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1964 Jaguar XKE: Grandparent’s Kitty

1964 Jaguar XKE

My dad use to tell me stories about a Jaguar XK120 that was parked behind my grandparents house for a number of years. I use to dream that we would go to visit and somehow that Jag would have reappeared. Sadly, that will never happen, but reading the listing for this Jaguar E-Type sure brought back that childhood dream! This Jag has been off the road and parked in this garage since 1987. The seller is helping their grandmother list and sell the car, so information is sparse. It looks complete and solid, but they didn’t provide any info on condition or history. Have a look at the listing here on eBay in Visalia, California.

Comments

  1. Avatar grantp

    The debris under the hood does not inspire confidence enough for me to to beat the $40K bid current! Guess I’ll enjoy the ’90 XJS a while longer.

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    • Avatar grantp

      Now at $51K, the only Jag I own will need to cower next to the Detroit Iron it shares a home with for a while longer I guess.

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  2. Avatar Andrew S Mace Member

    Ok, this is yet another example why I am sick of this whole “Barn Find” thing. Get a hose and a bucket. Fill the bucket with some soapy water, get a sponge and WASH the darn car!

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  3. Avatar sunbeamdon

    My sincere hope is I get to fully use my toys before I die, and that my kids have enough common sense to clean the crap out of the cars before trying to sell. What an injustice to the car and to mum!

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  4. Avatar sunbeamdon

    Andrew – great minds think alike – I think I’ll go get a Guinness!

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  5. Avatar grantp

    @sunbeamdon – I have to agree. What was once a source of pride, is being dissed in these types of feeble adverts – someone has led the kids wrong here. The grandparent who owned and loved this car would have to be ashamed to see it represented in this manner. Regardless, I believe they will get more cash than originally spent on this car in the end. Hope the Grandchild who is doing the disservice is proud. Potential for inheritance can do strange things to folks.

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  6. Avatar Charles Gould

    Respectfully, I disagree.
    There is a certain romance and excitement that comes with a true barn find, and all of the dust and debris confirms the “as found” condition, much like a raider of the lost ark might observe when the barn doors are first opened.
    It is also especially important for a classic E-Type like this one, and allows the potential bidders, not only to confirm the barn find authenticity, but also to preserve and experience the excitement of the find (and possibly of that first wash) themselves.
    The seller is wise not to wash this car, and especially not to try to start this original barn find Jaguar until the buyer determines their own preference especially in the price range above 40K!

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    • Avatar Lee

      I agree with Charles. Too many times I have heard the skeptical tone of a supposed barn find. This helps confirm it.

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  7. Avatar grantp

    @Charles Gould – I also respectfully disagree with your POV. Eventually, through no fault of my own, I will find myself no longer able to care for my pride and joy as I did when I was able. Now, to have it represented in an advert such as this as a discarded, unappreciated article is heartbreaking. In my case, your ‘romance and excitement’ take back stage to my hard working career to be able to purchase, care for, and represent my pride in my steed. I am also pleased you are not related to myself, and as such will not have an opportunity to allow sufficient degradation of my charge to make a profit in the manner you appear to deem appropriate. Rant over, heart rate still escalating.

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  8. Avatar Mark E

    We can agree to disagree then. Based upon the pictures and info, or rather lack thereof, in the listing, I wouldn’t be inclined to bid over what a similar parts car would be worth as that is what the pictures seem to show…

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  9. Avatar Dolphin Member

    The downside:
    – Somebody neglected this poor E-Type for years and now it’s covered in filth
    – Neglected so long that nobody knows much about it, including where the title is
    – It will take buckets of soap and water and lots of money and work to put it right
    – Despite neglecting it for decades the owner will be rewarded by current market valuation for early E-Types
    – Yet another bad ALL-CAPS RUN-ON description that you can hardly stand to wade through

    The upside:
    – It’s a beautiful early E-Type that looks fairly complete
    – It will be saved from the neglect and filth the current owner subjected it to

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  10. Avatar Chas

    @grantp.
    I certainly respect your opinion, but let’s be accurate about the original owner’s “pride and joy”.
    This car was bought either new for around $2,600 in 1964 or years later, used, for less than $1,000 or $1,500, then driven and used and put away wet and dirty. The owner never preserved it as his “pride and joy”, certainly not near when it was finally stored. Fortunately, he did store it out of the weather which was a blessing. However, he did not choose to even put a car cover on the car.
    It has had at least one repaint in a non original Jaguar color and it was not a very good paint job at that time, possibly an Earl Scheib or similar abomination.
    Have a good look at the overspray on the rubber mouldings under the engine bonnet and in the door jambs, and just look at the poor quality of the paint in the door sills.
    Then look at how the soft top was stored under the hardtop for all of those years. It has obviously shrunk and detriorated and the wood header frame has rotted significantly.
    The debris throughout this car has occurred over a prolonged period of time, during which the original owner could have done many things to preserve the car if he really considered it as his pride and joy. This is not just dust on this car.
    This car was not coveted by the grandfather, because it had deteriorated to a worthless used car, and did not justify the “pride and joy” that you speak of until the prices started to rise, and now that this has happened, the grandson is offering it to the public at fair market value as determined by a proper auction. Can’t call a fairer game than that.
    And if the grandson is not into cars, or lacks enough appreciation to resore the car himself (a task that could easily cost upwards of $100K to do it properly), he is under no obligation to wash or scrub or even enhance the offering on behalf of his grandfather, especially if doing so would only serve to reduce the sale price at auction.
    Although I am a car guy and would die to inherit a relic like this, I thank God that my grandfather did not collect antique bedpans or beer bottles or some other “collectable” that I have no interest in, as I would not know how to properly present or offer that collection for sale.
    The grandson may also have his own obligations, with family, work or his own interests, and it is admirable that he is helping his grandfather maximize the sale price in a situation where the granddad might have otherwise had the car scrapped or sold it for $500 to a neighborhood kid, or worse to some opportunist who might have taken advantage of him.
    I have no problem with this type of presentation, and to prove my point, the bidding just jumped another $12K to $51,200.00 while we were debating this over the last few hours, with almost six more days to go before the auction ends.

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    • Avatar grantp

      You know what Chas – neither you or I know the limitations the owner had – maybe Earl Scheib was the best he could do.Maybe a nice concrete floor garage was not possible. I do not know You do not ‘get’ it.Someone put a lot of dollars (at that time) into this car. I have been wrong before – but the surroundings that this car is presented in do not suggest lavishness, but rather a humble, hard earned life. You also do not have a clue (I assume) how long the previous owner has been able to care for the car. So forge ahead – make your point. Mine is that if it were my grandparent whose car was being represented to the public, I would do it justice. Not seen here. I am very done now with your kind, and thank you Barn Finds. Wish you all the best. Your audience is apparently intolerant to a potentially sympathetic point of view. Not my kind of folks.

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  11. Avatar Chas

    There is also some concern about the VIN number listed as J64990937 is not an E-Type VIN that I recognize. Early Series 1 cars with the 3.8 litre engine should have six digits starting at 850001 in 1961 through 890873 in 1963.
    The next generation of 4.2 litre engine Series 1 cars beginning in 1964 should have a 1E prefix to a four or five digit VIN, like 1E1001 through 1E15888 for open two seaters (right and left hand drive cars).
    Perhaps California assigned a non original VIN or perhaps the auction would not accept the proper VIN, but this number does not make sense for an early Series 1 E-Type.
    In fact, this car may well be earlier than 1964 which would also enhance the value, although the triple carbs would suggest that this is a 4.2 litre which would place it in the 1964 range, although the listing states 3.8 litre engine, which is also confusing.

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    • Avatar Rob

      Hey Chas,
      I’ve already as the seller’s grandson the same questio.. so let’s see if he makes a Comment or two ’bout that Vin #.. Cheers

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  12. Avatar jim s

    interesting car, must have been fun to drive/look at when new. i hope it finds a forever home. great find

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  13. Avatar Chas

    @grantp
    I never intended to offend you or anyone else and I apologize if I did.
    This was just a healthy debate and we just have a difference of opinion. That’s a good thing and why there are so many different type of cars. I have always tried to respect your opinion and wish that you could respect mine. Please don’t leave. We all value your opinions even if they differ from our own.

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    • Avatar Auldpheart

      Well said…

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  14. Avatar Cbothwell

    Would you please stop referring to a Jaguar XKE as a “Kitty”. Please. Time to grow up.

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  15. Avatar Ken Nelson Member

    This one’s not that far from me, but already have too many projects, including a decent running ’64 Jag 3.8L engine & 4 spd with overdrive I bought too quickly before finding it won’t fit the car I had intended it for – bummer! I’m always disappointed tho when I see photos where the flash was not used to make interiors and the engine more visible. Some of these pics are ok, but overall just a half-hearted job done by a relative with very little interest in the car himself – hence the lack of even taking a garden hose to the car. It’s just a chore to the advertiser. Why isn’t Grandma’s son/daughter taking care of this?

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  16. Avatar Wayne

    Some people should never be allowed to own a car.

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  17. Avatar Ross W. Lovell

    Greetings All,
    Own more than a couple of Jaguar’s and while this find seems high, not sure you can’t be right-side up if the tub doesn’t need a ton of work.
    Ken, have done several o/d’s in Jaguars, there are a couple of things worth knowing.
    E-mail me……….rossw.lovell@yahoo.com

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  18. Avatar skibum2

    I have owned more than a couple of E types..Never paid more than a couple of thousand dollars at the time and NOT one was in this poor of shape. The price someone will pay for this car is interesting to say the least. I think I will ask a bundle for the 67 B that has been abandoned in my garage for the last fifteen years…Hahahaha.. enjoy

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  19. Avatar jake

    Some one previous mentioned the vin and they are correct, this vin in the ebay ad is not correct, but the 3.8 with triple su’s is for a 3.8 S1 e type. The thing that confuses me is the brake master cylinder reservoir, that is unlike any Jaguar ever put on any e type??? Any comments!!!

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  20. Avatar gunningbar

    It is kinda silly to have a debate “to wash.. or not to wash…?” I guess I ll join in since we have nothing better to do…The car is only “Barn Fresh” once…AND since its called “Barn Finds” it might as well be a photo of That…

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