Sir William Lyon’s, founder of Jaguar, was quoted as saying “It doesn’t cost any more to make it pretty” and boy are we glad that he did! The E-Type was first unveiled to the press in March of 1961 at the Geneva motor show, and ever since they have been turning heads. Underneath the big cat’s long bonnet, Jaguar’s venerable 6-cylinder twin-overhead-cam unit mated in those very early cars to a Moss gearbox.

The Series 2 was released in late 1968, a progressive move forward from the first generation cars. Changes were made largely to comply with US safety regulations, but without spoiling the lines and style of the original.

The main visual changes include removal of headlamp covers and the addition of larger indicator units underneath the chrome bumpers and the addition of a wider grille to aid in cooling.

This particular example is a very late Series 2 2+2 model, that means it is fitted with the larger, notorious Jaguar 4.2L inline six cylinder, twin overhead cam engine, and being a 2+2 model specifically, rear seats. That makes this a very usable classic! This E-Type has only had 4 owners from new (the first and third being dealers so only one previous private owner on the V5C today) and covered just 68,000 miles with a substantial history file dating back to 1973.

The car is still wearing its original paint, finished in Light Blue over Dark Blue interior as confirmed by a Jaguar Heritage certificate, which is present with the car. This document also tells us that the car was originally supplied by the Dealer Mead, Weybridge. The certificate confirms that it was manufactured on the 1st June 1970, meaning the car was completed in the final months of Series 2 production. Most importantly, the certificate also confirms that the car is a matching numbers example.

The car was acquired by a dealer/restorer in 2020 from its second owner having been kept garaged for the previous 30 years, and from there a sympathetic re-commissioning process began, invoices indicating that the car received a thorough going over.

The SU carburettors have been rebuilt using genuine SU parts, there are invoices from marque specialist Moss for an assortment of gaskets, as well as invoices from HPC classics that include the fitment of a modern 123 Distributor that total in excess of £7,000 alone, as well as work by our friends and E-Type specialists William Haynes Ltd, almost £15,000 has been spent over the last 3 years. The MO for the car’s most recent owner was reliability and useability without infringing on this time capsule's aesthetic originality.

Throughout the invoices present it's clear that this car has been thoroughly gone through, ensuring all systems of the car are in good working order, this includes a refresh of the brakes to the front and rear of the vehicles as well as a replacement clutch, slave cylinder and resurfaced flywheel.

The team at William Haynes Ltd have identified some areas of potential improvement to paint and body, but this is to be expected of an incredibly original car that retains such originality. That said, the paint, interior and engine bay present very well throughout. This is by no stretch a project, more a ready to rock car with a very special past.

This is a very unique example in today’s market given its unmolested state, it wears its 54 years with pride. It represents an opportunity to buy into one of the most iconic classic cars of all time, into an example with known and traceable history. This is a car to be enjoyed, and thanks to its 2+2 configuration, you can even bring the family with you, whether it be for Sunday drives in the country, cross continent rallies or just joining us for Classic’s & Cake.

As with all our vehicles, a full digital folder is available on request containing more images, walk-around videos, and scans of the service history. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.