Well... I am hankering after another car. I thought a bit about a 246GT Dino (there... Ferrari content) but I really want a convertible. So, I am in the market once again for a Jaguar E-Type Roadster. I only want a '65 to '67 series I roadster. Color not a huge issue, but I dont like primrose. Im looking for a decent driver, not a show car. It needs to have a solid body, fair to decent paint and interior and be mechanically good. I dont mind minor mechanical stuff or cosmetics but no major problems. So, amongst all you F-car fanatics who may know of such a car? I am of coarse keeping my eye on ebay, Hemings and collector car trader.... but I have found that referals are often the ticket to a decent deal. thanks for the help! Terry
I can't possibly imagine a decent driver for an E-type. All the ones I have been in have been very rough around the edges. Sorry for my pessimistic take. Robb Williamson
Considering that some series I roadsters have been trading at over $120K, Im pretty sure there are not rough around the edges! Still, I know where your coming from.... a frequently driven E-Type is not just a car, its an active hobby! Still, I have restored several from the ground up and once you really know them inside and out they are not that bad to work on. Once sorted and if used frequently they are also reliable. But if you let it sit for long periods between uses.... look out! Terry
I love E types also, I think its a much better car than the Dino I heard that when Ferrari Spa. saw the E type they were so worried that their answer to the E type was the 250 GTO. Now THATS a compliment to Shaguar Also the E descends directly from the mighty LeMans conquering D types. The Dino is nice but I'd rather have an E any day
I like early E's also, the bad rep has scared me away from them. Enzo Ferrari called the E Type the "most beautiful car in the world"
275 GTS V-12 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder 330 GTS (a convertible version of the 330GTC) and of course the... 365 Daytona Spyder (only 115 were built)
E-type is the only car on permanent display in the NY Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cars ever built. They are also fun to drive! The E-Type did indeed inspire the 250GTO. It would probably have been a top sportscar racing contender if Jaguar had really put any effort into development. They waited 3 years before developing the lightweight body version and even then they didnt develop the engine enough. The Jaguar factory wasnt santioning an official racing effort, it was done on the side for clients and thus was never a real threat to Ferrari. By the time they got the definitive lightweight low drag E-type coupes really developed in late 1964, it was way too late. The Cobra Daytona coupes and 250LMs were in a different league... they were 3 year newer designs! A very similar scenario to the Aston Martin DBR4 F1 car. A great car for 1957.... a worthless antique by the time it was ready in 1959. Help me find an E-Type! Terry
I have an E-type. 66 2 seater coupe. I echo the statements made that once you get them running and make a few of the excellent upgrades that are now available to some of the suspect parts of the car, you have a terrific, reliable sports car to drive. Many of them are rats, but there are good ones out there. Check the Jaguar Drivers Club of America website for cars. A lot of concours cars pass through there. Classic Jaguar in Texas www.classicjaguar.com usually has some stunners for sale.
Robb, They're wonderful, comfortable cars to drive and you can toss them around like crazy. There are a lot of good E-types around. I've put 60,000 miles on mine in 20 years.
Terry: Like to hitch hike, do you? Lucas, master of darkness is the supplier for the electronics, an absolutely sure guarantee, that you'll either be calling AAA or hitch hiking. Get the Dino. Art
Art, you remember what the motto was for the workers at the old Lucas factory, don't you? "A hard day's work.....then, home before dark."
Love 'em. Looked at them off and on over the years as the prices continued to escalate. I agree with your choice of a Series 1, but even the coupes are now starting to fetch real money, and the roadsters, unless they are fright pigs, are big money. As a project car, it could be scary. Even an unrestored original car, well maintained, probably has expensive needs, putting you into the big dollar restored roadsters, or exposing you to the risk of having to invest big dollars in the car to get it right. (Dunno if you can do your own work, but i'm willing to bet that a first time attempt to restore an older E type has got to be hairy). I'm not really plugged into the old Jag community to know how to source a great one, but i do remember tracing some down at one point, probably thru a combination of Hemmings ads and the Net, to find a couple of semi-restored ones in the Southwest in the 45k dollar neighborhood. Dunno if such "bargains" still exist. If you are not a competent mechanic with relevant experience, i would find one first before looking for the car: you'll need some professional help in assessing it. Lastly, primrose is my absolute favorite on the E, perhaps because the first time I say one in the flesh, it was that color.! That soft yellow color was shared by a similar color on some older Rollers and there was a pale yellow Dino color, not quite as soft as primrose, that also appeals to me. Let us know what you do. Its a classic, probably the most gorgeous post-war car made and sounds fabulous, too.
Are the 65 to 67 cars the Series I, fared-in headlights, but with the 4.2 instead of the 3.8? We had a 72 v-12. fun when it was running right, but would flood if you looked at it the wrong way when starting . . . Tough call between the Dino and the Series I E . . .
The "series I" can refer to any car made before 1968. From '61 to '64 the cars had the 3.8 liter engine, a moss crash-box with no syncros on first at all and horrible ones on second, and a really poor brake booster setup that resulted in silly bad brakes for a car with 140mph+ potential. The 3.8 also had crappy seats. In '65 the "4.2 series I" came out and ran through '67. Much better seats, tons better brakes, more torque and a fully syncro transmission. The 4.2 series I cars are much better drivers than the 3.8. The '68 - '71 cars are crap. The compression ratio was dropped and 2 Stromberg carbs replaced the triple SU setup. Power dropped from a real 220hp or so to maybe 150hp (the 265hp Jaguar always claimed for the series I cars is nonsense). These series II cars also got larger taillights, bumpers, headlights and they lost the glass covers. They also hard larger front openings in the bonnet. I have owned 30+ E-Types and restored several from the ground up. I know the cars inside and out... doing my own maintenance isnt an issue. Honestly, the Lucas and famous Jaguar electrical gremlins were on later model cars. The early E-Types really are pretty solid cars. It was really in the late '60s and '70s that quality suffered and the horrid reputations were earned. I hope to get a nice car for under $45K. Not perfect, but a good looking driver. Terry
I had a '66 with the close ratio gearbox. It was a beautiful car that, when it was tuned properly, was amazing. If you like to tune and tinker, it's a really fun car. However, like any fine instrument, it needs to be tuned often. I'd look for one without rust as my prime focus.
I hope to get a nice car for under $45K. Not perfect, but a good looking driver. Terry Catch this week's edition of Barrett-Jackson Car Auction. A white, one-owner S1 XKE convertable sold for $45,000. "Team Atlanta" acquired the car from the original owner's daughter: she was firm at $40,000 but the professional wheeler-dealers got her down to $28,000! Look for repeats of the show later tonight. KevFla
Ah the days of old. I had a 66 E-type coupe in Burgundy with Biscuit hides. Triple SU carbs at 265HP. Ran great but always needed to regap points and clean the plugs. I bet with todays elect. ign conversion coupled with a Delco alt. and you'll solve the Lucus "prince of darkness" syndrone. I loved the car and my wife's cousin has a restored 65 roadster with 50k on the body and 2k on the motor. It is dark blue with Biscuit int , chrome wires and red line tires. It has not been started in 15 years so my bet is it will be either froze up or a bear to get it running. Also this has a 1st gear non-syncro gearbox. Jag went to all syncro in 66. Great car. Oh the last off fo this was 5 years ago at $85k and he wouldn't sell.
Er I think the XJ13 would have solved the problem ... that car would have made a far bigger impact to the racing scene than the E-type, GT40 ... maybe even right up to the 917, miles ahead of its time! and just beautiful. One thing I do know about E-types is that early ones have single circuit brakes and this is bloody dangerous on this car. Why?, because the rear disc brakes are inboard and live right beside the diff. They get overheated and you loose ALL your brakes. Yep I have seen it happen and very scary. Even though I like original cars there is no way I would NOT change to atleast dual circuit brakes on an early car ... absolutely no way. Also the thing that really hurt the E-type is its rear suspension. While it was clever and independent the rear of an E-type is really, really narrow and really was a looks over efficiency design. You watch an E-type through a fast sweeper and theor tail is not the most planted that is for sure ... Sorry the Aston F1 car was a heavy ugly pig even compared to 1957 cars and was completely useless by 1959. Remember the 250F and the Ferrari Dino's for '58 (I think) ... The photos of the Aston that I have seen show a ugly dumpy car, that looked like a sportscar with the body chopped off ... hardly a serious F1 effort. Pete's opinion
Terry: But the turned metal dashboard on the 3.8 and the protruding toggles on the early cars (when did they go to rocker switches- with the 4.2 or with the so-called 1.5?) make a difference in the interior. Whatsisname, down in NYC (it will come to me, a dealer who rents alot of unique cars for tv and movie shoots) had a BRG 3.8 with an updated gearbox, better brakes, i think, but the original style interior. Very cool. Also asking in the mid-40's, must be 4 or 5 years ago now.
Series One 3.8: first 50 cars had outside bonnet locks some more had flat floors. 3 SU carb engine. Most had lousy Moss gearbox but all synchro boxes were seen on a number of late 3.8 cars. Metal dash and console made it through all 3.8 cars, but the cubby box on the console appeared late on 3.8 cars. All 3.8s had covered headlights and bad brake booster system and toggle switch dash, cool looking (uncomfortable) seats. 4.2: All had better synchro gearbox, vinyl dash and console, cubby box on console, covered headlights, toggle switch dash, 4.2 badge on trunk/hatchback, better brake booster system (almost identical to 330 GT), better seats. Series 1.5: who cares, they're slower and uglier: uncovered headlights. Series 2: even worse, higher headlights (uncovered) hideous tail lights. Series 3: ugh, a Mercedes 350SL with bad electrics and 4 more cylinders to go wrong. The car to own as a driver is the 4.2, but the 3.8 engine is sweeter. The best one I ever drove was a 3.8 with a synchro box, newer brake booster system. Dandy car. They are a wholly differently feeling car than a Ferrari. Much smaller than contemporary Ferraris, more chuckable. Very nice long distance tourer with ride on a par with contemporary Ferraris but lighter and quicker. Art is just repeating silly lore. Lucas electrics of the 60's were no worse than Magneti Marelli electrics and neither is as bad as legend makes them to be. Biggest problem with E type electrics are the plug wires and coils. They get a lot of heat cycling and a lot of wet from the louvered bonnet. As I say, I have put 60,000 miles on my E-type in 20 years and it still has the same starter, alternator and voltage regulator it had in 1984 when I bought it. Don't believe everything you read on the internet. As a friend says, "relax, we're all experts here."
This was in my local newspaper wednesday juli 21, the owner/driver spent 5 years restoring, and then after a visit to the bar (only 2 beers according to his wife) this happened. The picture in the actual paper was much bigger and showed a perfect E-type, well it was before the crash. http://www.limburger.nl/Pagina/0,7090,31-1-2-2497-2098519-1438-730825-,00.html
I have a 65. Full syncro better brakes and 4.2 motor. I looked for about a year before finding mine, 5 years ago. They were all over the map then $25-50K. I found many in crappy condition and people wanted good money for them. They are very prone to rust.
I had heard that Lucas switches and connectors used tin plated contacts, rather than gold plated. Not a problem, unless you live in a humid climate ... such as England. A couple of years back, a local mechanic was selling a series II FHC (not 2+2) with the 4.2 in a crate and a 3.8 mill installed. I was tempted to pick it up for a "beater", as they're relatively simple for the DIYer to work on. Parts, on the other hand, ... (Besides; there was no way I could manage to put four cars in my "one car" garage.)
