1969 Jaguar E-Type S2 Roadster

Description

Fresh from a total nut-and-bolt restoration; driven 30 miles to the sale; triple Weber carbs; a fabulous example of this iconic British sportscar

Although die-hard E-Type aficionados will always claim that the Series 1 is the car to have, in the real world there is no doubt that the Series 2, launched in October 1968, is the better car to drive.

Visually distinguished by its slightly higher, uncowled front headlights, wider ‘mouth’ at the front and different tail lights, it had twin fans for better cooling, an all-synchro gearbox, better seats, better brakes, improved switchgear and slightly more room in the cabin.

Power still came from the same magnificent 265bhp 4.2-litre triple-carb XK engine which endowed the car with a top speed in excess of 130mph. Only 8,627 Series 2 Roadsters were made in total (all but 775 of them LHD) before it was replaced by the V12-powered Series 3 in late 1970.

As the Heritage certificate confirms, this particular S2 Roadster was built in December 1969 and, like the vast majority of them, was a LHD model destined for the American market. Originally finished in Regency Red with a black interior and manual transmission, nothing is known of the car’s early history but a NOVA document shows that it was imported back to the UK in November 2015 with all duties paid.

Our vendor’s late-father acquired the car soon afterwards and commenced a total nut-and-bolt rebuild which took over six years to complete. An experienced Jaguar restorer with a few other E-Type and XK projects already under his belt, the vendor’s father did some of the work himself but enlisted professional help as required.

While there are plenty of invoices covering much of the work done and many of the new parts fitted, these are by no means comprehensive but rest assured, it was clearly an extremely thorough job and the car speaks for itself – it really is as good as it looks in the photos. The engine was rebuilt by Willenhall Engine Centre (invoice on file) and we are told that the cylinder head was subsequently rebuilt by race engineer and ex-CMC director Andrew Tart of Clows Top. Upgrades include triple Weber carbs, alloy radiator and electronic ignition.

We are told that the Signal Red paintwork was done by Reynolds of Rushock and cost over £14,000. The interior was retrimmed by Hampton Coachtrimmers of Newport, including the boot area and a new hood, at a cost of £10,400 (invoice on file). SNG Barratt supplied a host of new parts at considerable extra cost but only some of these invoices are present, the rest having been jumbled up with a huge file of similar invoices relating to other Jaguars restored by the vendor’s father before he passed away.

Our vendor, who is himself a professional mechanic, has completed the final detailing of the car and it sailed through its MOT in June this year with no advisories recorded. It also has a V5C which records it as a Historic Vehicle so it is free to tax and MOT-exempt.

Driven some 30 miles to the sale on one of the hottest days of the year, we are told that the car drove well, with good oil pressure and water temperature throughout, although the vendor did note a slight rattle from the rear of the car as he neared his destination. No doubt it will benefit from the usual post-restoration check-over and running-in period before the performance is exploited to the full.  

Starting promptly and running very sweetly indeed as we have moved it around on site, with good 45psi oil pressure, this freshly restored E-Type looks as good as good underneath as it does up top and seems mighty tempting at the sensible guide price suggested.

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com