I used to work for Rolls Royce. Back around the turn of the century Jaguar decided it would make one final batch of XKE hoods using the original tooling and sell them through their main dealer network (these things were going to be $8500 a pop). They commissioned our press shop to stamp the panels and I had to oversee the production.
The louvre tool was a really clever old thing, originally (I think) built by Abbey Panels in the West Midlands, it held the hood upside down and stamped both sides at once (on early XKE's the louvres were stamped separately and welded in) and would also stamp more or less louvres, depending upon how much "weight" or "set" you put on the press. Obviously you don't set up on $8.5K hoods so I cut some random pieces of steel to use for set-up. Once finished I was left with 4 pairs of perfectly good louvres which it just seemed a shame to throw out. I did ask my boss if I could keep them, he was an accountant (not a car guy) so seemed really bemused by the request but said OK.
The first set went in a gasser style Anglia, the second set in a Coombs style Jaguar Mk2 (with supercharged XJR motor), and now I can say the 3rd set will be in radical 66 Suburban.
