Anyone own a vintage Jag XKE?

My next door neighbor has one (a 66.5 or 67 Series 1). I have endured endless nights discussing these, and have been there as he pursued many cars. So this is the very short story:

Series 1 cars have covered headlights--considered to be the best. As the years went on they got heavier, with more emission controls, and perhaps slower.

If you are serious and want more info, I'm sure my neighbor has internet resources and perhaps would be willing to e-mail you his thoughts.

Let me know.

 

I've always admired these cars--from afar. The more I hear about them the more scared I get. It sounds like they use a lot of "specialized" engineering that is best summed up in headaches. It seems like there's two ways to go with the old Jags (and they are some of the prettiest cars ever made): You get one that's been restored to mint condition, and find a mechanic who knows them inside and out, or else you learn EVERYTHING required to fix one. I wouldn't pick this as my first project car.

 

Series 1 are usually considered most desirable - best power, trimmest weight, sleekest looks. Within Series 1, they raised the engine capacity from the original 3.8L to 4.2L in 64; in 67 they detuned the engine somewhat; so 64-66 may be the best years. It was somewhat downhill after that as emissions and weight hit the Series 2. This was recovered somewhat with Series 3 (produced from 71-74), which was upgraded to a Jaguar designed V-12, but it was also a heavier car. I had the V-12 version (BRG/tan) and its saving grace in comparison to the earlier models was good low-end torque.

Car bodies included roadster, coupe and 2+2. Roadster's are most desirable. It's iconic, what more can you say?

 

i have friends with XKE's and they tell me that the series 1 4.2 is the model to have. obviously roadsters are worth more than coupes but i think the lines of the coupe (not the 2+2) are nicer.

 

I, too, had a series 3 v-12. great when everything was sorted out, especially on the carburetion side. got so tired of flooding the car and trying to gets the carbs balanced that we replaced every vacuum line, did a carb rebuild and it finally started behaving. A much diferent sound from a Ferrari v-12 of the same vintage.

i would go for one of the late series 1s - covered headlights, but w/ the 4.2. Sports and Classic car mag had an incredibly in-depth buyers guide about 10 years ago - watch for terminal rust in the foot box, rear shelf, rockers and inside the lip oft he nose opening. As always w/ classic cars, buy the best you can possibly afford.

 

I'm thinking of a 69 series 1.5, the cockpit is a little bigger than S1 & I hope it has a few less bugs

 

A MUST see for E-type enthusiasts is the TV series "A Car is Born" where Mark Evans restores a '65 from the ground up. Heck, pretty much a must see for any classic car fan.

p.s.: Have personally rescued one blonde damsel in distress when her pale yellow e-type roadster ran out of gas near my house - pushed her car to the safety of a Mc D's parking lot while her son went in search of fuel

 

Here are a couple of nice links regarding the history and some restoration experiences:

http://www.web-cars.com/e-type/index.php

http://etypejag.jaguar-register.com/

 

We've owned a 1969 E-Type coupe for the last year. It's a lot of fun and is well-mannered. The ride is quite smooth but with very little body roll when pressed. I was pleasantly surprised by the rigidity of the chassis.
My only other experience with these cars was with a friend's 1962 3.8 liter coupe back in the mid 70's.

Corrosion can be a significant factor in these cars as the cowl and sill areas are sealed up and had the same lack of corrosion preventive measures as other cars of this era.

Check out http://forums.jag-lovers.org for high quality information on specific models and years.

Let me know if I can help with more specific information.

Mike

 

I own a '66 E-type coupe. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

 

That's a nice looking car. The Series II cars came with dual SU carbs to meet emissions requirements, so the "rare" triple SU setup was most likely added later. It's a popular mod.

The paint looks relatively fresh and might mean recent corrosion control work. A close inspection is in order in any case.

The passenger door sill vinyl covering looks wrinkled. It could just be improperly installed or may have been recently disturbed to gain access to the corrosion-prone sill/rocker area.

The door trim panels aren't quite in right and have screws through them. They should be seated fully in the chrome channel at the top and attached around the periphery with wire clips in the back of the panels. This isn't a big deal in itself but I would wonder if it's indicative of the practices used elsewhere on the car.

Mike