One Last Dance at Goodwood for Our Jaguar E-Type - Now up for Sale

Our final race in our 1961 Jaguar E-Type took place at the 83rd Goodwood Members Meeting in April. The prestigious event was our team’s final competitive outing in the E-Type, which is now up for sale. This was a memorable weekend for our team at the iconic Goodwood Motor Circuit to compete in the Protheroe Cup, the all-Jaguar E-Type race. Surrounded by an incredible grid of E-Types, celebrity drivers and the unmistakable atmosphere that makes the Members’ Meeting so unique, the stage was set for a fantastic weekend.

A lot of preparation work was done over the winter months and the summer of 2025 to get E-Type running at its best. During the summer last year, we upgraded to a new engine, which was built for reliability and for an upgrade in power. Then, during the winter months, we installed a new panel in the boot, a new fuel tank cover panel and switched back to using the original fuel filler. In addition, we fine-tuned the engine set-up with tracking and geometry and swapped our wheels for significantly lighter aluminium ones to improve handling and responsiveness.

Before the event, we conducted 2 full days of testing to ensure the Jaguar was running well for the race. This set the team’s confidence high with the E-Type keeping a strong pace and showing good reliability during testing. Following two productive test days before the event, we arrived at Goodwood a day early to settle into the paddock and attend the driver’s briefing with other well-known racers. As always, the Goodwood paddock had a fantastic atmosphere as we prepared our E-Type for the race, with celebrity drivers and historic racing teams all coming together for one of the highlights of the motorsport calendar.

Saturday was race day, and we entered the qualifiers with high hopes after our successful testing days. However, during the qualifiers, we developed an electrical issue, which set us back at the starting line, beginning the 45-minute race in position 22 out of 25. Despite this issue, our team remained calm and worked quickly to resolve the issue before the race began.

Sharing driving duties for the 45-minute Protheroe Cup race were Ciprian Nistorica (Cip), our managing director at P&K Thornton and Grant Williams, who is renowned for his entertaining driving at Goodwood, both bringing valuable experience and confidence behind the wheel of the Jaguar E-Type. With the Protheroe Cup grid made up entirely of Jaguar E-Types, the race demanded consistency, confidence and mechanical sympathy from both drivers around one of the fastest and most unforgiving historic circuits in the world. Cip took on the opening stint before handing the car over to Grant for the second half of the race, with both drivers pushing hard throughout a challenging but rewarding weekend at Goodwood.

Cip started the race and began making good progress through the field. Unfortunately, similar to last year, the Jaguar developed a fault in the first lap. A fuel leak became noticeable after the first lap due to the full fuel load. This created a strong smell inside the cabin, creating difficult driving conditions for Cip. Despite the increasingly strong smell of sustainable fuel inside the car, Cip continued to push hard and keep pace with the surrounding pack.

Grant took over during the pit stop/ driver swap, who was very entertaining on the track with his spirited driving. Grant battled through the field, determined to keep the E-Type running to the finish despite the setbacks. Grant crossed the finish line in the 17th position overall, demonstrating our resilience and perseverance after starting in the 22nd position.

One of the highlights of the weekend was spending time with clients, friends and fellow enthusiasts who all share the same passion for historic motorsport. Thank you to the Duke of Richmond and the Goodwood team for organising the event and providing the opportunity to compete. Despite the setbacks, the weekend was a fitting farewell to our E-Type, which is now up for sale.

Built in December 1961, the flat floor Jaguar E-Type was originally exported to Canada and returned to the UK to become a seasoned race veteran since the 90s, with rostrums at Goodwood MM in 2012, 2014, 2025 and 2026, Le Mans Classic continuously between 2004 - 2018, Spa Six Hours, ADAC Nurburgring, Peter Auto, and Tour Auto. In January 2024, it came under P&K Thornton ownership. It was stripped and rebuilt to our high standards, this includes the installation of a new engine, built by Tom Barclay, during the summer of 2025. Built for endurance races, our 1961 Jaguar E-Type is the most raced pre-63 E-Type in existence.

If you are interested in purchasing this Jaguar or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in contact. Call us on 0115 926 2266 or email us at info@thorntonrestorations.com. Click the link below to watch the Protheroe Cup Race on Youtube.