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Can You Find A Better: 1962 Jaguar E-Type

1962 Jaguar E-Type

This E-Type looks to be pretty rough and with a $62,500 asking, it definitely isn’t cheap. So, let’s see if you guys can find a better one for this kind of money? This example can be seen here on eBay in Santa Ana, California. If it’s a flat floor model, it would be worth serious money. Any Jaguar experts out there that can chime in and let us know whether it is or not? If it is, it might be hard to find one for a better price, but I guess we will find out! Good luck everyone!

Comments

  1. Avatar hhaleblian

    The only better one I know of is in my warehouse. Get this one up to speed mechanically and turn heads.

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  2. Avatar hotrod

    I could have bought one of these back in 1980 british racing green in very good condition out in rock springs Wyoming for 1500.00 couldn’t come up with the money back then lots of irony to that I wanted that car bad…

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  3. Avatar DirtyHarry

    Please someone, tell me this isn’t true. A total rust bucket, off the road since 98 is worth this kind of money!

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  4. Avatar Mr. Bond

    Little bits of red showing up underneath and on boot hinges. Not sure it is the rare Black on Red he notes in the ad. Seems like a lot for a car needing this much work. But, every seat has an a** for it.

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    • Avatar cyclemikey

      Good eye. The car sure looks as if it was red at one time.

      Even if the numbers DO work, the price is still amazing to me. Let the good times roll, I guess – you’re paying 62K for what was once scrap metal, not so long ago.

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  5. Avatar Leo

    Love these prices the early jags are starting to command! Means that AH BJ8 prices will start climbing shortly!!! Oh yea😊. My 105k original “survivor” perfect mechanical will finally bring serious money. Original interior, chrome, with all nee suspension, all new hydraulics, professionally trued chrome Dunlop wheels and tires.., yup.. Prices are climbing!!

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  6. Avatar rusty

    Maybe perhaps could be

    well till the next major war when our toys are worth nothing again except maybe for the next scrap drive to fight those pesky Martians.

    The test is how far someone holds out to see how high they go..When do you know when the limit of escalation is reached and it falls down again…

    I seem to remember e types being high in the late 70s early 80s then somehow they seemed to level out maybe even go backwards. Many must have got out then thinking the height was reached and declining.

    Like 1
  7. Avatar Rick

    This wasn’t even a $3500 (that’s right HUNDRED) car in the late 80s

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    • Avatar rusty

      But not in all markets.

      In other countries jags have been big money far longer than the states where they are very much prolific.

      America has been blessed with low prices for a long time. Ironically many other brands are still very cheap in the states.

      America is a car collectors dream it’s just that now its experiencing speculators. The good old days are gone unfortunately. But you still have many of the cheapest cars outsiders can only dream of in their respective countries. Enjoy those before even those are speculated out of affordability. America is the home of car dreams.

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      • Avatar Bill McCoskey Member

        Rusty — You are correct about Jags being worth far more outside the USA. a Friend with Jaguar North America told me years ago that 96% of all XK vehicles from the 120 to the E were sold in North America. In the early 1980s the company I worked for was buying Triumph TR & MGB spare parts in England, and trading Jag sedan parts to the seller in England.

        I can remember buying Mark X and 420 Jag saloon front wings [fenders] by the dozen, for almost scrap prices, as the Jag new car dealers wanted the parts gone. After unloading a 20 ft shipping container of TR & MGB parts, we loaded it back up again with Jag saloon parts that no one wanted here, but were very sought after by the Jag parts suppliers in the UK.

        Our chief supplier also sold Jag parts in the UK, and tried hard to sell us XKE parts too. However we had all we could handle selling TR & MG parts.

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  8. Avatar Peter Reed

    As an Aussie, I’m constantly amazed by the prices that complete E Type restoration projects bring in the US. USD60,000 would buy you a high #2 series one coupe here. This example – as it stands – would bring no more than USD15-20k in Australia. Maybe you jag enthusiasts should look Down Under!

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    • Avatar rusty

      Hi Peter yes things have gone all ass up as to me e types and healeys were worth more money in the 80s here in Australia till the muscle car fad tipped them off the pedestal then they seemed not to go up much further whereas speculators in the US have pushed some cars into the stars and other cars lusted after here are cheap as chips in USA. Nothing makes sense anymore due to speculators.

      Like 0
  9. Avatar derek

    The early S1 cars are getting harder to find in unrestored condition and Eagle E-types will knock 50k pounds off the cost if you bring them a complete car to restore. If this was a RHD roadster it would be worth even more.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar sofa king fast
    • Avatar Doug Towsley

      I think Sofa King is correct, there are better deals out there for better cars. While an iconic car, that seems grossly overpriced for the condition it is in.

      ** NOTE** I Looked at the ebay posting and if you scroll down the seller embedded their own photos in the item description section. Which is common to save on listing fees. plenty of detailed pix———————

      Noting all the pictures, I would not be too excited to take that one on. When I ran a shop I would bid for that job REALLY high, or even a Time & materials job. That thing has a lot of cancer bubbling up and holes all over the place, not too mention obvious chunks of bondo cracking and falling out indicating a previous attempt at patching the Cancer. Im guessing a east coast car or rust belt victim that got infected with Salt and then driven to land of fruits & nuts and parked under a tarp and left to die. (See the swirl marks on the rear boot)

      I am not afraid cut and patch, fab work and welding but this car has serious issues. You would have to pay me a lot to restore this. I have fixed worse than this, been there, done that, but even a skilled owner who did the work themselves would be upside down at this price point. If you bought the car at super cheap price it could pencil out but would take the perfect circumstances to find the perfect adopter.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Joe

      The price on that first one in San Fran implies it’s between a #4 and #3 condition. Given it’s a dealer, it’s likely worse than that, with some spit and polish for the pics…

      Like 0
  11. Avatar Doyler

    Can someone explain to me the significance of the flat floor model?

    Like 0
    • Avatar Bill McCoskey Member

      Early XK-E cars had a flat floor on either side of the drive shaft tunnel. This meant that passengers in the car had their knees almost as high as their head. So a dropped section of the floor was created to put your feet into.

      Like 1
    • Avatar DTKennedy930

      There were a number but three prominent changes Jaguar made early in production Jaguar aficionados seem to get weak in the knees when they see. One is if the cars has the bonnet latches on the exterior (exterior escutcheons were removed and pull/twist handles added to the panel under the A pillar). Second, welded bonnet louvers also changed fairly early to being stamped in the center rear bonnet section – on either side of the power bulge. Then there’s the 1-1/2″ or so drop Bill mention above to the drivers and passenger’s floor pan.

      Like 0
  12. Avatar Van

    How could anyone expect to buy or sell any car on line with so few photos. No interior no engine photos. Call me nuts, I would consider this bogus.
    Sell it to me for the value of just over the price of the good parts showing and I’m in.
    I only baught cars on Copart that sold for less than the parts I could see.
    D-type $325. C6 vett $10,000
    I take it on faith that people are telling me the truth, unless the holes in the story/photos don’t match.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Craig

      I checked the E-BAY listing and saw many pictures of the interior and engine pictures also.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Van

        Sorry Craig I’m using my phone.
        Ebay only shows 12 photos all exterior.
        I must be on a phone only section.
        I guess I need to fix that before sharing my remarks. Don’t want to be unfair to the seller.

        Like 0
  13. Avatar Jim D

    I’d rather buy a rusty tub of a car and replace everything This car is complete with mouse turds. We have parted E in better shape!

    Like 0
    • Avatar Joe

      Jim D – it’s a looker but a 2+2 with automatic tranny will sell at lower price. I agree though would still prefer that one!

      Like 0
  14. Avatar Paul R

    Never understood the value of these old Jags, never were great performers and damn sure not reliable in there prime.

    Like 0
    • Avatar tompdx

      Paul R – Not true. These cars were competitive with Ferrari when introduced in ’62. They were also reliable if taken care of properly. Unfortunately, many here in the states were not, because mechanics didn’t know how to work on them. Rather than look in the mirror, they blamed the cars. But the reason they are becoming so expensive is that even Enzo Ferrari himself said that the Series 1 E-coupe was “the most beautiful car ever made.”

      Like 0
    • Avatar DTKennedy930

      Re performance, remember they came out in 1961. Monocoque (uni)body with front allow frames supporting the engine (most of it anyway), front suspension and cooling system. Relatively unstressed 3.8L engine with hemispherical combustion chambers, cross flow heads, three SU carbs and with a pair of iron exhaust manifolds which E-Type drivers find tough to improve upon today with headers. Dual exhaust. Four wheel disk brakes. IRS with inboard mounted discs for reduced unsprung weight (and making rotor changes a RITA). A “smiled on” version, including lack of the bumper over-riders reached 150 mph in a Motor Magazine road test in 19-fringing 61. I had a ’87 Porsche Turbo and its top speed was 155mph for comparison. 150mph in a car which was within the reach of those with incomes under the super rich.

      Sure Enzo said it was the most beautiful car and its only problem was that it wasn’t made in Modena. How many cars are in the Museum of Modern art? One of the very few and only within reach of mere mortals is a Series I DHC. Personally I think the Series I Coupe (FHC) is even more attractive. May be splitting hairs but look at the rear 3/4 view.

      http://www.desert-motors.com/cpg/albums/tempphotos/1964-Jaguar-E-Type-Series1-FHC/1964-Jaguar-E-Type-Series1-FHC-13.jpg

      Like 0
      • Avatar Dave Wright

        I agree totally but you will never convince a cigar smoking Corvette driver…….

        Like 0
      • Avatar DTKennedy930

        Btw, I should have referred to the convertible as a OTC, not DHC.

        Like 0
  15. Avatar rusty

    A side story on early e type’s in Australia is something my father told me was that the first e-type to come to Australia was supposedly purchased by my uncle (dad’ sister’s first husband) or his business. Yeah I know sure sure.

    Whether this is true or not can’t be addressed thru family now but what would convince me this may have an ounce of truth is that he apparently was a champion motorbike racer of the time and owned a well known motor related business in Sydney at the time. And just the sort of highflying dude to buy the first one at the time.

    I was too young to even remember him (infant) but apparently I told dad I wanted to own as many cars as he had. Ironically I far surpassed that at an early age but mine were mostly unrestored projects hee hee not the latest and greatest he apparently owned.

    Any Australian experts here on e-type’s that might know who owned the first one in Australia or even Sydney i would love to know if it’s just family myth or truth being he was apparently a well known motor repair industry business.

    Always been curious as I think he subconsciously sowed the car seed in my head as an infant as my dad had no interest in cars and as such I had no interest in cars until I bought my first at the age of 18 and then blam I was hooked and couldn’t stop collecting or perhaps hoarding, well till now as due to health most of my collection has gone recently as I realised I don’t want to be buried with it.

    Regards e-type prices here is that they have always been high. I could never had dreamed of owning one here as even project cars here had been past my budget. Sure I could have sold a lot of my project cars but as a hoarder you don’t want to do that either. Basically a bloke I knew in the 90’s was piecing together a bitza e type which he was suggesting he would let it go for $15000. But I believe the muscle car fad stopped them going up further so to me now they don’t seem as dear compared to Aussie muscle cars.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar DTKennedy930

    In my mind they’re asking $60K for a VIN. Loads and loads of work. Remember the body is a structural element in these cars.

    RE being an “early car”. It doesn’t have outside bonnet locks (changed September ’61) or welded louvers. Not sure if it has flat floor (changed ~ February ’62) from the pictures.

    They provide “CAR # 1154” in the EBay ad. That’s probably what Jaguar called a “Body Number” and should read something like V1154. If so it would be a relatively early car. The “VIN” provided in the ad is an error. Jaguar called their VIN’s “Car Number” and the seller provided 886154. The Series one went from 3.8L with Moss 4 speed and the early rounded bucket seats to the 4.2L with a full syncro 4 speed and more comfortable seats which folded forward ~ October of 1964. They also changed to a more recognizable VIN number starting with an R. The 3.8 LHD FHC Car Numbers ended at 881885. Not sure if the 1 and 6 are transposed but if so it would be a Sept/Oct ’64 build.

    Like 0

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