There is a plethora of British projects on eBay right now; I’m curious as to what you would most like to be working on! The really rough 1954 XK120 is located in Miami, Florida and is offered here, currently at $3,695 but has not met its reserve. The disassembled but complete 1970 E-Type is in Athens, Georgia and has met its reserve here at $8,000. The running but still needing a little work 1975 ex-Belgian Army Land Rover Defender is in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and is auctioned here at $7,500 with no reserve. Finally, the unrestored 1957 MGA is located in Lawton, Iowa and is listed here where it has a buy-it-now of $7,800 but offers are being taken.
XK120’s are some of the most beautiful British cars ever made. It’s hard to believe William Lyons thought that only a couple of hundred would ever sell. This one has certainly seen better days, though, with a LOT of bodywork necessary as well as a lot of replacement parts. I wish there were more than the four small fuzzy pictures as well; we don’t even get to see under that gorgeously shaped hood. Based on the advertisement’s lack of detail and the willingness to ship it overseas, the seller is apparently expecting to send this car elsewhere.
On the other hand, while this E-Type is completely disassembled, the seller has included a great many detailed pictures so one knows exactly what one is getting into. Said to be complete with 70,000 original miles, the car has been taken apart carefully with components stored well for reassembly. Some metal work has already been done, but more is needed, especially on the damaged right rear quarter panel, where a replacement patch panel is included. The car has been parked since 1981.
The Defender is in the best shape of any of the vehicles here; it actually runs and drives, although the seller says more fettling is required before they would consider it for daily driver status. I’m not sure I’d ever consider a Defender as a daily driver, unless my commute included a lot of really rough terrain! This one is just down the road from me in Chapel Hill, and having genuine military history appeals to some collectors. It comes with new brake parts and is a FFR lightweight version. This means it is a 4×2, not a 4×4 like most Land Rovers. The seller included a link to the history of this unusual subset here.
Despite the rust, primer, and general state, if you could resolve the title issues I might consider this MGA over the other three projects. I love the shape and simplicity of the MGA, and there’s no mistaking it for any other vehicle. Judicious aftermarket and MGB parts can make one a delight to drive as well. The rust doesn’t thrill me, though, and I’m always leery of any car without a title.
Hopefully, all four of these projects can find good homes and eventually be returned to the road. Which one would you choose?
if it could be converted to 4×4 at low cost i would go with the land rover. the MGA does not have a title and is somebodys stalled project. both jags are stalled projects. interesting finds.
That’s a lot of money for a 4×2 series rover needing work. That would be a great price for a defender.
That Land Rover is a long way from Belgium ! I have found out something new here, as I had no idea about these – thanks for including the link to the history of these,Jamie.