As the seller stated in the auction listing here on eBay, “I wish…the barn find authors would come see it.” I wish I could go! Being an E-Type fan, especially ones with the optional hardtop, I think this would be a great find to see in person. The seller has left the 30 year stored find alone for the moment–and that means it’s on the second floor (!) of a dry barn in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bidding is up to $34,500 and the seller states the reserve is south of $45,000 in the ad.
I know, everyone wishes it were a Series I car and didn’t have the luggage rack. Okay, now that is out of the way, take a look at what you do have here. The car has a remarkable lack of rust and comes with a complete history. The original owner bought the car on their way back from Vietnam and owned the car until earlier this year. There are a few places that have been repainted and a bit of previous body work, but compared to the usual completely ravished kitty this looks like a terrific place to start.
Again, not perfect, but not bad either. I’ve sure seen worse!
Under that beautiful bonnet sits one of my favorite engines ever, the XK inline six. There really is something special about these engines, although I have to admit I prefer the earlier polished aluminum valve covers versus these later finned versions. As I’ve stated before, I’m one of the very few British car enthusiasts who prefers these Stromberg carburetors over the earlier SU’s, mainly due to the replaceable throttle shaft bushings. I’m sure some of you will argue with me, and that’s fine.
Although the electrical component (ignition switch?) hanging down from the dash doesn’t give me warm fuzzies, the fact that it’s a manual transmission car, has a nice dash and even a good condition steering wheel fills me with hope that this car could be put back on the road with far less work than most E-Types seen on this site. Sure, you’ll be paying Jaguar prices for those hydraulic components, but you should be excited at the thought of putting one of these big cats on the road for under $55,000. I just wish I could go see it in person! Perhaps one of you will go and report back to us?
Not sure where the XJ inline 6 comment comes from, as never heard the 6 cyl Jaguar engine referred to as that????? The engine in an XK series or the E type has always been referenced as an XK engine! The XJ was a 3.2 liter engine which was tested prior to coming up with the XK 3.4 double overhead cam engine-of course which went on to increase to 3.8 then 4.2 and was used thru the 1987 model year (then in the XJ series of cars)! That aside this looks like a sweet SII E type!!!
Typo! My bad!
Looks like a driver you could fix as you go. Put extra Stromberg carb diaphragms in the glove box.
As owner of this car i am thrilled people are spreading the word. The thoughtful comments on this website are very encouraging and i hope i can find the right buyer somewhere just under 40k. I am a sucker for an interesting story/purchaser and will update this site with the results. Thanks to all for their support and interest.
Nice ! ……. I’m drooling.
This would be such a nice partner to my 69 Coupe.
Love the hardtop to bits – in some ways it looks better than the coupe.
The writer is totally underestimating the cost once purchased to get it running.
You’re going to burn through $10K quickly to sort out hydraulics, carbs, new battery and tires, probably a new exhaust system, and a lot of other sundries to make it a well patina’d usable car.
But what an attractive idea ………..
Great car Brad. I hope you get your price!
In the late 80’s early 90’s I was traveling a lot for work, and I remember an old gas station in central Jersey, that had a bunch of these, in various states of needed repairs, in a lot next to the station. It was an interesting site and that’s why I still remember the site. He also had a Bricklin, and some early electric cars. Who would have thought these would become so valuable, hope the guy made out on his collection, he was way ahead of his time.
Lots of RUST will triple the fix-it cost, maybe more. Remember Philly is a snow/salt use location! Lots of rain too. Buyer beware
Owner here. This car started out in england, owner had house in florida and new jersey. It was never driven in salt or snow. You can see the trunk floor in the photos on ebay and those floors are representative of the underside and side panels of the car. Its as rust free as any old driven Pennsylvania car you will find. Any buyer is welcome to come see for themselves. Bob, sorry you have had bad experiences with jaguars here.