1967 Jaguar E Type S1 4.2 FHC

Built in January 1967 this 4.2-litre Jaguar E Type S1 FHC with a 4-speed manual gearbox, was first supplied to the wife of a wealthy construction company chief living on Long Island, New York, USA.

There’s then a sizeable gap in its known history before it was discovered in a barn (yes really) in Ohio in 1989, in a “sound but tatty” condition but still with matching chassis, engine and gearbox numbers. The S1 was bought by a wealthy UK collector and repatriated, where it was given a cosmetic restoration, converted to right hand drive and re-registered in August 1990.

Around 18 months later, the owner commissioned a two-year restoration with some light period-friendly upgrades at Marcus Barclay Jaguar near Gerrards Cross.

It then resurfaced at a Bonhams auction in December 2004 and within a year or so had made it into the hands of The Hairpin Company who made sure everything was in good order for sale including an engine rebuild.

In April 2006, whilst at Hairpin, it was featured on the TV show Fifth Gear by a leather-clad Ms Butler-Henderson as their weekly competition prize. All you had to do was answer the following question and call in or text to a premium rate phone number:

What is the term commonly used to describe a sporty car with two doors? a) Coupé b) Saloon or c) Estate.

Based on the ownership history, we believe it was won by a chap from Liverpool who must have sold it almost immediately.

The current owner bought the car from Classic Motor Cars of Bridgnorth in August the same year and has added only around 3,200 miles since that engine rebuild. More recently - just under 400 miles ago - he had the gearbox fastidiously rebuilt too.

As with most teenagers in the ‘60s, our vendor lusted after Jaguar E Types and always fancied having one. When the opportunity came up to finally own one in great condition both mechanically and aesthetically, he couldn’t pass it up.

The car is absolutely beautiful outside, inside and underneath and our vendor has never taken it out in the rain in nearly 15 years of ownership. Like with many classic car owners, he’s not been able to get out in it much lately and with other automotive itches to scratch, he’s now happy to let the Big Cat go.

Over the years though, he’s taken the Jaguar to several shows and has always got a good reception, but the memory that will stay with him is passing through Astwood Bank just ahead of the 2012 Olympic Torch relay.

“The streets were lined with hundreds of people, waving flags and banners, and the roar that went up as we drove through in the E Type - I’ll never forget that - a real magic moment.”

Originally Silver Grey on the outside, the Jaguar now sports a Signal Red body. Cliché it might be, but an E Type looks a whole lot sexier and eye-catching in red. Although restored and repainted over 25 years ago now, the paintwork is still strong, with very few flaws or blemishes.

The bodywork on this Jaguar is superb too, all the panels are amazingly straight and well-aligned with excellent even gaps and no damage or undulations that we could find.

The chrome fixtures and trims are also in good condition, with little or no pitting on the bumpers or window surrounds.

The car sits on 15-inch wire wheels with knock off spinners, all in superb looking chrome and fitted with matching Avon period-look tyres.

Much as you might make a judgement about a person from their shoes, we do the same with a car’s tyres. A matching set of quality boots speaks volumes to us about how well a car is likely to have been cared for and maintained without taking short-cuts on expenditure.

The original interior trim is recorded as having been red, but thankfully when the outside was repainted, someone saw fit to install a black leather and vinyl interior.

The leather seats are well coloured and have the creases of use but no undue wear that we could see. Other high wear trimmings like the door handles and arm rest appear in good order too and the dash top looks to be free of cracks. There’s a little scuffing across the vinyl covered sills, but nothing unexpected. It’s quite a high sill and when you’re getting out of such a low seating position, you’ll use any surface going to help you.

The instruments and switchgear look in good order, the steering wheel is of the correct type and the gearstick gaiter is neat and tidy. In fact all the interior retrimming appears to have been done very well.

In the late 1990s, not long after its restoration, the Jaguar was cleverly fitted with a CD player, discreetly concealed behind the original radio. The sensor for the remote control is hidden behind the ashtray fascia and the CD changer is behind the passenger seat. The radio itself was upgraded with an FM tuner without altering its external appearance - in fact there’s nothing readily visible to suggest that you’ve got anything to listen to other than the crackles and whistles of MW/LW radio - or of course the thumping straight-six up front.

What look like period original carpet linings still cover the floor. There are some wear holes on the driver’s side but with a floor mat in place, these are not an issue. Up above, the headlining looks clean and taut.

Under the iconic front hinged clamshell bonnet, the engine bay is very clean and tidy but not quite concours. There is a light bloom appearing over the cam covers and inlet manifold, nothing that couldn’t be polished away easily and when done it would really lift the presentation of an XK engine that is already a thing of beauty - and clearly still benefiting from the rebuild only 3000+ miles back.

Considering there are no undertrays and that everything underneath is exposed to whatever is thrown up off the road, the undersides of this car are pretty clean - more evidence that it doesn’t get taken out when the weather is bad. There are some patches of light surface rust here and there mostly on fixings, but these are likely just from moisture in the air. The underbody appears well waxoyled and the exhaust system looks undamaged. The presence of masking tape suggests a recent paint touch up under both rear arches.

The load space at the rear of an E Type always seems as much part of the interior as the front cabin, with little in the way of demarcation. The black vinyl lined boot in this car appears in good order, with the luggage rails intact and undamaged. Under the floorboard is the fuel tank and full size spare wheel.

The car’s last MOT expired in July 2018, since when it has covered fewer than 200 miles. Prior to that it had near annual testing back to at least 2003.

As it stands, the car has no MOT and although exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it tested at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner and any subsequent purchasers but is also invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies.

During the course of the two-year Marcus Barclay restoration (1992-1994), superior E Type Series 2 brakes were fitted along with a UK-specification higher final drive ratio. Other upgrades included a Kenlowe electric fan, inertia-reel seatbelts and new wire wheels. Shortly afterwards the undersides were given the full Waxoyl treatment by Chris Parkinson of Before ‘n’ After in Rugby.

As also previously mentioned, the engine was rebuilt in 2006 by specialists VSE of Llandrindod Wells in Wales (about 3200 miles ago) and more recently in 2016, the gearbox was overhauled at CMC Bridgnorth (400 miles ago). They rebuilt it using original parts and the owner ensured that they retained the matching numbers casing, even though a more usable 5-speed ‘box was offered.

The history file for the car includes tax discs, numerous expired MOT certificates, several invoices for work done and parts purchases, a log of the prep work done for sale by The Hairpin Company and most importantly a production record trace certificate from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.

You won’t be surprised to learn that this well-cared-for E Type goes as well as it looks. Always well-attuned to cars that aren’t quite what they should be, the boss described this Jaguar as simply “lovely, and it drives lovely too!” Make of that classic understatement what you will, but coming from him we translate that as very good indeed.

We’ve handled several E Types recently, and we think that this storied, matching numbers 4.2-litre Series 1 manual fixed-head with RHD conversion, and a few upgrades of the kind done in period, is a stunning example and will sell for between £69,500 and £84,500.

What better time to buy a Jaguar E Type than in its 60th anniversary year and what better example to arrive in and be photographed with at the shows than a Series 1 Coupé in bright red.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.