1972 Jaguar E Type S3 FHC

The car comes to us from a notable and very high-quality private collection where it has been maintained, cared-for and diligently curated since 1983.

In 2006 the car’s odometer was showing a remarkably modest 65,936 miles.

Today, 20 years later, the counter has only advanced as far as 68,017 miles so, as you will have no doubt discerned by now, the car has been living a life of idle privilege for a considerable length of time. 

As you might expect of a car deemed worthy of inclusion in such a collection, it is in very good all-round condition – dynamically, mechanically and aesthetically.

We can vouch for the fact that it starts, goes, handles, performs and stops as you would hope and expect. 

How? 

Because we collected it from its most recent location and drive it to our Oxfordshire HQ.

It didn’t miss a beat, and neither we nor the vendor expected it to.

The car presents very handsomely and its legendarily beautiful silhouette is well served by the classic green hue.

The panel gaps and shut-lines are decent, and the wire wheels and chrome-work are in good order and apparently untroubled by any tarnishing, foxing or pitting.

There are no major dents or dinks to the bodywork, but there are one or two issues here and there.

There’s a patch of uneven, slightly distorted looking metal at the leading edge of the bonnet and some corrosion may or may not be making itself known underneath – it’s hard to tell. 

On the o/s/f wing there’s a small dent ahead of the wheel and a little bubbling in evidence near the wheel-arch. 

There are some bulges to the paint (could be pockets of air, could be nascent bubbling) at the top of the driver’s door, and there’s also some bubbling to be found on the n/s/r wing near the filer cap and lower down adjacent to the door.

One of the ‘bullet’ wing mirrors is a tad loose. 

Otherwise, the car’s lights lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings all look to be holding up well.

The trim has been removed, re-Connollised and refurbished at various times during the car’s life, and the benefits of all this remedial and preventative work can be seen to good effect in the interior of this vehicle. 

The beige leather upholstery is really very good indeed, with only the front seats showing any signs of wear or earned patina. 

Yes, there are a few creases to the seats at the front, but no nicks, holes or other aberrations that we can see.

The headrests atop the front seats seem to have lost a little of their mojo and currently look a little like partially deflated rugby balls.

The rear seats, as ever, don’t look as if they’ve ever been called upon to do much heavy lifting.

The door cards are decent, as is the very useful space offered by the rear luggage bay.

There is a full-sized spare wheel under the floor at the rear.

The signature E Type dashboard is in fine fettle, and the black dials and rows of rocker switches all look to be in very good condition, as do the steering wheel, gear selector and handbrake.

As far as were aware, all buttons, knobs, dials, switches and levers do as they’re told in a timely and obedient fashion, although the rev counter did seem a trifle erratic in its behaviour.

The Jaguar-branded carpets and mats are intact and perfectly serviceable. 

There’s a lot of bewildering (unless you’re a mechanic) complex machinery to be seen under the bonnet of a V12 E Type, but everything we can see of the engine looks clean and dry, and the various hoses, lines and cables running between the Stromberg carbs, spark plugs, fuel tank, radiator and other ancillaries all seem to be in first-class order. 

The undersides of the car are covered in a good layer of Waxoyl treatment and, one or two spots of what looks like surface rust here and there, nothing we’ve seen has given us cause to tut, frown or in any way doubt the car’s structural or mechanical integrity.

Purchased new by its first owner from Wadham Stringer of Haywards Heath, the car’s life thereafter is exhaustively documented in a big, thick history file that makes the Dead Sea Scrolls look like a Post-it note.

From these impressive archives we can see that, in 1985, the car’s engine and gearbox were stripped, reconditioned and rebuilt by David Harrison Ltd of Peebles, 

In 1988, the car received a major glass-out restoration which involved making good any corrosion issues with the metal, carrying out any welding and lead loading as necessary, repainting the car from bare metal in its original green, and refurbishing or replacing any mechanical components as appropriate.

The car had covered 54,437 miles at the time.

Between 1993 and 2000 the car’s well-being was the preserve of Witherspoon Motor Services of Edinburgh, to whom fell the tasks of carrying out regular servicing work, some remedial repairs to the floor plates and bodywork, and all manner of mechanical fettling and sorting.

From there on, it seems that the car was kept in storage and was looked after, serviced, maintained and repaired by Stewart Roden of Edinburgh.

In 2017, they carried out a major (£10,500-worth) overhaul of the car’s braking, suspension and exhaust systems, and stripped out, refurbished and, where appropriate, re-Connollised, all interior trim. 

Another braking system overhaul was carried out by Automo of Berkshire in 2023.

The car comes with its original British Leyland ‘Passport to Service’ document (which is fully stamped up until 1983), loads of old MoT certificates, some books and manuals, sundry invoices, bills and receipts, a V5C and a recent, clear HPI report.

On the occasion of its last MoT exam in February 2023, it passed with no advisories whatsoever.

No, it’s no concours and there are one or two cosmetic issues to consider here and there – but it is a very good car and one that drives as well as it looks.

And just look at that history file.

As everybody knows, history matters, particularly when you’re buying a 54-year-old machine like a V12 E Type.

Well, this particular example has a life story that couldn’t have been recorded in much more detail if it had its own official biographer.

We know where it’s been, what it’s had done to it, when, and by whom, for every moment of its long life.

We also know that since 1983 it’s been in a collection where the cars are diligently maintained and preserved regardless of inconvenience or expense.

The mileage today is an indicated 68,000 miles, and the car’s MoT history gives us no reason to doubt the veracity of that figure.

What’s not to like?

We’re confident to offer this fine car for auction with an estimate of £35,000 - £45,000.

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’.