1970 Jaguar E-Type SII

We love it when cars have a back story here at The Market, and the history of this particular Series 2 E Type may well be one of the best we’ve heard for a long time.

Purchased by our vendor in 1993 with 57,000 miles on the odometer, this late UK-supplied Series 2 E Type has covered over 50,000 miles in the care of the current owner, now showing over 108,000 miles on the clock!

Not one to shy away from using this iconic classic, the vendor has completed numerous trans-European road trips and local ‘days out’ with great success, racking up on average over 2,000 miles per trip to Europe. As we all know, cars are meant to be used, and it’s safe to say this one has certainly been enjoyed to its fullest extent.

Naturally, a few choice upgrades have been fitted to facilitate better drivability and also reliability - crucial for the numerous trips to the continent. A modern Aluminium radiator with electric cooling fans has been fitted, whilst a brand-new Borg-Warner T5 five-speed manual gearbox was fitted during the vendor’s ownership, which not only affords better cruising capabilities and economy, but also replicates the original Jaguar gear ratios fantastically, meaning this E Type is an absolute pleasure to drive long distances.

In addition to this, the carburettors were professionally overhauled around three years ago, with a fully-electronic 123 distributor fitted, along with the valve timing and tappet gaps adjusted at the same time.

Alongside the numerous upgrades, the car was given a full bare-metal respray in 2006 along with the fitment of a new boot floor, and virtually all ancillary items such as the steering box and joints, brake hoses, master cylinder and servo-unit, clutch cylinders, alternator, wheel bearings, universal joints and dampers have been either overhauled or replaced during our vendor’s time with the car, with the latter being upgraded to a set of adjustable SPAX units.

With regards to work outside of regular maintenance, the floors on both the driver and passenger sides, along with a small patch on the inner offside sill were repair-welded where necessary, and the interior was fully overhauled around four years ago with a new headlining, dash upper and seat covers professionally fitted.

Having crossed most of Europe in the last 20 years including Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Tuscany, the French Riviera, and Venice along with covering the Scotland North Coast 500 and a circuit of Ireland, our vendor is now reluctantly parting with this much-loved E Type due to the maintenance requirements becoming too physically demanding.

Having had a full bare-metal respray in its factory colours back in 2006, the paintwork on this car is in excellent order throughout and reflects the level of care and dedication that has been lavished upon this E Type.

There are, naturally, a few marks here-and-there in keeping with the car’s regular use and enjoyment, but certainly nothing notably untoward. The chrome bumpers and details are all in good order and retain an impressive mirror-like finish, and we saw no damage, major scuffs or dents to any of the bodywork, lights or details during our inspection.

The iconic wire wheels are all in good order, but a fastidious owner may wish to have them fully refurbished and polished to bring them back to their best. There are also a few marks noted around the front ‘mouth’ as seen in the gallery, though this is about the extent of the issues that we could see with ease.

Speaking of the wheels, keen-eyed viewers will note that this example rides on later Series 3 wheels which are slightly larger, with all four wheels shod in matching period-look 205/70 Dunlop SP tyres, all of which are in very good condition.

Barring the smaller diameter leather-covered steering wheel, auxiliary direct oil pressure gauge and upgraded LED interior lighting, everything remains in factory condition inside, and the cabin of this well-travelled E Type presents fantastically.

Part of this excellent condition is down to the extensive work carried out on the interior around four years ago, which saw the refurbishment of seat covers, foams, headliner and dash upper refurbished and re-trimmed, resulting in the excellent cabin you see before you.

We did note a couple of usage marks to areas such as the inner sills, door cards and headliner edges along the A and B pillars, but nothing that is not in keeping with the car’s age, mileage and regular use. As the vendor states - quite perfectly, we think - this is an example that has been fettled and maintained to be “reliable and better than presentable, but not concours” and what we see certainly supports this notion.

Looking in the boot, the load floor has a couple of minor usage marks, as do the edges of the luggage space, but no outwardly offensive marks or damage that we could see. The headliner is in excellent condition throughout, and the seats only wear a few light wear-and-tear marks, but certainly no rips, tears or major scuffs.

As we’ve stated, the original four-speed Jaguar gearbox has been swapped out to a H-pattern five-speed Borg-Warner example, but the original four-speed gear knob remains, meaning there are no outwardly visual clues that this upgrade has taken place.

From what we could tell, there were no faults or issues with any of the instruments or gauges, with even the notoriously unreliable clock still being in excellent working order. The aforementioned direct oil pressure gauge also shows a healthy reading of around 50psi when warm, which should be music to the ears of any E Type enthusiasts ‘in the know.’

As you’d probably expect for an enthusiast-owned example, this E Type S2 is in excellent condition underneath and mechanically, and has evidently benefitted from not only regular usage, but also fastidious care and attention whenever required.

Looking underneath, the chassis, suspension components and bottom-end of the engine all look to be in excellent order. There are a few patches of surface ‘bloom’ on areas such as the exhaust, but nothing that has our alarm bells ringing that we could see during our inspection.

Out on the road, this Series 2 E Type is an absolute joy to drive. The five-speed gearbox upgrade may anger a few die-hard Jaguar purists, but we’d argue that is only serves to enhance the driving experience, offering near-identical gearing ratios but with a smoother action and the addition of the fifth gear - ideal for long-distance cruising.

The engine performed fantastically during our short test drive, and showed no signs of hesitation, untoward behaviour or smoking. The 4.2-litre inline-six pulls well and delivers a fantastic soundtrack, and turns a few heads wherever it goes. The steering feel was excellent, as was the clutch and gearbox action. We noted no untoward noises or behaviours, and as previously mentioned the oil pressure gauge provided a healthy reading throughout our drive.

Looking in detail at the engine and its ancillaries, we cannot see any visual signs of any problems, though the vendor notes that there is a very slight oil leak - as you’d expect from a car of this age - but this is exceedingly minor, equating to around 0.5-litres of usage per 2,000 miles. Other than this, there are no known faults with the car, and we certainly didn’t find any issues ourselves either.

Highlights of the work carried out by the vendor during their ownership include:

New exhaust manifolds

Full stainless-steel exhaust with lifetime guarantee

Upgraded EPC brake pads

Upgraded SPAX adjustable suspension

Refreshed or new universal joints, clutch cylinders, water hoses, wheel bearings, alternator, brake hoses, steering box and steering joints fitted where needed.

Full carburettor rebuild

Valve timing and tappet gaps adjusted.

History fans, rejoice, for this E Type comes with an impressively comprehensive paper trail from its time with the vendor.

Whilst there is far too much to list here - though it is all photographed for your browsing below - highlights include the Jaguar Heritage Certificate confirming the car remains in its factory specification (barring the upgraded gearbox) along with an itemised spreadsheet of work, maintenance, servicing and expenditure from the cars 28 years with the current owner.

Alongside this, there is also a veritable mountain of invoices and miscellaneous documentation, numerous valuation documents, and numerous four-figure invoices, all of which point to this E Type being a cherished and fastidiously maintained example.

In addition to the paperwork, there is also a small treasure trove of spare parts, oil, a copy of the ‘Definitive E Type history’ book and numerous other items to accompany this gorgeous machine.

Cherished, adored and driven, this is a fantastic example of the second-generation Jaguar E Type that has lived a life most classic cars can only dream of.

Having explored the continent, the outer reaches of Scotland and the emerald isle, this E Type really has been used exactly as Jaguar intended. Kept in top mechanical condition and remaining in outstanding aesthetic condition also, this is a wonderfully usable E Type which will still turn plenty of heads wherever it goes.

Given the condition of the car, its history and its considerate upgrades, we estimate a value of £47,000 to £61,000 for this 1970 Jaguar E Type Series 2 FHC.

Viewing is always encouraged and as stated this car is located at THE MARKET headquarters near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.