1973 Jaguar E Type Series III 2+2

Finished in Signal Red, ‘UYK 423M’ is a Series 3 Jaguar E Type Fixed-Head Coupé that was supplied to its first owner by Mann Egerton in August 1973. It then stayed in the same family until 2008, during which time it enjoyed a spell in Guernsey where it was re-registered as `45799'.

It returned here in the early noughties and was restored by the Haynes Motor Museum in 2002 at a cost of more than £15,000. It was later sold, and we are told it spent many years on display in a classic car collection.

The entire collection was sold to Castle Motors a couple of years ago, and the firm wasted no time in recommissioning it despite it having covered only around 4,000 miles since the work by Haynes.

Still showing just 66,000 miles on the odometer and sporting an advisory-free MoT, it’s also got all the creature comforts you’d expect to find in a grand touring car including power-steering, wire wheels, and an automatic gearbox.

The good folk at the Haynes Motor Museum really know their stuff, eh? Because, after ploughing in 125 hours of their time the E Type looks spectacular – and this is, you’ll recall, 22 years after they finished it.

Mind you, it’s only covered a handful of miles since then but the way the work’s held up over the past couple of decades is mightily impressive.

Of course, it’s the glossy Signal Red paintwork that catches your eye first of all. The same shade it left the factory with back in 1973, it’s shiny and free of any obvious blemishes and marks.

The underlying panels are equally impressive featuring tight and consistent shutlines and excellent panel alignment. The doors and tailgate also latch tightly, and it sits foursquare; given what we know about quality control back in the seventies and the huge leaps in paint technology that have been made since, we doubt the E Type looked this good when it was new.

Much of the chromework was replaced when the car’s bodywork was restored by Haynes in 2002 too, and that’s held up every bit as well as the rest of the coachwork.

The details like lamp lenses, widow glass, and badges are also excellent, and additional locks have been fitted to all three doors.

The Webasto roof slides fore and aft as it should, and seals nicely when it is closed. The black vinyl fabric is also free of rips, tears, and other damage, and the metal frame is in an excellent condition.

It’s the same story with the chromed wire wheels, which are excellent having a good shine to them and no apparent pitting or corrosion.

As for the tyres, the good news is that they’re matching 205/70ZR15 Pirelli P4000 Super Touring M&S that all have good tread left on them. We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

The bad news is that they were fitted back in 2006, so while they seem to be free of perishing and cracks, it would be prudent to replace them if you’re planning on driving it much.

Other jobs to get your teeth over the winter, well, there isn’t anything.

It’s not concours but if showing it next year is your aim then it wouldn’t take an awful lot of work to make it so. It’s really very, very good and a suitably impressive way to round out 2024; we’ve sold a lot of E Types over the years and this is up there with the very best of ‘em.

The headlining and trim around the Webasto sunroof was replaced in 2002 by Haynes, along with re-Connolising the original leather seats. The work uncovered the need for new seat foams too, along with some repairs to the rubber webbing. New carpets were also fitted and this little lot set the owner back £1,387.

Mind you, it was worth it because the cockpit is every bit as impressive as the coachwork. Yes, there’s some very slight rumpling to the base of the driver’s seat but that’s probably just us being fastidious.

The rest is wonderfully understated; when a design is this good you don’t need fripperies like walnut veneer and lashings of chrome.

What you do get is plenty of black leather plus matching carpet and plastic relieved by the judicious application of shiny stuff by way of the handbrake, gearlever, and the door furniture.

It is as purposeful as the cockpit of a fighter plane, with a long row of instruments to monitor what’s happening under the engine, and an equally lengthy row of rocker switches to control it.

There’s also a lovely twin-spindle Philips radio-cassette player that may be period-correct, and an electrical cut-off switch that definitely isn’t. But, given the latter will do double duty as a battery saver and an anti-theft device, we can forgive its presence.

We’re big fans of self-shifting E Types, largely because it’s more of a long-distance, grand-touring car than an out-and-out sportscar anyway. A bonus is the presence of only two pedals in the somewhat cramped footwell means those of us with long legs and big feet can also enjoy the sublime delights a V12-powered E Type has to offer.

As you’d expect of a car designed to cross a continent before lunch, the boot is huge. This one is, like the rest of the cabin, in an excellent condition and contains a full-size spare wire wheel fitted with a matching Pirelli P400 tyre. There’s a tool kit in there too, although it is a little rusty.

Other highlights include those 2+2 rear seats. Yes, they’re tiny but then so are your grandchildren and who wouldn’t want to be able to look back at a childhood that included being driven around by your grandparents in one of the most iconic cars of the 20th century?

As for work to do, if we’re being really picky then the trim around the tailgate could do with being tucked under the rubber seal a bit more neatly and the headlining is untidy around the handle for the sunroof.

December 2022 and 65,783 miles saw the E Type receive a recommission at the hands of Castle Motors. The work was significant and included brake and steering work as well as the renewal of all its fluids and a thorough service.

Too extensive to detail here, the job sheet is on file and it’s worth going through it line-by-line to appreciate how in-depth it was.

There’s also an invoice on file dated the 28th of February 2002 from the Haynes Motor Museum for almost £16,000 for bodywork repairs and a respray plus miscellaneous mechanical repairs. Again, the invoice and a comprehensive list of the work that was carried out is attached.

The seller tells us that that it “drives beautifully.” Certainly, the video shows it starting well with good oil pressure and a healthy charge to the battery.

It also idles nicely and revs like a dream – but then 12 cylinders do, don’t they? The exhaust note is also suitably subtle; modern Jaguars, take note.

The engine bay was restored in 2002 with fresh paint and new decals, and if we say it isn’t quite up to the same standards as the rest of the car then you’ll understand this is a matter of degree; it’s good but the rest of the car is so good that it suffers just a little in comparison. We think investing in a professional valet would reap dividends.

The underside has been very neatly painted and undersealed. We can’t spot anything under there that would worry us and a lot that delights us like safety wire, a very good exhaust system, and adjustable Leda dampers.

Despite not needing one, the E Type not only has an MoT but the certificate it has, which expires in June 2025, was issued with no advisories.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the E Type’s history file includes a Jaguar Heritage Trust Production Record Trace Certificate that confirms it left the factory with the same colour scheme it enjoys today.

The file also includes the Operating, Maintenance and Service Handbook, the book pack including the Passport to Service, some expired MoT certificates, historical paperwork, and a large number of invoices for servicing and maintenance.

While it might have been fully restored, the E Type remains in largely original condition; as the seller points out “It hasn’t been mucked about with!”

Which means the winning bidder will be able to enjoy the best of both worlds: a very well restored car that’s still in a fabulous condition, allied to the knowledge that they’re enjoying it exactly as Jaguar’s designers and engineers intended.

Of course, the downside to this is that it isn’t going to be cheap, but then quality never is, is it? Still, we think an estimate of between £42,000 and £50,000 still represents good value.

Factor in the ever-present demand for cars of this quality and it may end up costing you less than you think – and in the meantime you’ll be able to enjoy owning and driving a fine example of Coventry’s finest.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £42,000 - £50,000.

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