1963 | Jaguar Type E 3.8

Original UK-supplied RHD car

Superbly restored between 2000 and 2009, including engine overhaul

All-synchromesh four-speed gearbox fitted using original-sized casing

Large history file with original logbook, restoration invoices and photographs

This beautifully presented Jaguar E-type is an original right-hand-drive UK-market car that was completed at the Browns Lane factory on 6 June 1963. 

The Heritage Certificate that’s part of its comprehensive history file shows that chassis number 861205 was finished in Cream with a Red interior, and dispatched on 18 June to Highfield Motors in Derby. From there, it was sold to its first owner, an HV Davies of Sutton Coldfield.

The E-type was later taken off the road and placed in storage between 1987 and 2000, when a conversation at a Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club event led to it being sold from its long-term family ownership. It was in need of a full restoration, but fortunately its new custodian had been an apprentice sheet-metal worker and fabricator, and had restored cars before. 

Fitting the project around his full-time job, he spent the next nine years returning the E-type to its former glory. The car was completely stripped down, and the whole tub was then sandblasted and placed on a rotisserie. Restoring the bodywork involved fitting new footwells, sills, front wings and door skins, plus extensive repairs elsewhere. The car was then resprayed in the very attractive period colour of Pale Primrose. 

The mechanical side of the project including rebuilding the braking system and addingstainless-steel flexi hoses, and installing new dampers at each corner. A new steering rackwas fitted, and a Rob Beere Racing adjustable reaction plate was specified for the front suspension.

The rear axle was overhauled with all new bearings, seals and bushes, and the propshaft gained new UJs. The gearbox was rebuilt and upgraded to Jaguar’s later all-synchromesh specification, while the straight-six engine was also rebuilt. A full Classicfabs exhaust system was then fitted and the radiator was recored. 

Rotherham-based specialist Ken Verity fitted an interior trim kit that had been supplied by BAS International, and a new wiring loom was installed. 

The E-type was back on the road in March 2009, having had no expense spared in terms of its restoration. It was then kept in a cocoon in a garage, and a photographic record of the rebuild comes with the car.

Still looking resplendent in Pale Primrose, it is a superb example of the Series 1 3.8 Fixed-Head Coupé – a model that many consider to be the most desirable of all production E-types.