1970 Jaguar E Type Series 2 FHC

Delivered new to the USA and previously registered there, this car was acquired by the current owner (an ex-Ecurie Ecosse racing driver) and shipped to the UK via Antwerp in 1989. 

The E Type came into the vendor’s possession after he told its owner, a friend of his in Los Angeles, that as it was never driven he ought to find a new home for it with someone who would use it. 

"Well why don't you have it then?" was his friend’s reply. 

We wish we had friends like that.

Four hours later, a car transporter was ready and waiting to begin the car’s journey back to the UK. 

Life often gets in the way of even the best laid and intentioned of plans, so it transpired that a car that changed ownership because it was deemed to be used insufficiently has done very little since arriving in the UK.

The car is in very original condition.

We have driven it and can report that it starts and stops as it should and feels solidly screwed together.

Certainly, it needs mechanical recommissioning and a thorough engine tune.

It’s also in need of cosmetic attention in a few areas, and replacement parts for various parts of interior trim need to be sourced.

So, it runs and goes and is, we believe, fundamentally sound, but there’s some work to be done to help the car become a better version of itself and add some fresh digits to its remarkably low mileage of 55,017. 

On the occasion of its 2007 MoT, the mileage was recorded as being 53,066, which gives you some indication of the sedentary and unstressed life it’s been living since it crossed the Atlantic.

The bodywork is free of any dinks, dents, ripples, folds or creases of any real consequence.

The chromed wire wheels look to be in very good order, although the same can’t be said for the tyres, which look decidedly long-in-the-tooth.

The chrome work is OK, but is a little foxed and pitted in places.

The car’s silver paint work is relatively shiny and bright on the bonnet and front wings but elsewhere is dull, flat and some way beyond its best.

There is some rust and a few small outbreaks of bubbling at the base of all four wheel arches.

There’s also some nascent bubbling on the bonnet and possibly (although it could just be lifting paint) along the swage line under the n/s/r window.

The rubber trim is pretty much perished and cracked everywhere you cast your gaze.

There are paint chips, scuffs and cracked paint in various locations on the bodywork, but they’re by no means everywhere.

It’s a similar story on the inside, which is also something of a curate’s egg - good in parts, less so in others, and in need of some remedial help elsewhere.

The decent condition of the black leather upholstery better reflects the car’s low mileage than its age and the seats and seat backs are creased but not ripped, torn or otherwise compromised.

The same cannot be said of the headrests, which are split open and losing their foam innards.

The carpets and mats are, variously, decent, tired, grubby or missing. 

Where they are missing, most notably in the footwells, there is what appears to be some surface rust to be seen on the exposed metal.

Part of the centre console is missing above the slot for the radio, although we’re reliably informed that SNG Barratt (who do more than most to keep the world’s surviving E types away from the scrapyard) have recently added replacement centre consoles to their parts inventory.

The headlining is dirty and stained, and the passenger door card has a small split to the leather beneath the window. 

The lid to the storage box between the seats is unattached.

Various bits of trim are loose, worn or missing, depending on where you look.

The luggage bay at the back seems to be in decent nick.

We didn’t tweak every lever, press every knob or flick every switch, but those we did tweak, press and flick did as they were told without delay or complaint.

The engine bay could do with a proper clean, but everything seems to be in its right and proper place. 

There are a few spots of rust to be seen underneath the car but, from what we can see, the undersides appear to have a decent amount of structural integrity. 

You’ll want to take a look yourself and reach your own conclusions.

This car comes with very little by way of history, save for some correspondence between the original and current owners, a few USA registration documents, a current V5, a recent invoice for new eared spinners, and a clear HPI check. 

Yes, there are a few jobs to do, inside and out. 

And yes, it will need mechanically recommissioning and fettling.

But what we’re talking about here is a low mileage, manual Jaguar E Type Series 2, with effectively just two owners from new, and one that’s in fundamentally sound condition, as far as we can tell.

And that’s got to make it more than worth the investment of time and effort required to help it recapture some or all (you decide) of its former glory.

We’re confident to offer this splendid car for auction with an estimate of £25,000 - £35,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, 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, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.