1969 Jaguar E-Type SII 4.2

Introduced in 1968, the Series II E-Types underwent several tweaks. The US National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration forced the most noticeable change, the removal of glass headlight covers. Other features include a wrap-around rear bumper, larger front indicators, repositioned taillights, and an enlarged grille. The dashboard underwent a number of changes, and several switches were ultimately relocated. New seats allowed for the fitment of head restraints, again required by US Law.

The red exterior of this E-Type appears to be a patina'd original if not for the Heritage Trust certificate accompanying the car clarifying its original livery as silver...one would think the car is carrying original, if not aged, paint. The factory badges are missing on each side of the car in front of the front wheels but are included with a small assortment of parts with the car. On the driver’s side, between the hood and door, there are large flakes of paint missing both up high and down low, there is a smaller flaking beneath the driver’s door, and lastly there is a large area of flaking over the driver's rear quarter panel. These large areas of flaking display solid, rust and accident free, and carefully preserved sheet metal. Overall the paint, while applied well, now shows significant aging having flaked in late if areas. There are no dents and not a hint of rust anywhere. Chrome around the car is in solid shape, nothing appears damaged or in serious need of rechroming. The rear bumper doesn’t have any major wrinkles but does appear to be either bent or slightly askew. The wire wheels appear to be clean originals. Certainly not show-worthy but ready for many more miles. The tires are in very poor condition and a new set is absolutely needed. Finally, glass around the car is clean and free of chips and cracks. Overall, there is not a major amount of concern across a variety of areas on the outside. However, the paint is heavily flaked, and it will either need to be carefully preserved or completely removed and repainted as part of a sympathetic restoration. We’ll leave that choice up to the lucky winner.

A look inside this E-Type reveals an original interior in much nicer shape. The original black leather seats show signs of average creasing, but the leather looks healthy and free of holes or tears. The footwells to each seat are clean, the carpets lay flat, and the photographer even went out of their way to pull the mats back and reveal a clean floor pan. The wooden steering wheel has certainly aged over the years, the varnish has faded and the wood itself is likely a few shades darker than it began while also having picked up some scratches along the way. The black dashboard is clean and all of the gauges mounted within are clean and easily readable. However, in the middle of the center console, the central air vents are sun damaged. We surmise that at no point the vents were straight, skinny rectangles but today they have been warped likely due to heat. The center console overall is the roughest area inside the car, tiny scrapes in the material, build up of excess materials in all the hard-to-reach corners, and general dust, make the middle of the dashboard in most need of attention Thankfully, most of that can likely be addressed with a good detailing. The headliner looks original and has no stains and hangs snugly in place. It would also appear that the sunshades hang properly as intended. Lastly, the trunk is in excellent shape. The leather floor panel shows minimal wear and minimal sun damage. Overall, this E-Type’s interior is commensurate when compared to the exterior.

We are happy to report that the underside of this E-Type is free of any major damage. The frame and floorboards are solid, and the seller indicates the floorboards have been replaced. The suspension components are tidy, and the exhaust shows minimal discoloration. Under the hood, the front end of the car looks just as clean as the undercarriage. Nothing looks particularly damaged, all components seem to be in their correct locations, but the whole bay could use a power washing. The seller has also noted that the engine turns, but the car has not been made to run.

A production record certificate is included with the car. It tells us the car was manufactured on June 3rd, 1969. The car is listed as being silver originally, with black leather interior. The black interior obviously survived, quite nicely, but the silver paint did not. After being completed by the factory, the car was packaged up and shipped off to the US on June 18th, 1969. The original Driver’s Handbook is included with the vehicle, as well as a box of spare parts. The car came from the estate of a very long term owner and is now being sold to settle that estate.

The Jaguar E-Type is a very important car in automotive history, but it is quite possibly the most important car in Jaguar’s history. The E-Type broke new grounds for both performance and style and left the world hungry for more. It can easily be reasoned that Jaguar would not exist today if the E-Type didn’t become the icon it is today. Today’s example has a heavily damaged exterior that will likely need to be refurbished, and a clean interior that could use some touching up. This vehicle would make an excellent candidate for a minor restoration or a good starting point for some patina'd original.