1973 Jaguar E Type

Delivered new to a dealer in Grimsby in 1973, this fabulous vehicle is in very good overall condition.

It’s also probably the best Series 3 we’ve yet driven and is nothing short of a revelation in the way it starts, goes, accelerates, corners and stops.

Normally, after driving an average E Type, there’s a sense of, “Well, it’s not too bad for 1973” or “Yes, but you really wouldn’t want to make any long journeys in it”, or words to that effect.

Somehow, they’re very rarely quite as good as you want them to be and you’re left a little disappointed that one of your automotive heroes has very slightly let you down.

Not this car.

This car does everything brilliantly and would be an absolute pleasure to drive all day, any day, every day.

And what makes that fact all the more remarkable is that it’s never been restored.

To say it’s been used sparingly would be something of an understatement.

On the occasion of its 2006 MoT it had 22,597 miles on the odometer.

Today, it has 25,648 miles to show for its 50 years of careful living.

It also comes with some very special provenance, being in the same ownership for the last 35 years.

And that owner was the late King Hussein of Jordan. 

This is the last car from his fabulous collection that’s still in the UK – the rest are in Amman. 

The current V5 is in the name of Her Majesty Queen Noor Al Hussein.

We’re reliably informed that she was regularly to be seen driving the car near her country home outside Ascot.

This car comes with a rare factory hard-top in the same ‘Regency Red’ colour as the rest of it, a very good history file, and a Heritage certificate that confirms this as a home market, matching numbers car. 

The trade vendor (Platinum Classics) used to maintain Queen Noor’s FHC E Type and so was given the privilege of recommissioning this very special OTS prior to auction. 

Among plenty of other work carried out, the car was given a full service, new header tank, new hood, new Moss pads front and back, new fuel pump, a solid-state Opus ignition upgrade, and had everything greased and lubed.

Platinum Classics tell us that the car comes with a warranty on the work carried out.

They drove the car in the London to Brighton classic car run and say it didn’t miss a beat and behaved perfectly throughout.

Having driven it ourselves, we fully believe them.

We think this is one of the best low-mileage, original, unrestored Series 3s you will find anywhere today.

And we think you’ll be a very, very long time waiting to find one that’s better dynamically and mechanically.

The bodywork is in excellent condition and there are no dinks, dents, creases, ripples or folds of any consequence anywhere that we can see. 

The paintwork is broadly decent but is showing the patina of age here and there.

There are some thin cracks and crazing to the paint at the rear of the passenger door and at the base of the wing behind it.

There are one or two scratches on the o/s/r wing beneath the hard-top screen and a few thin cracks to the paint at the leading edge of the driver’s door.

The wire wheels are in fine fettle, as are the chrome, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings.

The matching Dunlop SP Sport tyres look to be in decent condition.

The unrestored hard-top is the part of the car that might need some attention, as there is some bubbling in evidence at the sides and rear, plus some swirly scratches on top.

That said, we imagine the first thing the next owner will do is remove it and store it away in a garage. 

Unless you’re thinking of driving it right through the winter (and obviously you’re not), why would you want to drive an OTS with the hard-top in place?

The soft-top has a couple of tears to the fabric at each side, but there’s a brand-new unused one in the boot. It just needs fitting.

Our initial reaction when we saw the interior was to wonder at the accuracy of the car’s claims to unrestored status.

Then we remembered that’s it’s only covered 25,000 miles, has spent 35 years as part of a Royal collection and has lived a remarkably pampered and sedate life.

What you’re looking at are the original seats, ‘Biscuit’ leather upholstery, carpets and trim.

Aside from one or two light scuffs on the outside shoulders of the seats, there are no signs of wear worth mentioning that we can see. 

The leather upholstery has yet to earn more than a crease or two, let alone any ingrained patina and the seats are comfortable, supportive and functional. 

The door cards are broadly untroubled by anything as vulgar as age or wear.

Ditto the hard-top and soft-top linings.

The dashboard is fine, as are the steering wheel, gear selector and other controls.

We didn’t flick every switch, press every button or twiddle every knob, but those we did flick, press and twiddle produced the expected response in swift and precise fashion.

The carpets and mats are all very good, as is the boot. 

The only minor exceptions to all this good news are a small hole in the trim at the top of the passenger door card, one or two marks on the trim on the driver’s side sill, and the non-functioning clock – although even that’s accurate twice a day. 

The engine bay looks clean, dry and everything appears to be in its right and proper place, as you would hope and expect of a car that’s covered so few miles and has been maintained and cared-for without compromise for at least the last 35 years. 

The undersides of the car look to have plenty of structural integrity and appear very healthy indeed, as far as we can see.

The car comes with all manner of bills, invoices and receipts attesting to the time and money that’s been spent on it over the years.

Much of the recent repair and maintenance work was carried out by Berkshire E Type specialists Automo who, among other work on the car in 2022, rebuilt the carbs and got the clutch, brakes, suspension and exhaust into the best possible versions of themselves.

The most recent upgrades, enhancements and recommissioning work, for which there are many Martin Robey parts invoices, was carried by Platinum Classics.

It comes with what looks like an original manual, a toolkit, keys, a clear HPI check and a Heritage certificate. 

We think this gloriously original Series 3 OTS is a fascinating insight into just how good these cars could be when they were new. 

Nowadays you’d struggle to find one that hasn’t been stripped down, made over, tarted up or otherwise rendered unfaithful to what the engineers and craftsmen of Browns Lane intended.  

This is the real deal.

It’s low mileage, superb to drive, unrestored and has a truly unique provenance.

We’re confident to offer this splendid vehicle for auction with an estimate of £100,000 - £125,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the 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’.