It may have a few dents and dings, but this early covered headlight E-Type coupe is said to be rust free (!) and has just been removed from 21 years of California storage. It’s now located in Naperville, Illinois and is listed for sale here on eBay. Needless to say, at $10,000 so far, bidding hasn’t met its reserve amount.
There is nothing quite like the silhouette of the early E-Type coupe. It’s easy to see why the body design receives all the superlatives it does. The seller tells us it only has 64,914 miles and has no rust or damage, with “excellent” floors and sills and a “perfect” trunk floor. They also tell us that all the chrome is in good condition.
I’m guessing there’s a story behind the single whitewall tire on the right rear. I’m not sure I want to know what the story is, but I’ll bet there is one. Perhaps that was the spare tire? The seller speculates that this may be the original paint; I would be very surprised if you can’t tell from close examination whether the claim is true or not.
While I can accept normal wear and tear, I think I’d eventually like to replace the covering over the arm rest. The seller also includes a picture with the seats showing, and there are tears there as well. It’s a shame, because I really like well worn but not torn leather seats.
I hope the steering wheel looks good under the aftermarket wrap, too.
This is the spec everyone wants; the three SU carburetors feed the XK big six cylinder nicely. While the haphazard wiring to the alternator will need to be redone, or at least checked thoroughly, the rest of the underhood doesn’t look bad. However, I’d want to do a lot of checking of systems before trying to start and drive the car. What do you think this preserved kitty will go for? And, as the obscure question for the day, would you put whitewalls, blackwalls or redlines on the car?
If I owned it… Sort out mechanical issues, have a high end shop do the interior, and if the paint IS original, I’d clean it up & leave it alone. Keep it a driver & enjoy it !
Windscreen chrome missing.
Redwalls would coordinate wonderfully with the neutral exterior and red interior.
Check out and freshen the drivetrain, tidy up the interior, paintlessly attend to the dents and wind that 3.8 out.
It’s a 4.2. 61-64 were 3.8’s. GLWTS!
What a body! All Welch and Ann Margaret. This is a nice car, sure, issues to fix but, wow, a Churchillian head turner when out on the highways!
It will go at $60K+, easy.
Before you do anything else totally replace the wiring harness. That was in the time they still used real rubber insulation on the wires and it is certain that has deteriorated. It is in far too good a condition to have it burn up because somebody went cheap on the electrical system.
Rip it out and put in a new teflon coated harness that will look exactly the same and will not short out and cause a fire.
5 days to go, crossing the $40K line and headed upwards.
Wish I’d cornered the market in these back in the 70’s with a warehouse full of them.
Jags and 356’s. Yep.
I agree with jesus bortini, who predicted “$60K+, easy.” I feel at least $65K, and up.
Redlines. Piss off the Pontiac GTO guys–and I like “goats!” LOL
I’d be interest in more folks answering the OP/Jaimie’s original questions, re: sale price estimates and tire sidewall treatments–in addition to the other, interesting points that have been made, and will hopefully continue.
I can’t believe a guy posts a $50K+ car on eBay and doesn’t pay the extra $2.00 to upgrade the photos to the larger scan over version… REALLY? No phone number and around 100 words to describe the car. What cannot be seen and is not said speaks volumes about this car. This appears to be the first thing this person has ever sold on eBay. Caveat Emptor!!
Vetteman,
I appreciate learning how the $2. “scan over version” works. I didn’t know how that worked (or what it cost) but I’m often shopping (more “window shopping” than buying) for antique, 1920’s “pressed steel toys,” like Buddy L trucks, Kelmet White, Keystone, etc…. And these items typically run from a few hundred dollars to in excess of $2,000., with five-figure prices easily seen at Bonhoms, Morphy’s, and similar auction houses.
So, my point is, you’re 100% correct! MOST times, sellers of these toys DO use the larger, “scan over” option (I didn’t know what it was called), because toy collectors are detail-oriented, and there are SO many bad paint jobs, repaints, “Armorall Jobs,” etc…, done, that one really needs to SEE these things.
So, I too, can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t pay $2. more to show this, on a mid-5-figure car, when seller of sub-$1,000. toys will spend the extra $2. LOL
On another note, as my car-enthusiast wife pointed out, there are ZERO underbody pics. We’re in the Northeast, and I’m becoming increasingly “allergic” to R-U-S-T.
So, yeah…if the seller can’t easily get the vehicle to a lift, at LEAST jack it up, lay on some cardboard, and show us what’s under the (fender) skirt(s)!
Peter…. yes, I forgot to mention undercarriage pics. There are just so many things that are wrong with this car, at least from the perspective of trying to buy it off the eBay ad. If I were local to Chicago I would certainly invest in a car ride to see it. But no way I would go from Southern CA to Chicago to check out this car with the lack of information provided. Sad really.
BTW I have sold over 100 cars overseas on eBay and Hemmings Motor News, completely sight-unseen. If you are interested take a look at the ad I recently ran to sell a $250K Ford GT … this is how one should sell a car on eBay. Thanks for your note… take car.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/232084133190?ssPageName=STRK:MEUNSOLD:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1562.l2649