When I was a teenager, my parents allowed me to drive their Mustang GT convertible with some regularity, at least until I had a car of my own. Back in the ’90s, everyone in the world focused in on those 5.0 badges on the fender, and only the most well-versed knew the truth. The Mustang had an AOD and 2.73 gears; therefore, it would run about neck-and-neck with an S10 Blazer, at least from stoplight to stoplight. Still, that didn’t matter because I was driving a 5.0 and that gave me all the street cred I needed. This ’68 E-Type gives me that same vibe; some who are “in-the-know” will instantly condemn this 2+2 for being a little less graceful-looking than the contemporary two-seater. Like my days cruising in the GT, however, most people will just see a cool car. But at what cost? This one is located in Bellingham, WA and is on Facebook Marketplace.
It’s a shame how many cars come out of long storage “running when [they were] parked.” The seller of this E-Type bought it from a multi-car estate sale, and it had not been running in over a decade. The owner shows a short video of the engine snapping to life on starting fluid or something similar, but it’s going to be a long road before this one’s prowling the streets again. The mechanical side is not the only side that needs help; these sills have seen better days. And what’s underneath?
The interior shows the hallmarks of being stored in a damp situation, too, as does the moss growing in the door jamb. On the plus side, this 2+2 has a manual transmission, unlike many of them that I’ve seen in person.
And it still has the classic Jaguar 4.2-liter inline six, albeit down a carburetor compared to earlier models. US emission standards affected all cars a bit by 1968, and the Jaguar lost a small step compared to the pre-’68 editions. These are sometimes called “Series 1.5” cars because they wore some of the changes that would distinguish Series 2 cars from Series 1. This one’s taillights above the rear bumper are one clue of its identity. Jaguar aficionados – feel free to add others in the comments.
Here comes the part where I truly don’t have a clue: its asking price. It’s $27,500. Hagerty values a #4 (Fair) 2+2 at $35,500, but I’m not sure this one with all its needs rates as highly as that. What do you think is a fair price for this E-Type?
The price of this car is whatever the new owner wants to pay for it…..It is certainly out of my league let alone the additional funds to get it back to wherever it needs to be…..There is something classy about the lines of the 2+2. It is very different from the roadster!!
It isn’t a greedy ask. But obviously the purchase price is just the cost of entry…
So much will depend on how much the tin worm has eaten up the underside. It looks complete, which makes it worth a lot, headliner is drooping, steering wheel does not look right to me, gaskets, seals, hoses, are probably all as rotted as the door/window seal in the photo, leather seats may be salvageable, and yes, not as popular as the early two seaters, but, still, a wonderful design and a great driver if you can afford to maintain it! I owned a 1960 XK 150S for several years in the late ’60’s, before the internet it was on the road for a week, then sat for three waiting for a part, and dissloved underneath (New England) from the wet and the salt. Sold it for the $350 I had paid for it, not running.
What’s it worth? Depends how bad the rust is.
I’m seeing rusty doors and rockers. No telling where else but wouldn’t pay a whole lot for his one.
Has anyone contacted the seller for the VIN? I don’t use FB and my account has been locked for years – if anyone is looking at this car please post the VIN!
Needs a whole lotta love and attention. To me, it is not worth the asking price, but that is just me, not someone else. One other observation. My sister had a 2 plus 2 at the same time that one of her boyfriends had 2 seater, and when you have seen the two of them side by side, I’m afraid that the 2 plus 2 is a bit of an ugly duckling, at least in my opinion.
Ugly duckling? No, just a runner-up, like being second in the Miss America contest. Or maybe 4th, but not an ugly duckling at all.
I love all the Jaguar E-types. Very sad to see one in this state of decrepitude (?)., disarray, whatever. Cool cars on this site left to rot! Can’t even keep her inside at least?
My dad had a black ’68 XKE 2+2 when I was a kid, many fond memories. He bought it cheaply from a young guy who was desperate to get rid of it and daily drove it for a few years until switching to a new (1977) Sedan de Ville. He loved his 2+2 and had a couple more Jags over the years. It wasn’t pristine but a great runner. I’ll never forget the cool dashboard switches and the way it smelled inside. Wish he’d kept it, would have loved to drive it! Always wanted one, great seeing this one here. Hope it gets back up and driving. Best wishes to the seller and buyer!
‘68 was the cross over year from 3- SU carbs to US standard dual Stromberg carbs.
The emissions and other crossover year items made these cars very unique. Some had Series I parts from the assembly line bins, while others are series 1-1/2 to S2 parts bin cars. Most likely will need almost everything new or rebuilt and E parts are not cheap.
Puny though they may look, the twin Zenith-Stromberg carbs DON’T REDUCE POWER! What does rob the engine of 19 bhp on ’68 and ’69 American export cars is that crossover pipe, carrying hot rear exhaust manifold smoke to the inlet manifold to warm up the mix, so as to meet emissions numbers for those two years.
The twin Zenith-Strombergs–tough as it may be to believe because of the look of those twin 1.75s versus three 2 inch SUs–actually DO THE JOB OF THE 3 SUs! How? (1) They atomize the fuel more finely (2) They are thermostatic, thus allowing in as much oxygen as the motor needs (3) This all works in conjunction with a distributor that zaps the emulsion more aggressively than a Series 1 distributor. Those cool-looking three SUs are very primitive. The SU carburettor was patented OVER A CENTURY AGO in 1922! Remove the cross-over pipe on a ’68 or ’69 and you restore the power of a Series1. Unless for looks, installing triple SUs is a waste of thousands of dollars.
Interesting! Thanks for the information, Laurence.