Seeing cars that have been with the same owner since new is a rare occurrence when the car’s birth date is from the 1960s, but it does still happen. This 1968 Jaguar E-Type is apparently being offered for the first time since its current caretaker acquired it in 1969. There are a variety of parts included with it that suggest a restoration was planned but never started. The E-Type is potentially a rare “Series 1.5” which incorporated design cues from both the earlier Series 1 and the later Series 2 cars, which incorporated a variety of changes to accommodate U.S. safety regulations. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace for $30,000.
When Jaguar introduced the E-Type, it quite literally shocked the world. It was achingly beautiful, it was fast, and it looked like nothing else on the road. The E-Type was the pride of Britain, and it was a sensation worldwide. Even today, it is easily one of the most striking cars you will see at any car show or auction event. The E-Type originally came with gorgeous glass-ensconced headlights which were sadly done away with due to U.S. regulations, and when the transition occurred, a few cars snuck out with the original Series 1 taillamps and open headlamps – as this car has, which likely makes it an unusual “Series 1.5.”
These were cars that were assembled in late 1967 into early 1968. While I doubt it adds much value here, it does make the car more intriguing. The seller notes that the sale will include “….OEM parts, including floor pans, center console, and original seats.” This says to me that the long-term owner intended to replace the floor pans but never got around to it, especially if he has NOS OEM parts from Jaguar. It’d be nice to see what the seats look like, as the seller claims the car remained inside for its many years in storage. Hopefully, the planned floor pan replacement was simply to replace some weather pans as opposed to long-festering rust issues.
The 4.2L engine was almost as compelling as the styling when introduced, The straight six was powerful, producing 265 horsepower when new. Four wheel disc brakes provided stopping power, and if you bought an E-Type with the four-speed manual gearbox, you’d experience the joy of a fully-synchronized box. The seller’s car features the automatic which is hardly a surprise; the E-Type’s grand touring capabilities made the automatic a logical choice for many buyers when new. This E-Type does have the potential to be worth quite a bit more when finished, but you’ll have to assess the health of the included components to determine how much it will cost to get it to road-going form. Thanks to Barn Finds reader MisterLou for the tip.
Oy very, this one is worse. I realize, it’s “Barn Finds”, and this shouldn’t shock us, but somehow a rusty Pinto looks a lot better in this shape than the most beautiful car in the world. But,,,these cars can’t talk, and we can only speculate what happened here, I wouldn’t know where to begin. The automatic wasn’t as rare as you’d think, with an estimated 40-50% were automatics. Sounds good to me, except, one would miss the thrill of a stick in these. Some things are still sacred or should be.
I am not on facebook and don’t want to go through the bs of setting up an account there. Can anybody tell me where this XKE is located (city and state) Thanks.
Castro Valley, CA
Castro Valley, CA
It showed Castro Valley, Ca. That’s east of San Francisco about 25-30 miles.
Howard: When it comes to six cylinder E Types, only the stretched 2 + 2 came with an optional automatic. No Series 1, 1.5 or 2 roadster or coupe ever had the auto. It is the Series III V-12 that offered both the manual or automatic in both the roadster and the 2+2. Although we view those slush box V-12s s as heresy and also the six cylinder stretched 2+2s that had them, they sold well and proved to have been a wise sales decision, as women now started buying up way more E Types and men not predisposed to doing their own shifting and clutching, now had an alternative.
Hagerty shows a #4 car (runs and drives) at 48K. So, the eye-watering price of the subject car might not be out of line.
Hefty price for a rusty car full of tree pieces that “remained inside”.
See FB pictures for third interior shot.
Sad.
You know… you can take an E type and put it in a crusher and scrunch it down to a 4×4 cube…. it’s still an E type! You can do the same with a rusty Pinto…. Which one is worth more at that point? Once again.. the seller thinks he has gold and mostly likely it has the value of tin!! I would stay away as a project…….Who lets a car like this deteriorate to this level? It’s been abandoned for some time!!
Never used by the factory, it was JCNA (Jaguar Clubs of North America) which invented the 1.25 & 1.5 designations, retrospectively to distinguish the visually distinct iterations of the late-build S1 cars. On January 11, 1967, the first E-Type for US delivery was built without the covered headlights and this marked start of what would come to be known as the 1.25 although it wouldn’t be until June-July that year the open headlights became a universal fitting on cars for all markets. Between August-October 1967, the 1.5 run was built with twin Zenith-Stromberg carburetors replacing the triple SUs (on E-Types delivered in North America, other markets still getting three SUs), ribbed camshaft covers, a raised mounting of the headlights (to meet minimum height requirements) and the adoption of rocker switches.
I’m pretty sure all convertibles came from the factory with the manual transmission if I remember correctly.
Yes, the longer wheelbase of the 2+2 was needed so the only OTS (open two seater, then Jaguar-jargon for roadsters) with the auto were the S3 cars.
Correct. If you wanted an automatic E-type, you had to buy a 2+2. Roadsters were not offered with an auto trans until the ’73 Ser III.
Ludicrous ask….I hope the owner loves this car enough to let prospective owners negotiate a price that leaves a little headroom after the restoration outlay-any way you figure, this will be a labor of love rather than a blue chip investment unless you plan to will it to progeny (a decades-long proposition).
From the picture of all those leaves on the floor board this Jag has not been in covered storage the whole time. Plus if you look at the rust on the floor it looks like that convertible top has been off for a long time. This Jaguar will reveal at lot more rust damage as you disassemble it. Add a least double the asking price in restoration cost if not more. Shame because at one time this was a stunning Jaguar
We did a complete, take everything apart paint job on a ’64 and what the same job today costs is what they are asking for this car.
For a milestone birthday, my wife sat me down, and said “I know how much you like the Jaguar, so I thought about getting you an E-Type. So I want on line to see what they cost. You’re not getting an E-type…”
Amazing pictures! Professional photographer?
It says in the ad that this car was stored inside and outside. I’m thinking probably a lot of time outside. Also, if the seller is the original owner, why doesn’t he know the mileage. And he thinks it’s an automatic. Buyer beware.
This is one for the Jag specialist shop’s graveyard. They’ll maybe drop a few grand if they see something they want and send a trailer to get it. The panels might be salvageable and some of the castings.
A regular Joe has no clue what to do with this and the guys who do have a clue are certainly not taking on this one.
Parked it inside for the pictures! The only way a Jag gets this way in Castro Valley is parked behind the house, in the shade with the top down. This is called pure neglect. This WAS an XKE. Now it merely resembles a rusty XKE pos.
You’re looking at $100K to bring it back to #1 condition, and even at that price you could end up having to do the lion’s share of the disassembly and reassembly yourself. As others have mentioned the automatic didn’t appear until the V12 cars, so there’s a story behind that. The S2 cars are never going to be as valued as the original series, so there’s little reason not to install a 5 speed. Quite common upgrade for all ETypes.
I feel sympathy for the original owner, who had fond memories of the car and their younger self with it, and never got to see it restored.
$30 grand huh? I love a good laugh with my morning coffee.
Looks like and priced like Peter Kumar of Gull Wing Motors discovered it.
This unofficial 1.5 E Type–built for a year between October of ’67 and October of ’68–seems to need complete restoration. Thus, one is looking at 100 thousand to not cut corners. The asking price is not cheap…so a potential buyer needs to look at his/her skills and bank account. One thing that definitely SHOULD BE CHANGED is getting rid of those two fog lamps inside the mouth. The Series 1.5 retained that SMALL air opening that already allowed in precious little air…so clogging it with those lamps was not wise, when it came to engine cooling and keeping hoses in reasonable shape.
Way back in the 1980s I went and looked at a XKE coupe body the seller was going to put on a Chevy Caprice chassis. said it was the same wheelbase. He had found a Corvette and decide to sell the body for $500. It was complete. but needed some nose repair. I remember a lot of toggle switches and buttons.
It isn’t a real Jag if it has rocker switches.
Says WHO? I have a slight personal preference for the toggle switches, on a one-on-one basis…but the unofficial Series 1.5, 2 and 3 have ten rocker switches as opposed to six toggle switches. That jet-fighter panel of ten switches balances out the six of the Series1…plus the rocker switches are way more reliable…plus something Series 1 supremacists never mention, is that starting with the Series 1.5, the centre dash gained an extra full gauge–the clock.
My experience with British cars is that the “rocker” switches are less reliable than toggles. That being said. Neither are in the hall of fame for reliability! With only electrical switches used on ’95 and newer Volvos being worse. Since 1995, Volvo steering and electrical have fought it out for the worst reliability in a motor vehicle in 50 years!
Sorry to get off the Jaguar track.
If those rocker switches were manufactured by Lucas Electrical I won’t add the Prince of Darkness comment yet :-)
Wayne: my Series II E Type has all of its ORIGINAL ten rocker switches working properly. I know they haven’t been replaced because they are date-coded to 1968. 58 years is a long and venerable service period…in my opinion. How many decades-old do they need to be before you will say they are reliable?
Every rocker switch in my 1975 MGB have been replaced at least twice since I have owned it. (2001 purchase date) Not a good record for a car that sits in the garage all year and maybe used in the dark for maybe 10 hours total. And that is with an additional relay for the headlights to keep the load off the switch. I believe that I will change over to some other “non-factory” type switches.
Elbert: the rocker switches in question were sourced from the aircraft industry.
You like potato and I like potato
You like tomato and I like tomato
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto
Let’s call the whole thing off
If anyone decides to visit and inspect this Jaguar remember you are in the artichoke capital of the world :-)
Castroville, California, located near Monterey, is known as the “Artichoke Center of the World,” producing the vast majority of the nation’s crop. The town features a 20-foot-tall artichoke statue, an annual festival, and is home to major grower Ocean Mist Farms.
If the Jaguar doesn’t quite pan out go get your picture taken next to the 20-foot tall artichoke statue . . . then it is an interesting and not disappointing trip.
Then wander on down to Gilroy. The garlic Capitol of the world.