1969 Jaguar E Type S2 2+2

This delightful Jaguar E Type Series 2 left the factory on the 5th of September 1969 destined for Charles Attwood of Wolverhampton, a journey that would have taken less than an hour.

It’s first owner was a D Edwards, who knew it as ‘YJW 550H’, ‘JW’ being a Wolverhampton number and ‘Y’ being allocated for cars registered in the final year of that decade.

A manual 2+2 Coupé, it was restored at great expense between 2015 and 2018 – there are receipts for more than £30,000 on file plus a photo of the work being carried out – and ‘AVI 6856’ is now finished in a bright red rather than the Ascot Fawn it left the factory in.

The seller, who bought it in 2019, is an engineer and therefore appreciates better than most the need to maintain it in the manner to which it had become accustomed; the bill for almost £3,000 to fit three brand-new carburettors must have stung a little but he acknowledges it’s a price worth paying to keep it running so sweetly.

Nevertheless, as with pretty much every classic car, there are a few small jobs yet to do, making this the ideal candidate for a brief autumn affair following by a few days of minor fettling over the winter before the start of next year’s show season.

Few colours suit the E Type better than red, and this is a very nicely presented example with a high-gloss shine to the paintwork and consistent shutlines. There are no dents or dinks either, nor any ripples along those long, flowing flanks. The aperture shuts are clean too, although the area under the fuel filler flap is less tidy.

The chromework is in good order and provides a vivid contrast to the painted coachwork. There is a little pitting here and there, including to the chromed wire wheels which have also lost some of their finish on the centres, but we can’t see the need for anything more than continued regular polishing with something like Autosol.

The headlamps are free of chips and cracks, although the rim of the offside unit is more weathered than the nearside. The rest of the lamp lenses are bright and free of damage, although the front sidelight/indicators are missing some of the fastening screws, so perhaps now would be a good time to replenish them all?

The glazing is free of chips and cracks too, although we note a scratch to the windscreen. Given its location and shape, we assume this is due to the offside wiper blade rubbing across the glass at some point.

The fabric Webasto-style roof slides fore and aft freely, and sits within a good chromed frame. The fabric is also free of rips, tears, and other damage bar one small hole at the end of a row of stitches at the offside rear.

The black and silver numberplates are in very good shape, even if the rear one is slightly wonky. The repaired and repainted rear exhaust sections aren’t straight either, and they also sport some developing corrosion.

Moving onto the 15-inch wire wheels, these are fitted with a matching set of 185VR15 Dunlop SP Sport tyres. Made in 2015, while all have good tread left on them they are more than a decade old now, so the winning bidder should budget to replace them.

As for other things you might like to look at the paint on the bonnet has been scraped under the middle of the bumper and has a few small bubbles on its offside, and there is quite a lot of pitting, cracking, and even some bubbling on the nearside front wing. The passenger door has a bubble near its leading edge and some of the (very good) rubber door seal has started to come adrift.

The nearside rear wing is scratched with blistering to the middle of the panel, paint is missing below the nearside rear lamp unit, the rubber boot seal is starting to harden and crack, the offside rear wing has evidence of a scratch having been touched up near the tailgate plus a scuff near the driver’s door, and there is bubbling underneath the offside door mirror. The Bonnet is also missing it's center latch so it is only the side pins holding it shut. 

The interior is every bit as iconic as the bright red exterior: Featuring a pair of white-on-black Smiths gauges behind a wood-rimmed steering wheel plus a wide row of instruments and rocker switches above the wide transmission tunnel, it is every bit as special as you would hope.

It’s in good order too with undamaged facings to the front seats and firm, supportive foam underneath. A mouse has stolen some of the rear seat’s foam cushion but it too is otherwise in a very good condition.

The carpets are free of significant wear, including the vulnerable plastic heel protectors. Lifting them up reveals only slight rust stains to the underside of the fabric; it’s hard to tell whether this is a problem or not due to the extensive use of soundproofing material. However, given the past six MoTs have been free of advisory points, it may not be too much of an issue.

The headunit is a modern one designed to look old, seamlessly integrating the best of both worlds, and the aerial for the DAB tuner is discreetly mounted on the nearside of the windscreen.

The boot is as well-trimmed as the rest of the cabin with a very good floor covering concealing a solid and well-painted floor, including what appears to be a recently repainted spare wheel holder. The spare wheel is a matching wire one fitted with a very old Pirelli tyre, and the tool kit is present.

The side and door trim in the luggage space is also free of meaningful wear, just like the door cards and the rear quarter trim panels.

Faults, therefore, are few: The front passenger seat doesn’t slide on its runners, the leather trim covering the offside sill is damaged, the vinyl around the gearlever has split, the steering column shroud and the vents on the top of the dashboard are rusty, and the instrument bezels are pitted and corroded.

The headlining is also stained and wrinkled and even coming away in a few places but that’s it, which isn’t a bad list of jobs for Future You, is it?

Recent mechanical work includes three brand new carburettors in September 2023, a job that set the seller back almost £3,000. CCK Historic also carried out work to the alternator and starter motor in October 2024, and fitted a new balljoint in May 2024.

They also popped it on a dyno where it showed 153bhp and 214lb.ft of torque: Little surprise then that the 4.2-litre straight-six engine fires into life with enthusiasm, idles like a Swiss watch, and revs smoothly – and nor did we identify any significant mechanical issues on our test drive. The Steering wheel is a tad off centered and the brakes do feel soft but neither issue take away from it's road feel.

The engine bay is nicely presented being clean without being overly prissy; you could rock up at your local classic car show and lift the bonnet without embarrassment but then you could also undertake a winter road trip without fear of ruining its finish. Perfectly judged then.

The underside is finished in body-coloured paint in the more visible areas and black underseal everywhere else. The underseal has failed in a few places to reveal corrosion, and there is red overspray plus corrosion and loose paint at the rear. The bottom of the radiator also has red overspray.

Still, wire-brushing the loose stuff off and refinishing it wouldn’t be the worst way to spend a weekend, especially if you’re due to have a houseful of relatives this Christmas…

Despite not needing one, the E Type has a long MoT, expiring in May 2027. Better yet, it was issued with no advisories, just like the previous five.

The online MoT history also shows it’s only accrued a little over a thousand miles in the past 20 years.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar the marker for the change of colour from blue to red, the factory Ascot Fawn presumably having been changed even earlier.

The history file includes old tax discs, invoices for the restoration plus more for ongoing maintenance, a period road test, a lubrication chart, a Production Record Trace Certificate from the Jaguar Heritage Trust, a V5C Registration Certificate in the seller’s name, a Pearson’s workshop manual, and what appears to be its original wallet and Operating, Maintenance and Service Handbook.

Oh, and the personalised numberplate will be staying with the vehicle.

The E Type has been at the top of every enthusiast’s wish list for decades – and that popularity has traditionally kept prices strong.

But we’ve started to see them soften recently, just a little. They still aren’t cheap but our estimate for this one, at between £30,000 and £35,000, might make it available to enthusiasts who thought a good E Type had moved beyond their grasp.

We can’t see them sliding much further though, so this might be the perfect time to buy the classic British sportscar you’ve always promised yourself.

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’.