1972 Jaguar E Type S3

This Jaguar E Type Series III Fixed Head Coupe with a manual transmission, was first registered in April 1972. Despite what the V5C says, it does have the 5.3-litre V12 and not a 4.2-litre straight six. For reasons unknown, a previous owner must have mistakenly given DVLA the wrong information. This should be relatively simple to have corrected.

The previous owner from Yorkshire had owned the car since September 1980. He was a mechanic and he carried out a full restoration on the car. The current owner understands this to have been from the mid-noughties, which certainly ties in with when the MOT record ends.

Our vendor bought the E Type in October last year - he’s had a few before and says that whenever he doesn’t have one, he wants one and whenever he gets one he finds himself wishing it were something more modern and easier to live with.

He’s kept this car in a heated garage but hasn’t used it a great deal since. A friend with a late model MGB GT with a new body shell - which would doubtless be easier to own - has tempted him to sell the Jaguar and buy the MG.

Whilst the E Type starts and runs, it doesn’t keep going for long. During photography it stopped multiple times, covering barely 100m before cutting out. Additionally, it feels like the brakes are seized. These are probably just minor niggles from the car not having been driven lately as the vendor experienced no driving issues when he had the exhaust replaced in January.

The exterior of the E Type is painted in Signal Red and looks to be in a very good condition, the body having been stripped down and resprayed in around 2006. The bodywork too appears in good order, with even panel gaps, good shutlines and no apparent damage.

The chrome brightwork around the car presents well - polished to a good shine with just a light patina here and there but no obvious damage or serious corrosion. The rubber on the rear overriders has been scuffed a little but that’s better than the chrome being damaged.

The inclusion of a bonnet leaper may not be to everyone’s taste but removal would presumably require some holes to be filled. Also unusually, the front grille has twin Jaguar growler badges. We are not sure of the significance of this - the previous owner’s preference perhaps - but we’ve not seen the like before.

The car has a Webasto style sliding vinyl sunroof, which appears in good condition and functions as it should.

The E Type sits on standard Jaguar 15-inch steel wheels with good condition chromed hubcaps and are all fitted with matching Dunlop Sport Super radial tyres. The tyres appear to have good tread but a couple are showing some age by way of light cracking on the sidewalls.

The car’s interior is mostly black, with leather across the seats and steering wheel rim and vinyl elsewhere. In a bid for modernity and to fit with the cost-conscious styling of the seventies, gone is the wooden dash in favour of textured black vinyl. It gives a no-nonsense look that means business and there are a full complement of Smiths dials and analogue switches.

Installed into the centre console is what could well be the original Clarion radio cassette player. If not, it is certainly not a great deal older than the car. A previous owner was clearly a fan of Jaguar’s leaper mascot as he’s also fitted one to the top of the central ashtray!

The leather seats have perforated facings and appear to have aged well, with just the creasing of use and the usual wear on the side bolsters and a little bagginess to the headrests. The rear seats have fared better - clearly having been used a great deal less.

The door cards look in good order, as do the carpets. The headlining looks clean but is coming away from around the sunroof opening.

Under the front-hinged clamshell bonnet, the engine bay is pretty clean and as tidy as it can be - Jaguar’s 5.3-litre V12 isn’t known for its aesthetic appeal having a birds-nest of pipework and cabling obscuring most of the block. However, all appears as it should be and there is evidence of recent maintenance and renewal. The engine number on the block matches that on the chassis plate.

The undersides of the car are relatively clean, with a good covering of underseal or stone chip paint on most surfaces. Aside from a few areas of surface rust, everything appears sound and undamaged. The manifolds and exhaust were replaced only a few months ago with a full stainless system from Bell fitted with what looks like the original quad-fan tailpipe.

The rear load space, extending well into the rear of the cabin with the +2 seat backs folded, is vinyl-lined with edged carpet across the floor. All looks undamaged and unmarked. Underneath is a two-part vinyl floor board with the slider ribs to aid luggage retrieval. Underneath the boot floor, alongside the petrol tank, is a full size spare steel wheel, fitted with Dunlop Sport Super rubber.

There is also a jack, a set of floor mats, additional spare wheel and a number of spares including brake pads, carburettor, door mirror and some parts manuals.

The Jaguar doesn’t appear to have had an MOT since 2005 - there is a test certificate from that year but no MOT record online thereafter. Classic cars were not exempted from testing until 2018, so it would appear that the car has spent over a decade off the road from the mid-noughties. The tax disc in the windscreen dates from 2001, so it may not have been used since then.

The history file includes Jaguar magazines, a few catalogues and manuals relating to the E Type, a sheaf of old MOT certificates, photographs of the restoration - undated but believed to have been in the mid 2000s - and numerous receipts and invoices for parts and work done.

Notable recent work includes a full exhaust system and manifolds in January 2023, new front brake callipers in September 2021, new rear callipers in July 2020 and a conversion to electronic ignition in June 2019.

The Jaguar E Type remains at the pinnacle of affordable classic British sports cars and they are always in great demand. On the surface this car ticks all the right boxes - popular colour, powerful V12 engine, engaging manual gearbox and a fairly recent restoration with very few miles driven since.

Our estimate of between £38,000 and £43,000 reflects the current market for the SIII and the minor issues with the engine cutting out and the brakes seizing.

But if you’re mechanically-minded - or know someone who is - then this might be easily solved with a little fettling and could represent a great way into Jaguar E Type ownership at a more affordable price.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.