1971 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 2+2 (manual)

Details

The Swallow Sidecar Company was founded in 1922 by William Lyons and William Walmsley. In 1934 Lyons formed SS Cars Limited to effectively take over the operation from Walmsley. The SS brand was quite successful, though their cars had a reputation for having ‘more show than go’. The Jaguar name first appeared as a model name on an SS 2½ Litre Sports Saloon introduced in 1936. For political reasons, Lyons changed the name of his company to Jaguar Cars in 1945.

The SS100 built between 1936 and 1941 is today regarded as one of the great pre-war sports cars, however, it was the launch of the legendary Jaguar XK120 at the London Motor Show in 1948 that really put Jaguar on the map. The car caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production. The XK120 morphed into the XK140 and ultimately the XK150 and in total, just over 30,000 cars were built over 15 years of production.

In 1961, at the Geneva Motor Show, Jaguar introduced the E-Type, which like the XK120 all those years ago, took the motoring world by storm. The body styling was simply gorgeous and technologically the E-Type was an engineering masterpiece and it set new standards in all areas.

Whilst automotive styling is somewhat subjective the E-Type is often ranked atop lists of ‘the most beautiful cars’ and in fact it has been described by Enzo Ferrari as ‘the most beautiful car ever made’. And it’s not just about the looks as the E-Type is often at the top of other lists such as ‘the best sports car ever built’ or ‘the most significant cars’. It is truly a motoring icon.

As a testament to the success of the E-Type, production evolved through three series from 1961 until 1974 during which time circa 70,000 cars were built.

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a factory right hand drive 1971 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 2+2. The Jaguar Heritage Certificate confirms this factory RHD example was manufactured on the 20^th October 1971 with a date of dispatch of 9^th November 1971. The original distributor is noted as Rossleigh from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland in the UK. They are also noted as the original dealer. The car’s original colour scheme was regency red with a beige interior. The first owner is noted as PR Bloom (Kannybuy) Ltd, and the car was originally registered as FTN 354 K which was issued in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The car’s subsequent early UK history is not known. It is understood that the car found its way to Perth in Western Australia quite early in its life. What is known is that the car’s long term owner traded it on a Rolls-Royce with David Ekberg in Melbourne in 2016. At some stage in Perth the car looks to have been restored, at which time it was repainted in signal red and the interior retrimmed in black. The car then sold to its current Melbourne based owner. Shortly after acquiring the car, he took it to respected Jaguar specialist Mike Roddy to have it serviced. At that time the clutch was replaced, all cooling hoses were replaced and the car was tuned.

He has enjoyed this Jaguar E-Type ever since, whilst continuing to maintain the car.

Unfortunately, due to a change in his circumstances the car is now offered for sale.

Today this Jaguar E-Type presents and drives really well. The older restoration has stood the test of time. The red paintwork remains in very good condition with a high gloss and a strong depth of colour. On closer inspection there are a few minor defects and stone chips, but they are all relatively minor. All of the exterior trim, the chrome and the glass are in good condition. The only exception is that there is some light pitting on both small chrome trim pieces that sit behind the doors. The car is fitted with a sliding Webasto style sunroof with wind deflector the works well and is in very good condition.

We love that this car is running the traditional Jaguar hub caps, which we think suit this model perfectly, giving it somewhat of a distinguished look. The hub caps are in good condition covering traditional steel wheels shod with Hancook Kinergy EX 205/70R15 tyres all round.

The panel gaps on this car are good and the car is clean underneath.

Inside the cabin the interior presents exceptionally well with just the right amount of patina. The upholstery is ‘just lovely’ and presents like your favourite leather jacket. There are no rips, tears or damage to the seats, centre console or the door cards. Whilst the seats are supportive the foam is showing signs of age and starting to soften. You quickly notice that the instruments and controls are in excellent condition all round. All the instruments are crisp and clean and in working order. The rocker switches are often a ‘weak point’ on these E-Types. The switch surrounds are often cracked or broken and the labelling often worn . . . but not on this car, they are all in excellent condition. The dash is in very good condition with no cracks or splits and the carpets show minimal wear. In summary, the cabin of this Jaguar E-Type is just a ‘delightful place to be’.

So after admiring the cabin it is time to see what this E-Type is really all about! As with all E-Types you need to pull out the choke to start from cold. You then turn the key and the big V12 bursts into life. It warms quickly and you are able to back the choke off almost immediately. What’s immediately apparent is that the engine sounds fantastic and it is really smooth.

Out on the road this Jaguar E-Type drives exactly how you would expect it to. The power steering and relatively light controls make this a very easy car to drive, even in traffic. This car is a fabulous ‘cruiser’ and just goes about its business in the most refined and sophisticated way. That said when the road opens up and you plant your right foot, you know you have a 5.3 litre V12 engine with around 272 hp on tap if you need it. Driven a little harder than normal the V12 starts to growl and it definitely has an edge to it. This car stops, steers and handles as you would expect.

We understand the car has not been used in recent times and we have found the more it gets driven the better it gets.

The price of Jaguar E-Types has sky rocketed in recent years and the often maligned 2+2 model remains relatively affordable when compared to the roadster and coupe. The Series 3 is definitely the best proportioned of the Jaguar E-Type 2+2’s and they are one of the most practical classic cars money can buy.

We like the refined nature of the Series 3 with the V12 engine and with the desirable manual gearbox they are still very much a driver’s car.

Highlights:

• a UK delivered, factory RHD example.
• matching numbers engine, gearbox and chassis as confirmed by the Heritage Certificate.
• desirable manual gearbox.
• finished in a fabulous colour scheme of signal red with a black interior.
• a well-presented car in very good condition.
• jack and toolkit
• Jaguar Heritage Certificate, owner’s manual, workshop manual and some service receipts / documentation.

 

 

 

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