1973 Jaguar E-Type SIII

An original right hand drive V12 E-Type Coupé is a rare beast, but that’s what we have here. As far as we can tell, this isn’t a car that’s been restored, rather one that was rust-proofed with the Ziebart wax process when new, and then, in all likelihood, garaged. Whether it was ever used on salty roads is a mystery, but its condition suggests possibly not.

The 5.3-litre Jag V12 is mated, as most were, to a three speed autobox, making this car an absolutely effortless continent cruncher. We have no means of verifying the mileage, but on the other hand, we have no reason to believe that it’s not genuine, as the car seems to reflect the figure of around 70k miles.

The Jaguar Silver paintwork is in great shape. It’s very hard to tell how original it is and we fully expect there to have been the odd repair over the years, but we couldn’t see any signs of them.

The highly distinctive nose, which is vulnerable to stone chips, is pretty well unmarked and overall the surface finish is excellent. The brightwork is also in extremely good shape, adding credence to the idea that the car has led a very sheltered life.

We spotted some very slight delamination of the windscreen at the very top corners, but it in no way impedes forward vision and we very much doubt it will get appreciably worse in the near future.

The original spec chromed steel wheels are also in fine shape, with no rust or dents that we could see. In fact the only thing that detracts slightly from the outward appearance – and this is purely a matter of taste – are those wing mirrors. They could well be a dealer fitment, but pretty they’re not, and as wing mirrors are rarely much practical help, we’d replace them with some period door mirrors.

There’s some wear to the driver’s seat bolster, and that’s pretty much the end of the snag list for the interior, as it’s generally in stunning condition. The Moss Green leather compliments the exterior colour beautifully – not something you can take for granted with cars from the 1970s. The wood rimmed Moto-Lita steering wheel is the only deviation from totally standard spec that we spotted, and a very nice one it is too.

The dash is lovely, all the instruments are in place and in tip top cosmetic condition, and the headlining is unmarked. The rear ‘seats’ are handy if you happen to have a couple of Ewoks as friends. Previous owners clearly didn’t as the leather looks like new – no claw marks at all. The ash tray looks untroubled by smoking detritus.

The V12’s engine bay isn’t as spotless as the exterior, but this indicates to us that the car is original rather than restored. The underside of the bonnet is coated in Ziebart rust proofing, which has no doubt played a large part in the car surviving so well.

Slight signs of blue Hylomar sealant around the rocker covers could well be as a result of them being removed to effect valve clearance adjustment, a sign of thorough servicing.

Underneath there’s a thick coating of black wax based rustproofing, plus what looks like a Falcon aftermarket stainless steel exhaust system. The car has Gaz adjustable dampers fitted.

There is some what looks like superficial surface rust underneath the very front of the car. A good clean up and a reapplication of wax should stop that in its tracks.

This is an original right-hand drive V12 E Type Coupé, built on February 13 1973. The Jaguar Heritage certificate that comes with it certifies it as originally being supplied by Jaguar dealer Henlys of London NW7, who received it on February 27 of that year.

The first owner is listed as Mr R Katz, and the original registration mark was ROY 4L. It was supplied with an exterior colour of Silver, with a Moss Green interior.

This E Type comes with its original handbooks and documents relating to its import back into the UK.

The seller says:

‘I was originally involved with the previous owner of this car when he purchased it in 2014 – Mr Jan Vuokko in Finland. He bought the car from the previous owner, Mr Paulig, who had owned it since 2011. He sold the car to his brother, who moved to Germany and lost all the history for the car.

‘The last owner passed away in 2021 and the family asked me whether I would arrange shipping to the UK, and re-registering the car here to sell it. So it is now registered with me in the UK, and I am selling it for the family who have documented the sale.

‘The interesting thing is the car was rust proofed from new – I think it was Ziebart as it was applied everywhere, even the back of the wheels and hub caps, which is why the underside of the bonnet in not body colour. The covering is still quite visible under the bonnet and that's why the car is totally rust free.

‘The car is matching numbers, chassis, engine and gearbox, and also retains the original exterior Silver colour and the Moss Green Interior.

‘The car has only covered 3,000 miles since 2014 and only has 70,000 miles today. It runs and drives really well, it steers and brakes straight and still has its original hand book and tools.’

Without much history to speak of it’s impossible to be sure of this E Type’s life story, but all the signs are that it’s an incredibly original right hand drive car in excellent order. It’s quite likely that it’s never seen the welder’s torch, which is something very few E Types of this vintage can claim – especially ones that haven’t spent their entire lives in a dry climate.

As such we think this car represents an excellent chance to become the next custodian of a stone cold classic, and we expect intertest to be very high.

Our estimate for this car Is £40,000 - £50,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, 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’.