Update 30/01: Video added at the bottom of the listing

Highlights

A UK registered and supplied E Type convertible located in France
In a fine, previously restored condition this is a native right hand drive car
Sold with photocopy of the old v5 and sales certificate from the auction house where it was bought in 2006

The Appeal

The Jaguar E-Type has really become the deserved poster child of the classic car industry, being almost universally lauded for its sublime looks and performance per pound ratio. Even Enzo Ferrari was alleged (although this is not universally accepted) to have called it “the most beautiful car ever made.” It must have been additionally sobering for him, then, that the E-Type was a third of the cost of a Ferrari 250GT at its launch in 1961.

This Series 1 is a lovely example too. It has clearly had an interesting back story being a UK supplied, native right hand drive example which has found itself living in France. Despite that, it is a UK registered car that has enjoyed a full and fastidious restoration in 2004 and has covered less than 250 miles since. It was recommissioned for the road in 2022 and is now ready and waiting for its next lucky owner.

The History and Paperwork

This E-Type was manufactured in December 1967
It was manufactured to a full UK, right hand drive specification
The car was originally finished in cream with a black interior
It left the Browns Lane factory, destined for HR Owen of London in January 1968
The car was first registered in the UK on the 12th February 1968
Much of our E Type’s early history has been lost in the mists of time
Our paperwork trail starts in 2004 with a French technical inspection certificate
As this point the displayed mileage is documented as 43 miles
The car is understood to have undergone a full and thorough restoration in 2004
The current owner acquired the car at a French insolvency auction in 2006
During his tenure the car has been mainly dry stored and hardly used
The owner put the car through another French technical inspection in 2016
At this point the odometer was showing 256 miles and no defects were noted
The owner then had the car recommissioned in December 2022
This work cost over Euros 2,000 and the car is reported to start, run and stop very well
The paperwork archive includes some useful and interesting documents
There is a copy of a UK registration document from the mid 1980’s on-hand
A production record trace certificate from the JDHT is included
Copies of the 2004 and 2016 technical inspection certificates are present
Auction sale documentation from the current owner’s 2006 purchase is on hand
A charming drawing of the car by a 19-year-old enthusiast is included in the sale
This amateur artist went on to be Chief Designer for Exteriors at Maserati

Drawing by Quentin Amore, now Chief Designer of Exteriors at Maserati

The Interior

The interior is exquisitely finished and fully trimmed in tan leather
The seats are double stitched into box pleats for additional comfort and support
Every other aspect of the interior is an excellent and seemingly restored condition

A Series 1 E Type’s interior serves up a delightful slice of 1960’s ambience like few other cars can. Sitting in this car it is very easy to channel the swinging sixties lifestyle and all it stood for. The interior of our car has clearly enjoyed a professional restoration in the past but remains very faithful to its original specification.

The bucket seats are stitched into six vertical box pleats and are quite deeply bolstered for additional support through the “twisty bits.” The seat backs fold forward to gain better access to the useful rear luggage shelf which is nicely carpeted.

The signature dashboard is finished in the now familiar, crackle-finished black paintwork. The centre console is home to five supplemental gauges with just one, the ammeter, being a Lucas replacement of the original Smiths item. The centre panel is replete with six toggle switches as opposed to the rockers of the later cars. The large white on black Smiths speedometer and tachometer sit behind the familiar three spoked, alloy steering wheel with varnished wooden rim and centred with the correct Jaguar E-Type boss.

The tan woollen carpets are edge bound in leather for added luxury and durability. They appear to be in good condition but may benefit from a steam clean as the light colour is notorious for showing even modest amounts of use. The door cards are leather finished in the same tan hue as the seats and are dissected in two places with chrome trims and finished with high-quality chrome door furniture. The hood’s fabric headlining seems to be in fine order with no tears or significant marks noted or reported.

The surprisingly generous boot area is finished in tan carpet and vinyl. The removeable wooden floor panels give access to the fuel tank and the spare wheel aperture. No spare wheel is in evidence, however.

The Exterior

The exterior appears to be finished in well applied, deep, and lustrous Carmen Red
The exterior presentation is very good with just the odd age-related crack and chip
The panel gaps are impressively tight and symmetrical, a sure sign of a quality restoration

Malcom Sayer was the genius behind the E Type’s perennially popular exterior design. It was no surprise that he had cut his teeth as an aircraft aerodynamicist with the Bristol Aircraft Company before transferring his considerable skills to cars. Before he got to the E Type he had more than earned his spurs by designing both the C and D Types of course. Quite a CV!

Our car looks bright and distinctive in its Carmen Red paintwork. Given that the car was most likely painted back in 2004 there are the odd areas of paint chipping and cracking in evidence. These marks appear mainly on panel edges and are only evident on close inspection. They represent easy repairs, should the new owner prefer, and in no way detract from the overall appeal of this handsome “open two-seater (OTS in Jaguar parlance).”

The chrome brightwork, light lenses and cabin glass are all in the fine condition that you would expect from a previously restored example of this quality. The black vinyl hood appears to be in an excellent overall condition too.

The car rides on the period correct 15 x 5 inch 72 spoke wire wheels. These appear to be in an excellent condition all round and are affixed with the correct, Jaguar inscribed, twin-eared, central spinners. The wheels are shod in a set of radial type tyres in the period-correct 185/R15 configuration.

Like the interior, it is the period detail that is so authentic and pleasing on this example. The chamfered vents on the long bonnet, the deep-set headlights and those sublime wire wheels all combine so well to exude both elegance and power in classic E-Type Series 1 fashion. It is no surprise, then, that Enzo was moved to such flattering words…….if, indeed, he was.

The Mechanics

This E-Type is fitted with the well-respected 4.2L straight six engine which appeared for the first time in the Series 1
These later 4.2L cars enjoyed improved drivability and smoother, quieter gearboxes
Both the engine bay and underside presentation help underscore the honesty of this car

The 4.2L engine replaced the original 3.8L unit and succeeded in improving refinement and drivability despite the headline power figures not changing. The 4.2 cars also had improved transmissions, helping to cure a bug bear with the early cars of significant gearbox whine and clatter.

Given the very few miles covered by this car, a mere 200 or so since 2004, the current owner had the car recommissioned for the road in December 2022. As a result, he reports that the car starts on the button. It is said to tick over evenly, aided by a modicum of choke from cold, and runs, changes gear and stops very well indeed. Oil pressure is reported as strong throughout the operating temperature range.

The under-bonnet presentation of this E-Type is in keeping with the rest of the car – namely, very good and predominantly original. The engine number matches the chassis number in line with the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust’s factory records excerpt.

The underside of the car appears to be very good, if not pristine. Please review our underside photographs as it will help qualify the quality and scope of the 2004.

Summary

If you have got this far you will most likely be a classic car enthusiast and so know all about the dramatic increase in popularity and, hence, value of the once undervalued E-Type. Like many classics, the E Type endured some fallow years when the costs of restoration and maintenance far outweighed their market value. How times have changed with fine examples like this one becoming increasingly hard to find.

This car clearly boasts an interesting story, being a UK car currently living in France for reasons seemingly unknown. It has been incredibly lightly used since its restoration and, thanks to a thorough recommissioning, is now ready to write its story’s next chapter in the hands of a lucky new owner.

Notice to bidders

This item is sold on an ‘As is Where is’ basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and listing descriptions are for guidance purposes only. Car & Classic do not warrant listing accuracy. Full inspection is recommended. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion. Buyer is responsible for delivery and collection of any item purchased.

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Shipping and transfer

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