1969 Jaguar E Type 4.2 Roadster

This left-hand-drive Jaguar E Type Roadster was originally finished in silver with a black roof and interior. Destined for the USA, it remained there until 2019.

It was brought back to its country of birth half a century later and given the registration number RCD 681G. In the care of the seller for the past couple of years, a change in circumstances means he no longer has the time to do it justice.

He has made a start on on restoring it to its former glory though, and the E Type is said to be “99% complete” in terms of its components. But please don’t worry, there is still plenty for the new owner to do to stamp their mark on their new pride and joy.

The car was stripped down with a view to starting a full restoration. The seller has got as far as phosphate-stripping the body to remove rust and it has now been passivated and is ready for welding.

Braced to prevent distortion, the shell has been laid bare and there are no hidden horrors; you can see exactly what you’re buying and it couldn’t be any more honestly presented.

Plus, all the hard work of stripping paint and underseal and rust has been done for you and the fun bit starts now with making it whole again.

The vendor describes it as “relatively solid”, although he is keen to point out that it does need new sills and ideally a replacement floor pan as the previous owner has repaired it via braising.

The doors are reported to be “excellent” and they, along with the boot lid, are finished in red primer ready for the top coat.

The chromework looks to be something of a mixed bag; while some of it should polish up nicely, you might be better off having some of it re-chromed.

The wire wheels would also benefit from being restored and the Pirelli Cinturato tyres, while being of historical interest, will need replacing as they’re old and perished.

The photos and video you see of it in when it was painted red were shot before it was disassembled and have been posted to give you an idea of its condition and panel fit before the work started.

Please do make an appointment to go and see the car with its owner in Bury St Edmunds so you can gauge for yourself whether the work it needs makes it the right project for you.

The interior fixtures and fittings are thought to be complete and include the original air conditioning unit.

However, the whole lot will need checking for condition and either refurbishing or restoring depending on their condition.

The seats will definitely need re-trimming but there are dozens of firms out there who could do that for you if you didn’t fancy tackling it yourself with a kit. Heck, you could even just replace them in their entirety if speed is more important to you than originality.

The dashboard array looks pretty good, and reusing that might just be a matter of cleaning it up and testing it.

It’s much the same story for the rest of the interior; a car like the E Type allows you to juggle how much you want to spend and how quickly you want it back on the road; you could take your time and do it on a budget or whip out your credit card and have an interior in place in a matter of days.

The engine is said to have been “very strong, reading 150 psi in each cylinder and I had it running and drivable”. Please see the video to help assess its condition for yourself before it was removed but please note the oil pressure gauge was disconnected at the time, so the zero reading you can see is misleading.

It has twin Stromberg carburettors and the original chassis plate has been retained.

The engine frames are “very good with the exception of one small repair required on one of the frames”.

The brake calipers look like someone might have made a start on them already, and we think we can spy a new brake servo and master cylinder plus some fresh discs, too.

Oh, and while the seller made every effort to photograph his car comprehensively, he was beaten by the fading winter sun and says around 3-4% of the parts you’ll be bidding on haven’t been photographed.

The Jaguar comes with its handbook plus a Production Record Trace Certificate from the Jaguar Heritage Trust. It also has its title from the State of Indiana.

The Jaguar E Type has been popular for decades, and for good reason. It’s as good to drive as it is beautiful, and there’s a huge network of enthusiasts, specialists, and suppliers there to make restoring and running one as painless as possible.

This one’s had all the heavy lifting done already, so you get to focus on the joyful bit of sorting out the remaining rust before deciding what colour to finish it in.

There’s a bit more to it than that of course, but if you’re the sort of enthusiast who enjoys the doing as much as the driving, this would make a lovely project.

As to value, we think the virtual hammer will fall somewhere between £27,000 and £32,000, and given the reserve is even lower, you might just be able to snaffle a bargain to keep you busy over the next few months.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located in Bury St Edmunds; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.