down! As for The Lore, the car’s performance is a little more explainable…

That “primrose” yellow may not look so good to us now, but it was sure popular when the car was new! A California car from the time it arrived from across the pond, “God Save The Queen” is a 1968 4.2 litre, the year that occupies that transition between the beautiful Series I cars and the bulkier “federalized” Series II models; despite having taller headlights and an all-black dash of rocker switches rather than the polished aluminum aircraft-style panel with toggle switches, the ‘68 “Series 1.5” cars were still real Jaguar sports cars, and with a little shop work could be made very fast. With almost unlimited money, these cars could be rebuilt by professionals for almost unlimited performance, which is where this car comes in, as it is currently owned and campaigned by San Diego businessman Paul “Pocket Rocket” Patterson, who stands only 5’5” but has nonetheless made millions as a financier and hedge fund manager.

Patterson has a collection of interesting cars that run the gamut from classic to modern and from luxury to sports, but when he set his mind to racing, he lived up to his reputation of excelling at everything he does. He acquired this car from its original San Diego owner in the spring of 1981 and had it shipped to Texas to be completely race prepped by one of the premiere Jaguar tuners in the country. When the car came back to his garage nearly 2 years later, it began blowing away nearly everything it went up against at Drag City. Equipped with a high flow head, widened radiator, triple weber side draft carbs and a 5-speed conversion, the car has been strengthened and lightened in nearly every conceivable way while still remaining road worthy an appearing largely stock: an expensive but impressive proposition!

There’s no question that “God Save The Queen” has what it takes to be a winner, and Patterson is honing his skills and getting better all the time. He hasn’t won a tournament yet but has numerous race wins to his name and has made it all the way to the final elimination round more than once! Professional drivers best beware the yellow flash of #12 behind them on the road course! When driver skill meets this level of tuning, “Pocket Rocket” may be well-nigh unbeatable!