How many cars does the great Enzo Ferrari call beautiful? Undoubtedly, at least the ones that bear his name. Maybe a few Zagato and Pininfarina creations, with the odd Mini here and there. But only one car holds the mark for “the most beautiful car ever made,” according to Enzo, and that’s this 1968 Jaguar XKE Series 1.5, or so goes automotive legend. What is documented fact is the car’s racing pedigree and the myriad of awards and showers of praise given to the car when it was released in 1961, and basically continuously since then. The E-Type was a supercar for its time, and was basically the roadgoing version of Jaguar’s Le Mans-winning D-Type race car under the skin. You can find this tastefully modified example here on eBay.
Beneath the long bonnet sits not the original inline-six, but a V-8. I know enough about engines to tell that it’s an American V-8, but I don’t have the encyclopedic knowledge to tell which company produced it. The seller confirms as much, and says that “at some point in its life” the powertrain was replaced. A V-8 may not be as elegant as a precision Jaguar six, but it’s not without its charms.
Inside looks relatively clean, with no glaringly absent bits of trim or rips in the seats. The main differences between the Series 1 and Series 1.5 E-Types were the de-tuned engine for American emissions regulations…but since this did away with the original engine, that doesn’t really matter. Other changes were different switches, bumpers, little bits like that. The new black rocker switches (as opposed to the older model’s toggle switches) are present in the above image, so you shouldn’t have to worry about trying to source a headlight switch for a 1968 Jaguar in this hectic market fraught with parts shortages.
I see what looks like one hole in the soft top, but short of needing a good detail, the car looks relatively straight and free of rust, grime, tears, rot, and other bad things. There is another E-Type in one of the images the seller says, and I always like to see that when looking for a car online. Your results may vary, obviously, but that says to me that the seller is at least familiar with what they have, and if you’re lucky, might have some spare parts you can convince them to throw in.
Personally, I would be more interested in the 59 Ranchero parked next to the Jag!
Here’s the web site from E-BAY ….. https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.pichunter.com%2F346%2F5%2F3465420%2F3465420_2_i.jpg&t=1635806212&ymreqid=00377e51-46c5-9db3-2f2c-5a001d011100&sig=gNX6WQkEVIM8FcLZDWm7nA–~D
Well that was quite the eBay ad. Odd there wasn’t a BuyITNow option.
I’d more interested were it a coupe, judging by how old the conversion looks I would bet a dollar that the engine is a Ford 289 CID.
I agree Jack. I would think Gullwing Motor Cars should have some one on staff that can determine the manufacturer of that motor. Maybe they are out looking for a wash bucket.
Wrong color for a 289, most likely a 302.
The angled plugs looks like a 351 Cleveland
I’m also a coupe fan but this car looks in great condition and will probably need mechanical and cosmetic going over but not much else. Great project.
Pretty compact V8. Maybe the Buick/Olds from the early 60s. Wonder how it was mated to the transmission?
Ummm valve covers state power by Ford…
It’s an early Ford 302
The seats are also wrong, who knows what else? Lots of work to be done. Gullwing Motors is no dummy.
Smart thing is to revert back to a period correct Jag 4.2 L engine and 4 speed tranny. Will be NOM, but vastly more valuable than this powertrain.
When i saw Gullwing Motors, I knew $$$$ overpriced.
I don’t care if the thing had a VW Beetle motor in it. It’s solid and (mostly) complete and best of all, an XKE! Much to like here!
I would prefer Roadkills Draguar it seems to be a bit more reliable
42k? I’d want it with a year’s ticket for that!
If it sells cheap and is structurally solid, give it an interior kit and a modern American V8 and 5-speed and you’d have a nice car without spending what it would cost to source and rebuild a Jag drivetrain. You’d also have a reliable, usable car that would easily outrun a stock E-type.
Or go the nut and bolt resto route if you want a really valuable car. Won’t be cheap though.
This beggars the question WHY????? would you do this to such an iconic automobile??????
If I had the money I would either restore it or resto mod it and put all that American junk where it belongs (scrap metal pile)
This ought to make every Jag purist vomit, ditching a fine Hagwar motor for this? For shame,,Don’t get me wrong, 302, none better, but in a Jag? If I have to explain why, you probably wouldn’t understand, like the Jeep motto. The 2 barrel 302 doesn’t put out that much more hp, and a Jag should have that twin cam 6, a masterpiece of engineering in itself, growling away, not some granny Fairlane motor. Very disappointing,,,to me.
You are absolutely right Howard A., and others like the fellow above you are dead wrong. A hydraulic lifter 302 with a two barrel is LESS POWERFUL than the E Type’s race-bred 4.2 which in earlier 3.4 guise won Le Mans 5 times! Talk about champagne versus cheap beer! These Jaguar naysayers tend to be V-8 fans who don’t know much else and who feel nationalistic chauvinism towards anything not domestic, and who therefore will put anything non-American down.
I read this in these comments on a regular basis, if it isn’t American then it must be crap! Doesn’t matter if it’s British, Japanese, French, Italian even Chinese, if it isn’t a Yank it’s rubbish.
Also very dissapointing to a lot of us I would assume Howard.
The Enzo “quote” is starting to get like the Opel GT “Mini-Vette” trope. Overused, cliche and worn-out. I can’t picture Enzo praising anything made by a competitor, especially an English one! If you read anything about him he would not be in the running for a “Mr. Congeniality” Award at any F1 Constructors meeting. Having said that, he probably would enjoy seeing what happened to this “Most Beautiful car Ever Made”
Or the “Every kid had a poster of the Countach on their wall” comment.
“Blank Canvas”
Ferrari Friday: Enzo and The Most Beautiful Car in the World
Fans of car history know about Enzo Ferrari’s infamous compliment to the Jaguar E-Type, but even if he said it, Ferrari didn’t wait long before building his own “Most Beautiful Car in the World.”
17 September, 2020
Forest Casey
Like many famous quotations, Enzo Ferrari’s supposed declaration at the 1961 Geneva Auto Show that the Jaguar E-Type was the “most beautiful car in the world” has taken on a life of its own. Because Ferrari’s founder never stated this in a public speech or a recorded interview, the only evidence that Enzo uttered this admission is secondhand. One source, Gino Rancati, ran with the same high-society cliques as Il Commendatore and attributed the 1964 quote to Ferrari in a biography published in 1988, the first published after Ferrari’s death. Rancati also claims Ferrari apparently went on to express his desire to own a Rolls-Royce, “but could not afford it.” Doesn’t sound like Enzo to me…
The other longtime source for the infamous quote, Norman Dewis, was working the Jaguar stand at Geneva when Enzo Ferrari reportedly strolled up with a gang of Ferrari engineers. After examining an E-Type Fixed-Head Coupe, Enzo said in Italian: “Congratulations! What a truly beautiful car it must be the most beautiful car in the world! But you know, it has one fault? It does not have a Ferrari badge on it!” That sounds more like the founder of Ferrari – you’ve won this battle, Enzo admits, but not the war.
Basta! (Italian for “Enough!”
Well said! I even sent a letter to some museum still perpetuating this BS!
Pls check also https://www.no-speedlimit.it/Jaguar_E_60.html
That Jaguar XKE looks to me as having a Ford 289 engine installed. I had this engine ina Cougar and it was good performing and I put 100K miles before selling it.
Way too much wrong, if you ask me. Interior by Lowrider magazine and that V8 (although, credit for using a Ford, rather than everybody’s 350 Chevy. Just yard art, for me.
It’s definitely worth rescuing if the bids don’t get too out of control. It looks really solid, despite all of the non-original parts, inside and out. The interior needs replacement anyway, so yank the motor, put it on a rotisserie, and do the full restoration with a period correct, Jag drive train. It will still be a non-matching numbers block, so that should be your caution light for bidding.
Where else but in Texas would someone drop a V-8 into an E-Type Jag. I’m surprised that someone didn’t convert it to a pick-up truck. Horrible!
Wishing to concact the writer looking for a 1958 Buick Limited, 2 door. In a small town nearme is a fellow with two 1958 Buik limiteds that are 4 doorhardtops. I could send him a note if there is a interest in a 4 door. They are in great shape and zero rust, looks like they have been in central California since 1958. The Limited had totally different exteriors from the other models. I know my Buicks every well.
Back in the late 70’s I remember reading I think a Hot Rod Annual that had an article on converting these to Ford V8 power, using a bolt-on kit. Think it made sense in that time, at least you could get a Jag back on the road with a fun little engine without having to shell out for a rebuild of the factory mill. An automatic though? Agh.
I like the 302, but the lt1 350/350 with a quadrajet and an HEI would last a long long time if properly cared for while being extremely dependable,1970 vintage, 2bolt fuel pump, super simple
433jeff: an E Type with a 350 of any kind is something with awful handling. An E Type is a pedigree sports car based on a true racecar, not some large, traditional American passenger car that will handle much the same with a plethora of different engines. Many years ago I went to check out an E Type with a 350 and stopped and turned around after a few blocks. I could feel I was driving a potential coffin on wheels.
Keep shopping!
Wasn’t there a shop in Dallas back in 70’s/80’s that specialized in doing Chev to Jag engine swaps? Was quite the thing back then as I recall.
It was John’s Cars, I believe.
@Cdice – you are correct. John’s Cars also sold a kit to convert a Ser. 3 2+2 coupe into a roadster. That was in the late 80’s when V-12 E-type convertibles leapt into six figures, double and tripling in value when speculators started buying collector cars as investments.
Inside looks relatively clean?? Did you look at the pictures? That car has been in a flood, hurricane, something. Out of Texas, notice they left out the “where from” out of Texas. Does the phrase, “Houston, we have a problem” ring a bell? That sucker has been submerged. Look at all the rust on the shifter on the console and up around the ignition. This is true, buyer beware!
That 302 two barrel is a dependable engine, but is also a slug. Notice the Ford floor shift automatic? It’s likely a C4, pretty much a dog of transmission. For all of the work involved with an engine swap, I would have chosen a more exciting setup. A solid lifter 302 with a four barrel would be a lot more fun. Swap out the three speed auto for a 6 speed stick shift, and this car could be a whole bunch of fun! I don’t see 42 K either…
I think you have to face the fact that Jaguars of the 50’s through at least the early 2000’s were unreliable as hell. Lucas electrical systems became a joke. Labor problems effected the build quality and the company was constantly on the edge of bankruptcy . The last Jag we owned was a beautiful 2001 black S type. Wonderful car to drive, nice V8 engine etc. It was always in the shop for something or other. Warranty took care of the cost but not the aggravation. Yes, I’m sure some you had very good Jags, but most of us, not so much.
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I’ve owned many Jags of that era, ’58, ’62 (that one had a Ford 302), ’67, ’72, ’74, ’76, and another ’76, ’89, etc. They are indeed very different than owning an American car. They are high-performance, race-bred sports cars, even the sedans. As such, they require tinkering. You have to top up the oil in the carbs weekly, for example. Many US buyers didn’t understand this, and ignored the owners manual schedules, which turned into hatred of their cars. It’s true that Lucas connectors were crap, but that usually all that was wrong when you had an electrical problem. But all things considered, if you are okay tinkering with your Jag, they can be wonderfully dependable cars.
It’s an automatic.
Enough said
I have an Jaguar E-Type in my toy car collection.