Gary Hagopian's Silver Hammer
by Ginger Corda (JCOF)
pictures Pascal Gademer

It is not every day that you meet a Jaguar enthusiast like Gary Hagopian. It is rarer still to find a Jaguar like the one he drives. Gary has modified his awesome 1962 Jaguar XKE into a special machine--a real eye-catcher and heart-stopper. Number “31” is the muscled-up Series 1 E-Type that has now earned the title, “Silver Hammer” among some of the slalom drivers, and carried Gary to the top of JCNA competition as “Fastest Man of the Year” for 2001.

I distinctly remember my first sighting of this racy E-type last summer (July, 2001) while drooling on the great collection of Jaguars and meeting fellow enthusiasts in the parking lot of the hotel at JCNA’s Championship Challenge in Franklin, Tennessee. Since I have an E-Type myself, this hot rod immediately caught my eye with its colorful array of racing stickers and I approached to get a closer look. That’s when I met the owners, Gary and Sue Hagopian of New Hampshire, who had traveled quite a distance to join in the Championship Challenge. They were busy unloading and prepping for the week, but didn’t mind talking about the car. I think I asked for a ride shortly after that. The car made an impression at first glance, and would retain my interest throughout the several days of events, even with all those C and D Types there!

One day, we happened to park next to each other at the Jack Daniel Distillery tour, and I was able to look it over more closely. We met again at the Rally and then the Slalom event, where I got a first-hand lesson in what the Silver Hammer could do. I jumped at the chance to ride along with Gary on one of his timed runs, but I wasn’t ready for what I was about to experience! The car had more power than I expected, and I was “yanked” around the slalom course with all the adrenaline to match! It was most exhilarating and thrilling, but I was told to hold my screams until the end, and when it was over, I yelled out, “Yee-haw! That’s the most fun I’ve had with my clothes on!“ Boy, my E-Type sure doesn’t do the laps like that. Somebody better check that seat for a puddle! Gary’s Silver Hammer pounded its opponents all morning, whether he or Art Dickenson drove. This car is really fun to watch in action.

Basically, Gary likes to use it as a street-legal racecar, and for autocross and time trials on the track. But getting it to the high performance level took some serious labor.

First things first. If you’re gonna go fast, you need good brakes. Because it's nearly impossible to stop a solid disc E type, Gary developed a 13-inch rotor brake kit utilizing Wilwood 6 piston calipers and vented rotors, employing specially made caliper brackets and spacers. The Silver Hammer is currently running those brakes and will stop on a dime, without fade, lap after lap, on the racetrack. At Michigan International Speedway during the One Lap of America, they braked the car from 142 MPH down to 40 MPH for the infield turn at the end of the main straightaway, with no problem.’

Part of the racecar look of the Silver Hammer is due to the tires, which are not typical of an E-Type. That’s because he’s using the 18-inch wheels from his 1998 Jaguar XJR, and has mounted 265-35 X 18" Michelin tires on them. Gary says that it gives him a large contact surface with the road, which allows heavier braking, and faster speeds when turning.

The suspension modifications include heavier sway bars front and rear, larger diameter torsion bars and rear springs, a solid mounted steering rack, and adjustable shocks all around, which are kept dialed up near the limit. Amazingly, the ride is still quite good. However, I’ve found that it helps to hold onto the bottom of the seat if you are a passenger!! Feels more like a launch pad.

Here’s why: The engine work was done by Gary with specs received from Brian Donovan and Bill Terry. 11 to 1 pistons, .450 lift cams, 1 7/8" intake valves, 2" exhaust thru stainless headers, 10 # Tilton flywheel, Mallory Unilite ignition, platinum plugs, in combination with the ported and polished 3.8 intakes and head, make this engine develop nearly 300 BHP.

All of this is running through a 5-speed gearbox, from Medatronics in Ft. Lauderdale. Gary claims this is a “must-do” modification for anyone wanting a serious road car. The aluminum radiator, pusher fan, and the large oil cooler will allow this car to idle without overheating.

Inside, there's a modified full interior, using 1962 Jaguar seats bolted directly to the floor on Jaguar motor mounts! The 4-point roll-bar necessitated removal on the behind the seat cubby, and they felt no need for a console. They wanted an interior however, because it makes the car much more street usable and quiet. The louvered rear window and the fiberglass bonnet came from Predator in Florida. Nearly all the chrome has been removed, and the seams filled in.

Aside from its excellent handling, it performs well in a straight line, having turned a 13.6 seconds at 104 MPH at the Gainesville Dragway last spring. He also enjoyed the practice at Limerock. (picture below)

Gary loves to compete in JCNA slaloms, and has been trying very hard to raise the level of enthusiasm for driving events. He is doing a good job of keeping the fun alive in his local club, JANE (Jaguar Association of New England). Running in the Modified Sports category, Gary placed second in 2000 with a time of 40.69. The Fastest Man of the year was John Morse of the Canadian XK Jaguar Register, who had an amazing time of 40.19. Art Dickenson had a 40.49 for the year in his category (Modified Sedans). These three have been trying to break the magical 40-second barrier for quite some time now.

So, in 2001, Gary won the Championship Challenge Slalom in Franklin, Tennessee with his score of 40.690. The closest was almost 3 seconds after that time. Two days later, John Morse and his 1966 E-Type achieved a 40.92 time at the 2001 Slalom by the Jaguar Drivers and Restorers Club of Northwest America. The next chance came at the 2001 Slalom held by the Canadian XK Jaguar Register on August 9th, when Canadian (and JCNA Slalom Chair) Art Dickenson scored 40.563 in his 1983 XJS. The hats were off to John Morse again when he shot out ahead of everyone broke 40-second barrier for the first time ever – with a beautiful 39.983! Then, on September 9th, Gary had his shot to answer that time when he competed in his club’s Slalom. He almost broke the 40 seconds with a very respectable time of 40.16. As they say, close…but no cigar.

Just when seemed like the season was over, and there would be no more JCNA sanctioned Slaloms in 2001, the Florida clubs sponsored their first ever Rally and Slalom events in Lake Wales, Florida, on November 18th. That’s when the Hammer fell once and for all on the 2001 JCNA Slalom record – and set it at a new low of 39.242! This coincided with Gary’s birthday, plus he was in the sunshine state. Does it get any better than that? Not for a competitor like Gary.

A driving enthusiast through and through, it looks like Gary Hagopian is the perfect one to earn JCNA’s title of Fastest Man of the Year for 2001. It’s Hammer Time !

South Florida Jaguar Club

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