Steve Hole tells the story of Bryan Wingfield and his beautiful range of classic toolroom copies.
DEETYPE D-TYPE REPLICA
Hailing from Glasgow, Bryan Wingfield cut his car building teeth with a Ford-based 1172cc ‘Special’ in the late fifties, then moving onto a Riley Special (based on an engine as used by Billy Cotton in a 500-mile event in 1934!)
He served a five-year apprenticeship at Albion Motors before leaving Scotland in 1960. While still at Albion he also built a Lister-Bristol with an open style body, which is what led him to discover the Jaguar D-type.
He was also a friend of David Murray and Wilkie Wilkinson of Ecurie Ecosse, who at the time, were running the ex-works cars from Murchiston Mews, Edinburgh.
Wingfield went to work for Ford Motor Company’s Truck Division in 1960 and regularly visited Ford Advanced Vehicles at Slough, where the GT40s were produced and also Williams & Pritchard, in Edmonton. This all stood him in good stead for when he began producing his own replicas from 1974, while still at Ford, from where he retired in 1986. Deetype stuff took up two evenings a week and weekends.
As mentioned, he was a regular visitor to Williams & Pritchard’s Edmonton workshop and the day he saw Nigel Moores’ original D-type (XKD 530), which was in for repairs, had a marked effect on Wingfield. Therefore, he decided to create a toolroom replica as he already had an E-type that he would use a donor vehicle.
Len Pritchard agreed to make him an aluminium body and Wingfield set to work at his Brentwood workshop.
Launched at the Speedshow, in London, in 1975, the East Hanningfield-based company offered glorious replicas (tool-room copies) of Jaguar’s D-type. Wingfield’s co-founders of Deetype were Sam Smith (GT40 OC), Rodney Douglas-Hughes (GT40 OC) and designer, Chris Humberstone, fresh from designing the Owen Sedanca.
Robs Lamplough was the first Deetype D-type customer and he agreed to let Swiss racecar preparation company Cheetah Racing Cars display his car on their stand at the show, which was right next door to – Lynx Motors, who were said to have been decidedly unhappy!
Identical to an original ‘D’ except it was 1½in deeper in the body while front subframe pick-up points were in a slightly different position.
It featured a stressed aluminium monocoque – produced by Grand Prix Metalcraft – and used a Jaguar E-type as donor. This was a very faithful copy although it featured Deetype’s own specification of Salisbury ‘live’ rear axle, with four trailing arms and an ‘A’-bracket instead of transverse torsion bar. Deetype designed tubular radius arms than flat so weren’t intended to give more roll stiffness than is provided by their solid rubber bush mountings.
Dampers at the rear were a big change from the original’s torsion bar springing and separate telescopic units, with 15in rather than 16in perforated Dunlop-style wheels, as Wingfield said that it was easier to get 15in tyres and Wingfield used Rudge knock-off spinners. The company supplied Lister Cars and owners of original cars with their wheels.
Fully built versions cost £23,000 in 1979. Incredibly well respected and they sell for big money, today.
Incidentally, Wingfield founded the GT40 Owners Club and had made three GT40s from left-over JWA parts between 1996-98.
Moved to East Hanningfield in 1976, larger premises. Grand Prix Metalcraft made the later bodies for Wingfield. Engine choices were 3.4- or 3.8-litre XKs and standard, short-nose or XKSS were body options.
Deetype Replicas Ltd 1974-81
Approx 22 made
DEETYPE XKSS REPLICA
Bryan Wingfield’s replica of the roadgoing version of Jaguar’s D-type. Not as popular as his D-type recreation.
Deetype Replicas Ltd 1974-81
Approx 3 made
DEETYPE XJ13 REPLICA [D36]
Usual top-notch Wingfield creation, this was a tool-room copy of the Jaguar XJ13. Only one made. Terry Hoyle built the V12 engine for the car.
Deetype Replicas Ltd 1976-81
Approx 1 made
DEETYPE C-TYPE REPLICA
Another tool-room copy par excellence from Bryan Wingfield although this wasn’t as well known as his D-type but it was equally superb. It came about after Wingfield was talking with Brian Wilkinson (Safety Devices) and Aubrey Finburgh.
Peter Jay produced a chassis and jig from Finburgh’s genuine E-type and Safety Devices welded it from tubes supplied by Wingfield.
Lots of running gear used on the car was as per his D-type.
Four made with three featuring bodies made by Williams & Pritchard and another with a Classic Autos body.
Deetype Replicas Ltd 1977-81
Approx 4 made
DEETYPE GT40 REPLICA
This image, courtesy of the excellent carandclassic.com, shows Bryan with one of his GT40s taken on a wet day at Duxford. In the mid-eighties he used to help organise a show called ‘Wings & Wheels’.
Wingfield was a respected restorer of GT40s and built his first Deetype ’40 for Richard Eyre in 1983, featuring a brand new monocoque and original running gear.
Deetype Replicas 1983-86
Approx 2 made
Bryan died of the vile disease that is Alzheimer’s in March 2024 and there’s a beautiful story of his amazing career told by one of his daughters that can be found on the carandclassic website. A very moving tribute, actually. I would urge you to read it.