2009-07-14 09:38:24 | HJD writes:

Purchased in 2004, majority of restoration completed in 2006, still requires final trimming and bright work. Has been in dry storage since. Expected to be ready for MOT late 2009. Retains original UK registration number TWK287

2010-09-13 14:45:32 | Mark writes:

I thought that, being the owner of this car, I should take a moment to add a little about its history:

TWK 287 - Jaguar 3.4 - 1957 was a Coventry Registered Jaguar “Works” car, 1st Owned by Jaguar cars in 1957. The vehicle was originally British Racing Green and remained in Jaguar “Works” ownership for experimental and testing purposes. It has been noted in period that the car was somewhat modified, having heavy duty front and rear anti-roll bars, special up-rated shock absorbers, an additional leaf in the rear spring assembly, a limited-slip “power-lock” differential with a final drive ratio of 3.54:1, a Jaguar “works” developed C type cylinder head with a 9:1 compression ratio and twin H8 2 inch SU carburettors. In addition it is noted that the engine was built using lead-bronze bearings, a racing clutch and close ratio gearbox with the overdrive locked out for racing. Other modifications included the re-location of the battery to the boot compartment. Initially the car had drum brakes but was later converted by the factory to disc brakes front and rear, the front disc brakes and callipers being cooled by twin ducting pipes that received air flow from the small round grills either side of the main radiator grille. Installation of two Jaguar racing bucket seats (similar, but not the same as those found in the C type Jaguar) and the fitting of Dunlop racing tyres were amongst later modifications. The car also had twin straight-through silencers to reduce back pressure in the exhaust system.
TWK 287 was then sold to John Coombs on the 21st February 1958 and appeared in its first known race in the B.A.R.C. “International 200” at Aintree on the 19th April 1958, driven by Ron Flockhart in the Saloon Car race, finishing in second place against Sir Gawaine Baillie. It is reported that Flockhart would have won the race in TWK287 were it not for a “spin” during the closing stages of the race.
Flockhart drove the car again in the Daily Express Production Touring Car Race at Silverstone on the 3rd May 1958 finishing in 3rd Place to Sopwith 2nd and Hawthorn 1st.
The next recorded outing for TWK287 was another B.A.R.C. race meeting, this time held at Goodwood on the 26th May 1958, driven by Duncan Hamilton who had been asked to drive the car in the race at the last minute by John Coombs. Duncan Hamilton has given an account of this in his book “Touchwood” . Duncan Hamilton mentions the car as being similar to one that he drove for Jaguar the previous year but having disc brakes. He is reported, by the ‘Autosport’ to have “led luridly all the way” and indeed he was the eventual winner of the race, beating both the Equipe Endeavour cars driven by Tommy Sopwith and Sir Gawaine Baillie.
On the 19th July 1958, a Maroon coloured Jaguar (number 34) bearing the registration plate TWK287 appeared on the front of the Grid at the Silverstone hosted British Grand Prix race meeting having been entered by John Coombs Racing Organisation in the Touring Car race, this time driven by the great American driver Walter Hansgen. Careful research clearly shows that TWK287 was a Dark Racing Green Jaguar and indeed recorded as such in period by John Coombs himself as being Green in colour, this information being confirmed in the Goodwood race programme and also by the Jaguar Daimler Trust Factory build records for TWK287. It is not clear at the time of writing if the car was completely stripped and re-painted by John Coombs (in the 6 weeks that passed between the two race meetings), or if the real TWK287 had suffered some problem that prevented it eventually being used on the race day and hence a spare maroon coloured “Coombs” car being substituted that simply used the TWK287 registration number in order that the car could (at short notice) be driven to Silverstone on the public roads. Research in this matter is on-going and any further findings will be added here in the future. In my opinion, the latter is the most likely case, because I fail to see why John Coombs would have gone to such lengths to simply change the entire colour of a car and its entire interior with just 6 weeks between race meetings. In addition and in support of my theory is the fact that the original green log book does not show reference to a colour change during that period or later and in September 1967 the car still appears as Green on the continuation log . Further to this, there are two clear photographs of the car being driven by Duncan Hamilton at the previous meeting (end of May 1958) and it is clear that the licensing office tax disc appears in the lower left of the windscreen, yet the tax disc clearly appears at the top of the windscreen at Silverstone. On a separate note, it is also interesting that the car was entered into that particular race with the named driver in the programme as Roy Salvadori. Roy was driving the Coombs entered Lotus in the Sports car race that day, finishing 2nd against Stirling Moss, so it is not clear why there was a sudden change of drivers for the Coombs entered Jaguar Saloon. Whatever, this car has a most wonderful history and I hope that this information will be of interest to both historians and enthusiasts alike.

2010-09-14 06:11:26 | Mark writes:

Further to the preceding paragraph, I spoke with John Coombs yesterday evening and John confirms and clearly remembers that the registration number plate TWK287 was temporarily attached to a similar car to TWK287, but that vehicle was maroon in colour. So the car that Walt Hansgen drove in the British GP support race on the 19th July 1958 was a different car but simply bearing the registration number TWK287. The reason for this was that the real TWK287 was not ready for that particular race and another highly modified car was found for the race instead. The TWK287 number plate was simply used on this one occasion, along with the corresponding tax disc in order that the car could be driven legally on the public highway to the race meeting at Silverstone. John made it clear that in those days this was usual practice, particularly when there was not enough room on their transporter for all the cars that they had entered in various race meetings that they participated in.

2011-11-03 08:18:53 | Richard Harman writes:

Mark - Do you know how I could discover the chassis number of the maroon TWK 287 that Hansgen drove, and won, in the Silverstone British GP support race please?

2011-11-04 04:10:11 | Richard Harman writes:

I have searched this register for a maroon 3.4, but cannot find an earlier enough car to be the one Hansgen drove in the British GP support race, July 1958. Of course I realise that a re-paint is a possibility. The Coombs pages on: www.jaguarmk2.info boldly state that their TWK 287 was a maroon car.
I really would appreciate a clarification, or thoughts on this issue please.