Highlights

Cared for by the same owner for the last 25 years
Excellent history file with a breakdown of work
Complete engine rebuild approximately 16,000 miles ago
Restoration between ‘97-’02 still in lovely condition

The Appeal

“The most beautiful car ever made”. A statement often thrown around that Enzo Ferrari himself famously said, however never confirmed. Even if he didn’t say it, he should’ve. There is no denying that the E-Type is almost visually unmatched, derived from the Le Mans-winning D-Type, the stunning E-Type shocked and awed the world in the 60’s and those shockwaves continue into present day.

This gorgeous example presented here has been with its current custodian for the last 25 years, and has been kept in exceptionally good health with no regard to cost of maintenance. An extensive booklet of invoices of previous mechanical work and services is present with the vehicle, proving the love and care the car has been exposed to throughout the decades.

The History and Paperwork

First registered with DVLA on the 18th of February 1986
1995 saw the lovely Jaguar get a full engine rebuild from VSE, a jaguar specialist
In 1997, the vehicle underwent a full bare metal respray with some critical new components
In 2002 the vehicle got a lovely interior restoration from Trim Fit Sunderland
V5C is present and in the current keepers name ready for transfer of ownership
Extensive maintenance history is present with the vehicle
Garage kept when not in use
Often taken out for a short drive to ensure it remains in good mechanical health

The Interior

Complete interior retrim carried out by Trim Fit Sunderland in September of 2002
Seats and carpets remain in excellent condition
Original Sharp cassette/radio
Complete functional switchgear
Handsome original three-spoke steering wheel

The beauty isn’t only on the outside. The interior presents an opulent space for driver and passenger, enveloped by leather with the much improved seats of the 4.2 model when compared to the earlier 3.8. This example has undergone an interior restoration back in 2002 from Trim Fit Sunderland at the expense of £2,800, all completely documented with invoice on hand. The interior today still presents itself extremely well with very few signs of age to be seen, it’s easy to see that the car has been loved through the years since the work was carried out, and rightly so.

Starting by opening the driver side door, the driver seat presents itself nicely with only gentle signs of use, the squab shows some very light creasing as to be expected, and the bolster on the back portion shows a very small tear on the piping around the seat. The passenger side is very well maintained with no visible damage present, just the usual creasing, however less pronounced.

Directly ahead of the driver seat, the original half wood steering wheel is very nicely presented, with some very light signs of patina on the wooden edges. The metal inner part of the wheel is nicely kept with no notable scratches or damage, and the original E-Type centre badge remains sitting proudly in place. Just behind the wheel, the gauges remain easily readable with no signs of fading, with the speedometer being replaced by M&C Wilkinson in 2002. Moving across the dashboard, all of the switchgear reportedly remains functional as do the surrounding gauges, and the leather surrounding the gear selector and handbrake remains in lovely condition.

The headlining does show some signs of sagging on both sides of the cabin and the sun visors appear to have some gentle hints of fabric coming away from them too, and the fabric around where the rear-view mirror is mounted appears slightly darker than the rest.

Overall, this is a handsome example with some hints of age laced throughout, and may require some TLC from a new custodian if they wish to improve the condition. Although, sometimes imperfections are what make things that bit more charming.

The Exterior

Jaguar Opalescent Blue paintwork
Complete bare metal respray undertaken in 1997
Original wire spoke wheels with spinners
Brightwork appears in lovely condition
Bodywork in great shape with some corrosion present

It’s easy to stop and stare, regardless of how long you spend swooning over the E-Types alluring bodylines you never quite get enough to fully please your appetite. Enzo’s famous unconfirmed quote would certainly have some truth to them. This example was treated to a complete bare shell respray back in November 1997, and even today the paintwork still appears in lovely condition with some corrosion across various parts of the bodywork which would require a custodian's attention. The bodywork repairs were carried out by Simon Rheinbergs of Bedale, with a new rear end sub assembly, a new bonnet, new mud shields, new headlight scuttles, glass and chrome. This cost a whopping $4,000 including labour. Paintwork was another £1,400 just two months later!

Starting at the front of the big cat, there are some small blemishes present up here around the mouth, with nicely presented surrounding brightwork along the bumper bars. There are some rust bubbles in the paint on the passenger side of the bumper just in front of the wheel. Headlight lenses are in great shape, as they were replaced by XK Engineering in 1995 at the cost of £156.28. The entire front clamshell appears without any damage or wrinkles in the panels, marrying up rather nicely with the windshield and side panels with factory-fitting gaps.

Moving to the side of the Jaguar, much of the story remains the same with good paintwork and straight bodywork with good panel gaps present. Corrosion on the sides remains minimal, with just some signs showing on the inside of the wheel arches behind the tyres as well as some in the door shuts upon opening the door, this seems to be where it is at its worst. The original wire wheels are nicely kept with only some very minor hints of age, with original Jaguar spinners present holding them on. All wheels are shod in tyres which would require replacement, with a couple of them showing a date code as far back as 2000. Brightwork surrounding all of the windows appears well kept, and a little bit of polish would likely bring them back up to par.

To the rear of the Jag, there are some small paint blemishes present and some fading around the rear badge designations. The brightwork rear bumpers show some corrosion underneath, and the brightwork surround on the rear window shows its age too along with the rubber window seal which is degrading slightly. The lower partition of the rear just above the exhaust pipes exhibits a lot of dirt which is to be expected of such a difficult to reach area, with only some small signs of rust showing in towards the rear suspension. All of the lights back here appear free of any damage and remain completely functional.

Overall, this really is a very handsome E-Type, with the need of some TLC in small doses to bring it back to perfection should the new custodian wish for it.

The Mechanics

Desirable 4.2 litre inline-6 engine
Manual transmission
Complete engine overhaul in 1995 with L14 cams
Lightened flywheel
Great mechanical health reported with good service history

All E-Types, even the 2+2 autos, are fast cars by any standards, and contrary to popular misconception should feel taught and lively on the roads. Feeling skittish or wallowy means they need proper setting up or replacement of worn components; these are racing cars at heart with a great roadgoing ability.

This example has benefited from a complete engine overhaul back in 1995 from SVE, a Jaguar engine specialist, and was fitted with L14 cams, the flywheel was lightened with a new clutch fitted, new water pump and hoses, along with some other very welcome maintenance items coming to a grand total of £2,177 - since then the car has only completed an additional 16,000 miles approximately, and leaving the engine in reportedly excellent health and is regularly maintained and driven to ensure just that.

In June of 2002, triple 45 DCOE Webber carburettors were fitted by Ron Harper Performance Engineering to better the breathability of the inline-6 along with a new Lucas contactless high output fuel pump, and a brand new stainless steel exhaust manifold and exhaust system was fitted as well as a complete Lumenition Electronic ignition system from Cranwells.

The gearbox reportedly remains in good health with easy rowing through the gears, confidently latching into place and holding the power without problems. The lightened flywheel allows for faster revving and reduced rotational mass, greatly improving the driving experience, and the suspension is all reported to be in good health too with the vehicle holding itself true through the bends with no unwelcome knocks under load.

Summary

A pampered Jag, undoubtedly, ready to hit the open road with a new keeper after some small interventions. This is a fantastic gateway into E-Type ownership, with the opportunity to bright it back to perfection should the notion appear. A proper holy grail car.

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