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Promising Project: 1969 Jaguar E-Type

While many British sports cars were accessible due to their relative affordability when new, the Jaguar E-Type was very much an aspirational vehicle. This was a car that the company had intended to push the boundaries of performance, and it managed to survive in the new car market far longer than anyone envisaged. Today, they still remain aspirational because good examples can command some eye-watering prices. This 1969 example will need a lot of work before it can do that, but at least its next owner will be commencing the restoration process with a complete car. If you feel ready for a challenge, you will find the E-Type located in Dallas, Texas, and listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the BIN at $35,000, but the option is available to make an offer.

The buyer of this E-Type will have some work ahead of them because it has some rust issues that will need to be tackled. It has impacted the usual areas like the floors and rockers and some places on the hood. There are also a few dings and dents that will need attention, and while the car appears to be complete, I believe that the buyer will be best served by performing a complete nut-and-bolt restoration. However, given the potential value locked away in the vehicle if the process is completed correctly, it should be worth the effort and cost. With the exception of the front bumper, the exterior trim is all present, and it looks to be a solid prospect for restoration. The same is true of the beautiful wire wheels, while I can’t spot any significant issues with the glass.

The backstory of the E-Type is an interesting one, and it involves the use of smoke and mirrors. We are used to hearing manufacturers underplay their hand with a classic car. The history books are littered with examples where power outputs have been significantly understated to avoid any adverse reactions from legislators and insurance companies. The E-Type, on the other hand, proved to be the exact opposite. Jaguar had made a great deal of noise about producing a sports car that could top 150mph. One can only imagine their horror when they discovered that the pre-production examples fell well short of that mark. In desperation, they took some of these cars and removed items like the bumpers, wipers, and mirrors, taped closed the grille opening, and fitted narrower tires to reduce rolling resistance, and found that they still failed to reach the target speed. The company was facing a situation where they would have egg on their face the moment the press laid their hands on the car, so they hatched a cunning scheme. One of the most famous examples of the E-Type is known as “9600HP.” This car was a pre-production prototype that was used as a press demonstrator. It achieved the promised figure in the hands of motoring journalists, and Jaguar’s reputation had been saved. However, that car disappeared shortly after the release of the production version, and it only emerged from a barn a few years ago. That was when the truth came to light. The car’s new owner undertook a restoration, and that’s when he discovered that his car wasn’t all that it seemed. Jaguar had produced a new hatch from aluminum and a rear window from Plexiglass to reduce weight. When the engine was disassembled, it was discovered that not only was it meticulously blueprinted, but its cylinder head had been ported and polished. This owner also found that many of the engine’s internal components actually belonged in a D-Type race car. The 3.8-liter engine in 9600HP was far from being the production unit that Jaguar had claimed. It seems that Jaguar had managed to pull an enormous con on the motoring press, and they managed to avoid detection for decades! This E-Type features its original 4.2-liter DOHC six-cylinder engine that would’ve produced 246hp in its prime. That power found its way to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. A ¼ mile ET of 14.9 seconds would have been pretty reasonable in 1969 and held flat, it would eventually find its way to 143mph. The car is mechanically complete, but it hasn’t run in more than a year. I suspect that the buyer will probably pull the engine as part of the restoration process, and that will give them a chance to inspect it thoroughly before they hit the key for the first time.

As is the case with the rest of the vehicle, this E-Type’s interior is complete, but it will need some work. There are plenty of pieces that might respond well to some deep cleaning, with items like the dash and console showing promise. The top of the dash appears to be cracked, and there is some wear on the seats. However, as is the case with so many cars of this type, parts remain easy to find, and in this case, they are also surprisingly affordable. If the buyer can perform the cleaning and installation work themselves, they will likely find the interior restoration to be the most inexpensive area of this project.

If this 1969 Jaguar E-Type were a 2+2, I would place a question mark over its financial viability as a project with its current BIN price. That is because even perfect examples of the 2+2 generally command sale prices around 30% lower than the 2-seat Fixed Head Coupe. If the buyer returns this car to a pristine state, there is no reason why its value should surpass $80,000 in today’s market. Six-figures could also be possible if the restoration is perfect. When you consider those numbers, that makes this car look like a worthwhile restoration project.

Comments

  1. Avatar RoughDiamond

    Great write up, Adam. Geez, can’t the Seller at least hide the tow straps for the pictures? I will never have deep enough pockets to mess with these cars.

    Like 1
  2. bobhess bobhess Member

    Certainly agree with Ferrari’s comment about the XKE being the best looking car ever built. Even this sad looking example looks good.

    Like 4
  3. Avatar leiniedude Member

    The 1st time I have seen an E without the front bumper. How do you make a great looking car look better? In this case remove the bumper.

    Like 3
  4. Avatar Johnny Gibson

    Teamed up with a guy in the early 2000’s he had a custom Paint’n’Panel, general mechanical shop. He was a wiz at both but his main was in the bodywork department and he was a bit of a MacGyver at that, can’t buy one make it. We worked on a few Jags, during one such occasion he told me how he had moved from England to Australia after completing his trade and the first batch of freshly minted E-Types turned up on the shores. Being not only the sexist cars they had ever laid eyes on but also having a set of keys him and his boss took one for a drive. They loved it until they crossed about 1/4 mile of dirt road, few hundred yards in they could no longer see each other and as he stated these things are pretty cozy in the cabin so you wouldn’t think zero visibility would be possible. It was so full of dust they had to stop, let it subside and then crawl back to the tar. Back at the warehouse they took a peek and it was a bit horrific as they could see daylight all the way around where the rear wheel wells meet the body. It was not a one off and worried new owners might fall through the generous sized crevice Jaguar provided he practically spent the rest of days there lead filling and finishing all the new arrivals. He was just thankful they were not a high volume car coming to Australia or he would still be there doing it. Anyway I’d take one for sure, after all these years they are still one of the finest looking cars ever produced IMO.

    Like 5
    • Avatar AJ

      I have no idea what this is all about

      Like 1
  5. Avatar AJ

    $80,000!!!… that is a very generous price for a coupe…. for tyat price you can still get a good convertible if you look. The asking price of this car is practically way more than this if you factor the cost of the body work needed, possibly frame also which would devalue it unless it is very properly and expensively done. Then the engine which the buyer doesn’t even mention if it actually turns… the brakes, suspension, etc. The interior may not be in old maserati territory but it certainly isn’t cheap.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar Lowell Peterson

    About the interior? Just picked up a ’69 coupe from a SoCal XKE specialist upholsterer $13,900. VERY NICE TOO!

    Like 3
  7. Avatar Jack Leary

    My Father bought a brand new silver 69 E Type around 70 or so that was a leftover. I remember myself and my brother and sister riding in it even in the rear hatch. Around 1978 my brother was tering into the garage on his bicycle and he crashed and broke out the tail light. He then glued all of the pieces of broken red plastic back into the hole and the old man never knew it. He sold it in the mid 80’s and it caught fire sometime after that in New Jersey.

    Like 2
  8. Avatar Lowell Peterson

    Done many XKE restos. These cars were soooo undervalued/underappreciated for so many years that its high time they are now just barely worth rolling them out of the barn to be enjoyed! They don’t have to be perfect to be fun.

    Like 4
  9. Avatar MikeB

    These things are just so damn beautiful that I would just want to sit in a chair in the garage and just look at it for hours. I felt that way in the 60’s and still do. I imagine they would be a real PIA to own, but still……

    Like 1
  10. Avatar CCFisher

    The idea that this can be purchased and restored for less than $80,000 is fanciful.

    Like 0

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