1973 Jaguar E-TYPE Series 3 V12 Roadster

An original UK convertible fitted with the mighty V12 engine and the rare manual gearbox, this amazing S3 E-Type was first supplied by Henlys of Coventry on the 15th of August 1973. It has since covered just 46,900 miles – and the previous owner had it in his care for 38 years and 6,000 miles of that.

Fastidiously maintained and stored in a purpose-built, de-humidified log cabin alongside his Jaguar Mark X, it’s been the subject of a fully documented restoration over the past dozen-or-so years.

Complete with the rare Jaguar factory hardtop, it’s a matching numbers example (with the Jaguar Heritage certificate to prove it…) that has never been raced or rallied, but has attended numerous classic car events around the country as the seller is a Member of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club (JEC) and enjoyed 4 trips to France with the previous owner.

To see the car in motion, please use this link to it's YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEE-Cjx99Ho

Only for sale because he needs to turn metal and rubber into bricks and mortar, the vendor describes this as “one of the best Series 3 E-Type roadsters on the market - and if you’re looking for the ultimate Jaguar E-Type then you’ve found it!”

The bodywork was refreshed in 2008 with two new doors, new headlamp panels, an offside sill, and a complete respray in its original colour by a Jaguar specialist. Clearly done to a very high standard, it still looks terrific, even after the passage of a dozen years.

And the colour combination of a white car with a black roof and chrome-and-black wheels is stunning; dial in way better-than-average panel alignment and paint, and you’ve got one of the very nicest E-Types we have ever seen.

The folding black roof is in great shape. It fits well and is nice and taut when it is raised. Free of rips, tears, and other damage, it stows away neatly behind the seats, sitting on top of a useful storage compartment.

The rare factory hardtop, which the owner estimates is worth upwards of £5,000 by itself, is in great shape with a taught and clean headlining, aside from a couple of small areas in the corners where it meets the body, and fits very well. It certainly adds another layer of usefulness for what might already be the ultimate 70’s grand touring car; can you imagine fitting it with a set of winter tyres and using it for a Swiss skiing holiday complete with skis on the roof? The rubber seal where it sits on the bodywork is loose, but should be an easy fix.

Speaking of wheels and tyres, the steel wheels and chrome hubcaps are in a good condition – and all four are shod with excellent Pirelli P400 tyres.

The chromework is good, although a fastidious owner might like to invest a couple of hours with a tube of Autosol. The only other job is to sort out the bonnet alignment on the offside as it is slightly mis-aligned.

The E-Type’s interior doesn’t rely on lashings of wood and leather to make an impression - and that simplicity means that what little there is has to be of the very best quality.

Which is what you’ve got here: The black leather seats are wonderfully settled, featuring enough light creasing to make them interesting but nowhere near enough to call them worn; let’s settle on lightly patinated, shall we?

New carpets were fitted in 2018, and the door cards, steering wheel and that gorgeous gear knob are all in great shape. The labels for the switches and warning lights are crisp and white, and we’ve checked it all and it all work as it should.

The boot is very neat and clean. Home to the (very good) spare wheel and tyre, the floor is utterly solid. But then you’d guessed that, hadn’t you?

Oh, and there’s an eight-track stereo, FTW.

A summary of the car’s mechanical refurbishment over the past few years is as follows:

2003 - all water hoses and clips were replaced, along with a new fuel pump and a Luminition electronic ignition system.

2007 – an uprated starter motor was fitted, as well as a new exhaust and clutch master and slave cylinders.

2008 – fitted with a reconditioned radiator, four new dampers, and new discs and pads as part of a £3,800 overhaul by Southern Classics, a classic car specialist.

2016 - a new water pump, header tank and steering rack were fitted.

2017- the carburettor was serviced and balanced on a rolling road. A new clutch was also installed and the flywheel was refaced at a total cost of £2,269.

2018-19 – The engine was removed and the engine bay was completely stripped of its ancillaries. The area was detailed before being fitted with the repainted and/or rebuilt components. The engine had its front and rear oil seals replaced while it was out of the car and was given fresh oil and an oil filter. A new clutch slave cylinder and alternator were also fitted. The work was carried out by Cotswold Classic Car Restorations and set the owner back well over £7,000.

2020 – a new battery was fitted in March.

The owner describes it as driving “beautifully”, a ringing endorsement we are happy to support. He’s used it for high days and holidays, taking it as far as Cornwall on holiday, a journey it completed without fuss.

The underside is excellent, in part due to it being Ziebart undersealed from new as well as having had the subframes cleaned and powdercoated.

However, the underseal has cracked in a few places so it will need wire-brushing and re-undersealing. We have noticed engaging reverse gear can take a bit of getting used to, but does get easier as it warms up.

The Jaguar doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. 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 might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

Its last MOT certificate expired in May 2019. It, like every MOT test bar one since 2009, was gained without a single advisory. And the one it did get an advisory for? That was in 2014. For a non-working stop lamp…

It also comes with every expired MOT certificate from 1985 to date, plus invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also has the original Jaguar 'Operating, Maintenance & Service Handbook', which is still in its original tan case. There is also a Jaguar E Type V12 Workshop manual in addition to the Jaguar - Daimler Heritage Trust certificate (No. 15436) confirming its build specification. There are two sets of keys too, plus a tin of laser matched paint for any touch-ups that might be necessary in the coming years.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored and maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

And please be reassured, we’ve undertaken a full COVID-assessment and put into place strict control measure to enable us to safely facilitate a no-contact, socially distanced viewing that includes disinfection of the vehicle before and after your viewing.

However, if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on. In the meantime, why not feast your eyes on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tB45NNgxF8

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

With almost nothing left to sort out bar a couple of minor cosmetic issues, this is your chance to buy a very well-restored and solid example of the much sought-after Series 3 E-Type - with a V12 engine, manual gearbox, and a factory hardtop, no less - for a lot less than you would have had to pay only six months ago.

This is because there’s no denying that the market has softened a little, which means we think the hammer will fall somewhere between £80,000 and perhaps six-figures, which looks like incredible value to us…

And please do remember that when the market softens, investors and collectors default to what they know – and everyone loves and knows the E-Type, which should make it a canny buy in the long-term when the world starts to make its way back to normal and investors realise just how little their money is earning in interest...

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’.