1973 Jaguar E Type Series 3 Roadster

Our eye-catching example represents somewhat of a holy-grail car in E Type terms. It’s a right-hand drive, UK supplied Roadster with a manual transmission. It remains in a highly original condition and specification despite having clearly enjoyed a number of periods of restoration and recommissioning during its 49-year history.

For lesser, newer cars an eight-keeper history may raise an eyebrow or two. When you consider the car’s age, however, an average period of tenure in excess of six years is clearly an emphatic positive. Dig deeper and you will find that the last two keepers kept and enjoyed the car for ten and eleven years respectively.

The recent history is one of modest but regular usage, too. Widely acknowledged as the best kind for classic cars of this era. The MoT history documents less than 30,000 miles covered since 1992 and the last 20 years accounts for well under 10,000 of that total. It’s an impressive MoT history, as well, with every test since 2012 remaining untroubled by a single advisory. Despite being an exempt, Historic Vehicle, a current MoT has just expired. Carried out at 97,172 miles, around 600 miles ago, that too was advisory free. A fine example in seemingly a fine fettle.

Our car is presented in the subtle Primrose Yellow colourway which, in itself, helps conjure up images of long and carefree summer days and winding country roads. Surely the perfect hue for a V12 E Type Roadster? Our example effectively showcases the signature features of the E Type’s final iteration. The wide, cross-slatted grill, the subtly flared wheel arches and that sublime quad “fantail” exhaust tail pipe – they are all here and in great condition too. For those in any doubt as to what they are following, there is a big chrome “V12” emblem affixed to the elegantly sloping boot lid.

The combination of the sheen of the bright and lustrous paintwork, the shiny chrome accents to the bumpers, overriders, door furniture and grill and the optional chromed wire wheels affixed with twin eared spinners meld to give this car road presence and head-turning character by the bucket-load.

This example has benefitted from the recent fitment of a new, black mohair hood to replace the more basic vinyl example that would have been fitted from the factory. Consequently, its condition appears faultless with its quality stitching and welting evident in our comprehensive photographic package. The plexiglass rear window is, of course, in an as-new condition. A black tonneau cover is included to enclose, neaten, and protect the hood and its mechanism, once stowed.

The chromed wire wheels appear to be in excellent condition all round with no significant areas of imperfection noted. The Roadster likely came with painted wire wheels from the factory affixed with non-eared spinners. It is understood that the current chromed set, affixed with eared spinners, were added by a previous owner in around 1998. The 15-inch wheels are shod with Pirelli P4000 “Super Touring,” radial type tyres in a period-correct 205/70 configuration.

Being the youngest version of this iconic British sports car, this Series III is the one most people are likely to remember and most readily recognise. This car is a fine example of the breed, a breed the likes of which will never be seen again.

The interior presents as an entirely original E Type cabin of the period. The box pleated seats are complete with the matching headrests and are finished in a supple, perforated black leather. The seat covers are a recent replacement, so they look great and are free from any wear and tear normally associated with a car of this age.

The door cards are finished in black leather and feature horizontally arranged, chromed trim strips and door furniture. The high and wide inner sill panels are flawlessly trimmed in black to match the rest of the interior. The black carpets appear to be in fine fettle throughout and a carpeted rear luggage shelf can be accessed via the forward folding seats.

An E Type interior is a refreshing antidote to the haptic screen laden, minimalist interior of many a modern Hybrid or EV, and all the better for it in our opinion. As if buttons and gauges were proportional to speed and power, the dashboard here is delightfully awash with them. No less than 10 clearly labelled rocker switches are arranged across the centre panel and seven, white on black Smiths gauges keep you appraised of the car’s mechanical status. A charming, wood-rimmed Mota-Lita steering wheel is also present.

A ride in, or even a sit in an E Type of this period will likely live long in the memory. It provides an object lesson in the “theatre” of motoring that seems somehow lost on this car’s modern successors. This car clearly embodies that ethos perfectly and will likely provide its new lucky owner with many years joy and pleasure even before the mighty V12 is stirred into life.

Of course, a key facet of that aforementioned sense of automotive theatre lurks under the long and curvy bonnet of this E-Type. Representing the first mass produced V12 engine fitted to a road car, the engine was to become a real USP for the Series III. It was a triumph of engineering, boasting twice the number of pistons of its predecessors’ 4.2 litre unit yet weighing a mere 39 kgs more. It was powerful, of course, but perhaps more importantly it endowed the Series III with a tractability that almost rendered the four-speed manual gearbox superfluous. It is this flexibility and drivability that seems most often commented on by those lucky enough to pilot the V12 E Type.

The Series III’s talents don’t end there, of course. These final models featured rack and pinion steering with power assistance, fully independent suspension all round and servo assisted brakes front and rear. This, anecdotally, make them the most civilised and useable of the range coping very well with today’s more challenging driving conditions.

The current owner attests to the car “performing beautifully” once it has been allowed to warm its oils and fluids appropriately. It should come as no surprise, either, once the paperwork archive has been reviewed as the maintenance and repair regimen seems to have been diligent and thorough. In recent times the gearbox and clutch have been rebuilt and refurbished and a full service undertaken.

Both the under-bonnet presentation and the underside of the car should instil the next owner with confidence that the car has been cherished and well cared for by its previous owners. Some areas of the underside are heavily undersealed and the presentation of these could be further improved by a new owner if they were particularly thorough.

There is a great level of provenance providing paperwork included with the car. Our photographic package includes over 50 images of documents and paperwork from across the car’s history. Foremost these include the current V5 registration document in the name of the current owner. This confirms the car’s status as a Historic Vehicle and so VED and MoT exempt.

Despite this status the car has enjoyed an advisory free MoT for the last year, which has only just recently expired. There are also numerous other earlier MoTs on hand in hard copy, documenting the low mileages covered over the last twenty years or so.

Numerous invoices for work undertaken are also present, helping to confirm the fine mechanical condition this example seems to offer today. Items covered by these include trim and fittings, both interior and exterior, suspension components, key consumables, and batteries.

For those with a long enough memory it will be clear that the relatively high production numbers of the E Type, compared with some of its peers, meant that its stock as a highly collectable classic took a while to percolate. In recent years, however, with many cars succumbing to the rigours of time the E Type market has seemingly “come to the boil.”

This has resulted in many examples suddenly representing viable propositions in terms of re-imports, often from the USA, conversion to right hand drive and resale. That makes original UK supplied, right hand drive models all the more desirable today.

Our example obviously ticks that box but then doubles down thanks to the allure of the big V12 powerplant, its fine, overall condition and the added refinements that Series III cars offer. The fact that it looks fantastic in its Primrose Yellow colourway and bright chromed wire wheels is, surely, just the cherry on top of a very edifying cake.

We estimate this car to fetch between £65,000 - £75,000 in auction.

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’.