1969 Jaguar E Type S2 OTS

Eagle-eyed observers among you will have spotted that we’re describing this car as a ‘Roadster’, which is what the drop-top was called in the USA, rather than an OTS - or Open Two-Seater - as it was known in the UK.

“But why?”, we hear you opine, “It’s a RHD car so surely ‘OTS’ is the correct nomenclature”.

The thing is, this car started out in life as a LHD model and was sold new through British Leyland’s New York dealership in 1970.

We know from a Jaguar Heritage Trust certificate that when this car left the factory it was ‘Willow Green’ with beige interior trim and a black fabric hood.

We also know that the car was first registered in the UK in July 1988.

Today, as you’ve no doubt discerned, the car is red with black interior trim and a beige fabric hood.

Most importantly, it is RHD and is sporting triple SU carbs rather than the dual Zenith-Stromberg constant-depression carbs that were fitted to comply with America’s emasculating emissions regulations.

The switch to RHD configuration and the new carburation set-up were carried out by The E Type Centre who were entrusted with the task of restoring the car when it returned to the land of its birth in the late 1980s.

It has, we believe, seen very little use in recent years, but we know that it had a very classy interior retrim in 2024 (including door cards, carpets and leather upholstery), when it also received its new beige hood and a new alternator.

In 2025, it was the happy recipient of a new starter motor and water pump.

The vendor (who coincidentally owned this car many years ago), has done some work to get it up and running again.

We and he are of the opinion that it just needs a little light recommissioning and a good long run to blow way any cobwebs and restore it to rude good health.

Overall, the car’s aesthetic condition is definitely in the ‘used and enjoyed’ category and it’s not without a few issues here and there.

But, in our opinion, none of those issues is major and, together, they don’t add up to anything scary or difficult.

The car presents pretty well from a few metres away and the panel gaps and shut-lines are decent but, as you get closer, you’ll notice the odd dink and dimple here, and a few scuffs and scratches there.

There’s also some bubbling in evidence in places on the sills and wheel arches, but it’s by no means widespread.

The wire wheels are OK, save for a few spots of surface rust in a few places.

The bonnet is sporting a few stone chips and the odd previous touch-up; there’s a little bubbling around the nearside headlight and the adjacent chrome strip; one corner of the n/s/f wing has been catching slightly on the side panel and chipped it; there are a few chips and the odd shallow dent on the passenger door; some scuffs to the n/s/r panel and a small split to the n/s/r wheel arch; the rubber seal is lifting away on the rear bumper; there is a small split to the base of the rear wheel arch on the offside and some paint chips behind the o/s/r wheel; there’s some cracked paint on the driver’s door and some chips to its rear edge; and we found a little bubbling and a few scratches around the offside headlight.

From what we can see, the badging, lights, lenses and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all in reasonable condition.

The restoration of the interior is a very recent piece of work, which explains why it looks rather fresher than its exterior counterpart.

The new black leather upholstery has an attractive matte finish to it and is accordingly soft and inviting.

It has yet to earn so much as a light crease.

The seats are as comfortable as they are supportive.

The black carpets and mats, being new, are in fine fettle.

So, too, are the new door cards.

The beige mohair hood is new, looks it, and goes up and down with a minimum of fuss or resistance.

It stows neatly under a black fabric tonneau cover that’s in equally irreproachable condition.

As far as we’re aware, all dials, gauges, buttons, switches and knobs do what they’re supposed to do without hesitation, deviation or repetition.

One exception to that observation is the choke, which appears to have taken early retirement.

The JVC head unit is, obviously, an aftermarket item.

The boot is in decent order and contains a full-sized spare wire wheel and a few tools.

The engine bay is tidy and orderly, although we did notice a few drops of oil under the car, so maybe we can’t quite add clean and dry to the list of preferred adjectives.

Everything we can see in the engine bay and underneath appears to be in its right and proper place.

The car’s undersides look pretty solid, although there is some rust in evidence in a few places, and we haven’t seen anything that would make us doubt the car’s structural integrity or honesty.

The car comes with a Jaguar Heritage Trust certificate, and all manner of bills, invoices and receipts attesting to both recent work and work carried out over previous decades.

It also comes with all sorts of old MoT certificates, plenty of tax discs and a few manuals and handbooks.

The indicated odometer reading of 85,400 miles can’t be verified, of course, but given that we know the reading was 76,754 in 2005 and 60,980 in 1993, we’re inclined to believe it.

Well, it may not have started out in life with the most desirable configuration – which is, of course, RHD, manual, OTS – but that’s how it is today and that should suit most people just fine.

It needs to be used and would almost certainly thank its next owner for some light recommissioning and a decent tune-up.

And, yes, it’s got a few blemishes and other issues here and there on the bodywork.

Those are the sort of things you could address over the Autumn and Winter months, ready to unleash this fine car on the open road next Summer.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £45,000 - £50,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.