1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Convertible

*** UPDATE: This car has now been sold for £83,077 all inclusive ***

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There’s not much to say about the E-Type that hasn’t already been written, so I’m not even going to attempt it.

However, I will comment on the current market position on arguably one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

Series one models have always been considered by die-hard E-Type enthusiasts as ‘the one to own’, true they are the purest incarnation of the car and I’m not even going to go into things like ‘flat floor’ and ‘outside bonnet lock’ models. This stunning series one is a 1967 model with the 4.2 litre engine, it’s convertible, bright red and of course manual transmission – all the key ingredients people look for in a E-Type.

It’s no secret the market has slowed for maximum priced classics over the last year. The good news for you now as a buyer is the market is correcting itself and prices are stabilising – this means you can get a piece of series one convertible for ‘sensible money’.

Paul is a friend of ours here at Trade Classics and we sold an E-Type for him a few months ago. Paul worked for Jaguar Cars / Jaguar Landrover Ltd as an Engineering Manager for over thirty years. His career took him through core Engineering Design to Special Vehicles and latterly Jaguar Heritage / Jaguar Classic where one of his achievements was the technical strategy and planning for the recent ‘E Type Reborn’ Programme. Paul also worked on various projects that included the re-manufacture of body panels for the E-Type and replacement tyre development for XJ220. Paul really is an E-Type specialist and fastidious in his nature on any mechanical or engineering job he works on.

Paul retired from Jaguar earlier this year in order to peruse his own passion within the classic car business; of course, specialising in E-Types. So Heritage Classics Ltd was born and Paul now sources and works on E-Types and other exotics every day. What a job to have!

If you’re seriously considering buying an E-Type then Paul is the person to buy it from. All the work he undertakes is completed to the highest quality using the best parts available. Paul is so confident in his cars that he’s volunteered to include his own specialist guarantee with the car – you can read more about that below. So if this is your first classic then this will give you peace of mind in the purchase of this car.

This particular car is quite special to Paul as he bought this left-hand drive (as original) car for a single trip in mind, Le Mans Classic. He spent hundreds of hours on replacing and overhauling many parts of this car that you’ll read in this listing. All that work was to ensure the car performed faultlessly, which of course it did. Even in the 30 degree plus hot weather. The car didn’t miss a beat and even went on a parade lap of the track. A total of 900 or so miles were covered on that trip alone.

I personally consigned the car on a beautiful summer’s day and really enjoyed spending time with it, getting to know it so I could write up a thorough and comprehensive listing. I was also lucky enough to drive the car for about five miles on country roads in the sunshine – what an experience.

Please take a look at the ‘meet the owner’ video here to get to know Paul.

There’s no doubt about it, this car looks stunning. On the drive out and about it got lots of admiring glances and comments. Part and parcel of owing an E-Type – but there’s something extra special about a series one convertible in red.

Wheels & Tyres
The car has original wire wheels that are in excellent condition and Paul has fitted new classic tyres (Vredestein) all around.

Bodywork
The car looks to be good in terms of both rust and rot. Importantly, common areas of rust are the wheel arches, sills and doors; all these areas show no visible signs of any rot. Paul confirms, with his experience, that the car has previously been fitted with new sills, floors, front undertray and door skins – this work has been done using accurate replacement panels, patch panels have not been used as is so often the case with imported cars. The bonnet has had previous repairs to a solid structural standard. Please see the media pack and videos to review the condition and underside.

Paint
The stunning Carmen Red coachwork (originally Primrose Yellow) is very striking and there are no visible signs of any colour differences across the panels, even in direct sunlight. There are a few small marks that you can see in the media pack and videos, however, these are very small and are in line with an older restoration. The only key area to note is a slight paint crazing on a small section of the skuttle. There is a slight paint imperfection around the NSF headlight and Paul has organised for a paint specialist to remedy that issue before a sale is completed.

Glass and Trim
Both are in good condition across the car. There is a windscreen wiper scratch on the passenger side that may be possible to buff out by a specialist. The chrome is in good condition and so too are the rubbers and plastic trim. There is a slight dent on the NSF bumper that can be seen in the media – it’s not very noticeable but the new owner may choose to repair. The black vinyl roof (as original for this car) is brand new, the frame and header having been refinished to suit, and the seals were replaced. Importantly the fit of the roof is one of the best I’ve seen on a convertible. The factory vinyl hood cover is included in beautiful original condition. An aftermarket full cabin tonneau cover is included.

The original jack, hammer and bag are in the trunk with the spare wearing a new tyre.

The interior is really beautiful – the seats wear a lovely patina that’s so important to maintain.

Seats and Carpets
The seats are in really lovely original condition with no rips or significant wear – just patina. The carpets have been replaced and are in excellent condition. There are pictures in the media pack of the front foot well carpets being lifted.

Dashboard
The gauges, dashboard top and interior are in excellent condition.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick
Both are in excellent condition in line with the age of the car with no issues.

Please take a look at the ‘on the road’ video of Paul driving the car. I also personally took the car out on a short drive and was very impressed with the performance and how tight the car was to drive. It’s without doubt the best E-Type driving experience I’ve ever had. If you’re looking for a beautiful E-Type that you can drive every day, then this has to be the one for you.

Engine and Gearbox
The car started second go from cold – there was no smoke and the oil pressure quickly climbed to 60psi. Paul has replaced all the ignition service components, e.g. plugs and leads and also converted it to electronic ignition. I didn’t notice any blue smoke on either during cold or hot start, or when driving, even during hard acceleration.

Suspension and Brakes
No issues noticed on the drive up to a speed of 70 mph. The car drives, handles and stops superbly, part of the recent preparation included replacing or reconditioning the whole braking system (excluding discs which are in excellent condition). Also ball joints and bushes have been replaced where necessary and the steering fully reconditioned. The whole suspension system has been fully serviced.

The Drive
Again, no issues noticed on the short drive to a maximum of 70 mph.

Electrics and Other
Electronics are light on this car, e.g. no electric windows. No issues were found.

Paul imported the car in September last year and subsequently MOT’d and registered it in April of this year. Paul is just the third owner of the car (documented since 1973) and of course the first person in the UK. Paul purchased the car directly from the previous owner who bought the car 32 years beforehand and had thoroughly cherished it since – the cars condition is a credit to him.

Paul has just ordered a Jaguar Heritage Certificate that will take about a week to come through. However, Paul confirms the VIN plate is original to the car and the numbers match the engine, frame and body. Paul is sure the certificate will show a build date of 26.01.1967 – the V5 records 1968 and this is not correct or unusual for this to happen and can be corrected when armed with the certificate that will show the January 1967 date.

Update 21st Aug – Paul has now received the Heritage Certificate and we’ve added a copy to the images below. It does confirm a build date of 26.01.67 and Paul confirms all the important numbers match. However, the gearbox number requires quite a bit of work to get to the number. If a serious buyer really wants to know this then Paul is prepared to do the work.

Current indicated mileage is just 43,260 on the 19th August 2018.

HPi Check Results
– Paul is the first owner of this car in the UK – please action your own check if you feel it necessary.

Previous MOT’s
06.04.2018 – 39,999 miles

Of course it’s rare for classic cars to come with a warranty these days. If they do then when you look at the small print they quite often are of low value.

Here at Trade Classics we don’t offer warranties with the cars we consign on behalf of our sellers – this is normal in the auction industry. We just try to write up as much impartial information as we can about the car that will give you, the buyer, the information you need to make a decision.

Paul however is prepared to give you his own personal guarantee with this car and here’s what he’ll include to give you peace of mind:

• Full parts and labour warranty on the described as new or reconditioned parts listed below for 3 months from the sale date.
• Money back guarantee if someone buys the car in advance of the auction and the car doesn’t drive or behave as described (in the event that its purchased without trial).
• Personal advice and assistance in the event of ‘teething problems’ – he’s not running away from the car and will be pleased to help.

The following is a list of new or reconditioned parts fitted during recent refurbishment and preparation:-

• Steering rack, rack mounts & track rod ends.
• Steering bushes and Ujs.
• Clutch hydraulic cylinders and reservoir.
• Brake vacuum, brake pipes and hoses.
• Brake master cylinder, servo and reservoir.
• Brake cylinders and pads.
• Cooling hoses and thermostat.
• Ball joints and ARB bushes.
• Radius arm bushes.
• Soft top, retrimmed canopy, seals oils and filters renewed
• Battery.
• Electronic ignition.
• Silicon HT leads, cap, rotor arm & diz cap.
• Ignition coil & spark plugs.
• Vredestein tyres, tubes & spinners.
• Oils refreshed.
• Suspension lubricated.
• Wiper blades.
• Uprated hi-torque starter motor.

Even in changing market conditions there are some cars that you know will always be good buys. It’s true the market is correcting itself with classic car pricing, as some makes / models have seen arguably too much growth. The E-Type on the other hand has not been subject to that much change, after all there were only so many ever made and as we all know rarity is a key ingredient to pricing.

The good news is Paul understands the market and has priced this car sensibly. Our own research has concluded that most similar cars in terms of specification and condition, if not all, are priced over £100k. During the last couple of months most cars for restoration are selling around the £60k mark, good condition are circa £100k and exceptional / concours are anything over £130k. This car is in very good condition and is a focused drivers’ car, as mechanically it’s got to be one of the best around. Whilst the paint is good too, it of course won’t win a concours event. But if you’re planning on driving and enjoying the car then that’s a positive, also considering you won’t be paying concours prices as Paul is motivated to sell – just £85k + premium will buy this car now and stop it from going to auction.

So in summary, if you’re looking for a very well sorted E-Type, and value the quality of work done by one of arguably the top E-Type specialists in the country, then this car is for you.

ADAM PURRIER
This auction listing was written by Adam from information gained from Paul (owner and seller of the vehicle) and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

If you have any specific questions about the vehicle then please use the comments section below. I will receive a notification and will reply as soon as he can. I may need to check answers with Paul as he won’t be able to reply himself.