She's gorgous.
Beautiful car Terry. Congrats! I had a 4.2L coupe for about seven years--- golden sand with cinnamon interior. I was the second owner and the car was dead original. It was a real looker in that color. I wished I still had it. But tell me, an AC? You look at the Jag in-line six sideways and it overheats. It will be interesting to see how you'll pull it off. Best of luck! john
No problem if you fit an aluminium raditor and steel headers which have been aluminium plasma coated (also called ceramic coating). Modern rotary AC compressors and universal-fit under-dash units can be sourced from www.VintageAir.com
Terry, Congratulations, Beautiful looking car, But you will be disappointed at anything above 50 mph, They just don't handle well at all, If you wanted a vintage Jaguar you should have gone for a XK150S. Argento
The car has an upgraded larger core radiator, a much larger shrouded cooling fan, improved cooling header tank and all new hoses and such. With these upgrades, they dont run hot. Without... they boil in anything over 90 degree weather! XK's unlimited sells a complete bolt in A/C kit that uses a modern rotary compressor and supposedly gives great modern cooling ability. Im going with their turn key kit rather than try to engineer it myself. As to handling.... If an E-Type is going to handle well there are two ways to go. If the suspension is going to be left stock, then you need to run 185 series tires. The very narrow tires match original specs and the relatively low grip levels will work with the relatively soft suspension. If wider wheels and tires are used with stock suspension, the result is a car that handles poorly and gives terrible driver feedback. E-Types can be easily upgraded in suspension with larger front torsion bars, uprated shocks, solid steering rack mounts, larger front anti-roll bar with solid mounts and a larger rear anti-roll bar. Couple this with the wider wheels and tires (6" wide with 205 series tires) and the cars do handle pretty well. No, its no modern Porsche.... but they handle well enough to inspire confidence and provide lots of fun. Then again, the stock suspension with the very narrow tires is tons of fun as well. While grip levels are relatively low, that makes for a car fun to slide and you can push it hard to its limits while keeping speeds pretty low. That equals fun. My dad had a Triumph TR3 that I used to love to drive. You could lean out of the cockpit and look at the drivers side front tire as you went through corners. Hard on the throttle, sawing at the wheel with opposite lock maintaining a gentle corner exit slide as you pushed the car to its absolute limits.... and never exceed 45 mph. THAT is fun! Terry
When/if I sell the 308, it will be replaced by a 4.2L E-type. Hands down the smoothest, nicest taching engine I've ever felt. Just an awesome car. I used to be diehard for the roadsters, but I'm starting to like the coupes more and more. I'm a stickler for inline 6s in general. Yes, V12s can be packaged in pretty much the same length engine compartment, but the inline 6 is just an awesome engine with a note all to its own. Congrats man.
Tspringer is dead on with the comments about handling. I ran original section tires for the 20 years I owned mine and only added polyurethane suspension bushings and it was a delightful handling car.
Terry, You sure have 1st class taste in cars! The series 1 E looks great in BRG. I have been trying for several years to put together my '66 2 seat coupe. It was a totally original car when I purchased it 25 years ago, but in the interest of making it a better car I replaced the engine with a heavily modded one from a series 2 along with the girling brake system. The was a bad choice considering the subsequent value that these cars attained. Of course I sold the original engine years ago. Do you still have your early 911? It seems I have owned similar cars as you-No daytona as yet( I did have a ghibli for several years though)
Yes, '69 911S with all sorts of mods. My 911S was setup as a hardcore track car. Its got a full racing suspension including monoballs and poly/bronze bushings and such. Not terribly street friendly, but amazing fun. I am going to be softening it up some and moding it back to more of a street focus. It will still be a razor, just not one that shakes your fillings loose from your teeth. I am building a '74 bodied Porsche RSR that will run a twin plug 3.4 liter engine. I wanted a dedicated race car with lots more power and grip, this RSR should fit the bill. Tried to post pics.... but wont let me. Terry
Probably the most beautiful 'modern' car- that one looks fab in the pics- how heavily restored? (I love the early 4.2s).
terry, beautiful car and a fun one to do a lot of driving in , i had a 65 coupe that was jaguar dark blue with grey leather and chrome wires its long gone, but like that 'special' girl friend you never forget it holds a place in my heart..i know you'll enjoy it..thanks for the tip on the screens for my daytona they look / sound great..Chuck Coli
Congrats! I love the E-types. One of my neighbors used to have a gorgeous silver one, I dont' know if he still has it since I moved.
