Jaguar E-type Six-Cylinder Originality Guide

Dr THOMAS F HADDOCK & Dr MICHAEL C MUELLER, Dalton Watson, £95, ISBN 978 1 85443 284 1

Originality guides are all the rage these days, as restorers of classic cars seek the Holy Grail of authentic ‘ex-works condition’ rather than the artificial perfection of concours past. And it has to be said that, even if your restoration ambitions extend no further than a wipe over with an oily rag, there’s something curiously absorbing in browsing the intricacies of a car’s evolution over the years, as revealed by the minutiae of its component changes.

This book, however, is something else. We can’t ever recall seeing in similar works the in-depth documentation of wheel balancing weights (pictured right), or a study of the underside of radiator caps and their makers’ marks. But you’ll find all this and more – so much more – in a work that runs to well over 500 pages and thousands of colour pictures.

Co-author Dr Michael C Mueller has a personal collection of some 50 mostly unrestored E-types, which have been immensely valuable as a primary source of reference: as the saying goes, ‘it’s only original once’, and a restored car must always be an interpretation of what went before, however faithful the attempt.

Dalton Watson is known for the high quality of its publications and this is no exception: well printed in full colour on good paper. But it’s no coffee-table decoration; think of it more as a specialist tool for the better-equipped workshop bench (the glossy paper should help repel oily fingerprints).

Still nervous about shelling out 95 quid on a reference book? Don’t just take our word for it. While researching last month’s Octane cover feature on the ‘E-type Reborn’ programme launched by Jaguar Land Rover, your reviewer mentioned this book to the restoration manager in overall charge of the project, Paul Bridges. ‘I’ve already bought a copy,’ said Paul. ‘How could I not?’