The road to hell is paved with good intentions, a phrase that carries particular weight in the collector car community. The meaning of this phrase basically boils down to the fact that good intentions are meaningless without a supporting action that allows them to be acted upon. For many of us, we have every intent of getting back into a project, but time and interest tend to dissolve at about the same point. The seller of this 1972 Jaguar E-Type coupe listed here on craigslist notes it comes with a long and winding past that led it to this point.
The seller, a broker/dealer helping the older female owner with the sale, is asking $11,500. I give him a lot of credit, as he is exceedingly detailed in the listing and helps paint a picture of what brought the Jaguar to this point. The previous owner, the seller’s brother, began stripping the car for restoration many, many years ago. He broke the car down, had it painted, and then got called to a new job in New York City where he couldn’t store the car nearby. It was shipped to his sister’s house in Vermont, where it would remain for the next several years.
As he traveled for work, there were always plans to get back to the project. However, those plans never materialized, and after passing away unexpectedly, the project truly hit the skids. The sister, honorable as she is, kept the Jaguar indoors and out of view until probate was settled and she could market the car, The interior has been stripped out but it looks like most of it is included. The broker who is selling the car further notes the rear brakes are stick and the engine is locked up – a true bummer for the current caretaker. After all those years of sitting, it’s hardly surprising.
With 272 horsepower and 300 lb.-ft. of torque, the E-Type was no slouch. The shame of the engine being locked up is it looks quite clean and I suspect it was a running, driving car for many years before the restoration project began in earnest. The seller’s brother apparently was still driving it while living in Texas, and that’s when disassembly apparently began. To move a car in pieces from Texas to Vermont shows real commitment, and it’s a shame the gentleman never had a chance to finish his work. The seller is correct that the smarter play is likely stripping it down and parting it out, but our strong preference is to see it back on the road.
Unfortunately, it’s a $12,000 mess. If the featured selling point of a car is the “value” of its expensive parts, potential buyers are staring directly into a huge red flag. There is a lot of rust on areas that were already completed and now need to be redone, not to mention whatever parts turn up missing. This won’t be an easy sell and very well may need several rounds of discounts to find a buyer.
Steve R
Agree. Don’t see how you would get around repainting it after fixing all the other areas.
And add to valuation negatives that this is NOT an FHC, but a far less desirable 2+2. There is no such thing as a V12 FHC – they are all 2+2s.
Buy it cheap, sell the Jaguar mechanicals to an aficionado, and turn it in to a Draguar. This car cries out for a Coyote swap.
I agree. These cars have great lines and a restomod of sorts would be potentially a cheaper and easier route to go.
Looks like a fun project if you are really comfortable with Jag V12s and Jags in general, and can get that price down a ways.
That picture of the wiring gives me pause…
Ok Jaguar experts. Again, please explain to me the different “coupe, fix head, hardtop” body styles. Our sportscar club had a member with an XKE COUPE? It had beautiful lines that I fell in love with. I don’t know the year. All other “hard tops” that I have seen have a raised roof/taller windshield that I find unattractive like this car featured here. When did they screw up (IMHO) the “coupe” design?
Thanks in advance for your time.
In Jaguar terminology you have three types of tops (or hoods as they’re known across the pond) the FHC – Fixed Head Coupe (pretty self explanatory – a hard top coupe). The OTS is an Open Two Seater and those could be either a Roadster or a Drop Head Coupe. The Roadster had a removable top, you would remove it, fold it and stow away behind the seats or in the boot.
The Drop Head Coupe did fold back and stowed in essence between the seats the rear deck. This was generally seen as a less aesthetically pleasing version.
By the time the E – Type was released, they had moved away from the two different soft tops and had only the drop head version (which folded down manually) but looked better folded than the earlier Jaguar OTS cars and the Fixed Head Coupes.
By the Series 2, there were two style coupes .. standard and 2+2. The standard had the lower, more sloped back windscreen and the 2+2 had a more upright windscreen, back seats and a longer door. By Series 3, the 2+2 was the only coupe available.
There are many other differences, I won’t go into them all here.
Just a slight clarification. Both the DHC – drop head coupe and the OTS – open two seater are both convertibles. The DHC has a mini back seat. When the convertible top ( aka hood) is folded, it rests on top of the body behind the rear mini seats. In contrast, the OTS has no rear seat. When the top is folded down it rests in back of the front seats below the body line. A color matching fabric then covers it from the trunk line to the back of the rear seats. The OTS therefore has a cleaner look. However the DHS has the nice area behind the front seats that you can also fit small children in.
For example I own an XK150S OTS:
S for performance,
OTS for open two seater.
Of course the third variant, the coupe, is a “hardtop”.
Thank you sir. As I mentioned before. In my opinion, the early XKE both roadster and coupe are gorgeous! And I would love to have one. BUT, probably never be in my car budget. I guess I can just dream. The club mate I mentioned’s coupe. Also had the period knock off disc style wheels. (Not knock off wire wheels) Just one perfect car in my estimation.
That first pic reminds me of an APC.
These things were so bulbous!
And the whole project brings to mind the movie The Money Pit.
You are all correct in one way or another.
This most probably isn’t going to be a money maker.
Most of us build these (old, classic cars) for the love of the journey and the destination. If you’re in it for the money, better off looking elsewhere, maybe the stock market or real estate investments.
Cars are meant to be driven and when they fall into disrepair it takes someone with a real love of the car(s) to simply build them for the sake of saving these Lost Souls and getting them back on the road. Every hobby we have costs us money and we don’t expect a penny back from, let’s say the golf community – How many thousands have serious golfers spent on clubs, gear, memberships, travel, etc.? Anyone ever make a profit selling your used clubs? LOL
What I’m really envisioning for this car is someone like Dean Cusano (Motorcars Inc) to come along and build another Grrrowler. The one he built in the photo above started as a car very similar to this one.
It can be done.
I am representing this car for the sister and can answer any questions you may have. There are also over 350 additional photos available on my site. Just ask.
Thanks for the write up Jeff!
Yes, this is a 2+2, about 12″ longer than the coupe version Wayne loved, which was available in the series I and series II. Higher roof too. The stretched wheelbase gave more room inside, and the length looked ok on the series III convertible, but for most of us it ruined the lines of the tintop. 2+2s are the orphan children, commanding much less than their shorter wheelbase brethren. Clean, driving cars with excellent mechanicals, paint and interior go for $35k, projects like this, not sure anyone will see much value at all.
Thanks Scott!
looks like this guy and the mustang guy got together and swapped repair tips
I am firmly in the camp that considers the original XKE to be one of the most beautiful automobile’s ever produced, this body style however is absolutely atrocious. It seems to me like the designer had to actually try to come up with something this hideous. I see little to no value in this thing.
Jaguar was trying to assuage their customers who wanted the E-Type style but were either too tall or needed just a bit more room for stuff, and they needed to get inline with US highway safety regualtions. While agreed it isn’t as beautiful as the initial Series 1 and Series 2, many still find it a handsome car.
Fortunately, there are quite a few folks who feel there is worth in a car like this, so it’s value to you in particular is of little concern.
Did I imply that my opinion of this car should be adopted by everyone?
It seems that my opinion has struck a nerve with you though, but guess what, that is of little concern to me.
Boys, boys, boys keep your tempers in check.
If this were a convertible with a 4 speed, might be worth $12,000 and a restoration project. As is, I’m not sure it’s worth $12K.
That has sat outside in the rain for years and years before moving inside, the worry is what is under the paint!
Pat, that’s the best explanation I’ve heard so far. The owner was an architect, obviously he knew something about project management. There’s no way he painted the body with the floors in that shape, so likely it sat outside in Vermont unprotected. As Steve said, it’s now a serious mess without a lot of value.
It sat in a barn in VT. Which is only slightly better than sitting outside anywhere else. Yes, the car was painted when it was apart, and the unfortunate current condition happened over the last 30 years.