1968 Jaguar S-Type

This automatic 3.4-litre S Type Jaguar saloon was purchased by the vendor in 2016 having been the subject of a bare metal restoration in 2015.

The vendor then spent a great deal of money having the engine stripped and rebuilt between 2016 and 2018 (plus lots of other work), since when the car has covered no more than 1000 or so miles. 

The vendor believes he’s spent something in the region of £36,000 on the car since buying it. 

It’s always been garaged and wouldn’t recognise a puddle or a rain drop if you showed it pictures of them.

The mileage indicated today on the 5-digit odometer is 12,152 (though this is obviously unlikely to be accurate).

At the moment, the car starts and runs but then peters out. The vendor tells us that this is almost certainly a carburation issue whereby the car is running rather too rich. 

He has been unable to find the time to correct this as he’s currently at the sharp end of moving house – and the reason he’s selling is because the new house doesn’t have a garage.

He tells us that when optimally carburated, it starts on the button, presses on with plenty of enthusiasm, and has excellent handling, brakes and PAS.

The bodywork is really very straight and in decent order for the most part, being free from any dinks, dents, bangs, crumples, creases, ripples or folds of note.

The whole vehicle feels sound and very well screwed together.

The panels, panel gaps and shut-lines are consistent with the tolerances achieved by 1960’s engineers, although the driver’s door needs a little encouragement to close correctly.

The dark blue paintwork is reasonable in the main and has a decent amount of shine and lustre to it overall.

There are a few scuffs and some cracked paint at the bottom of the o/s/f wing near the wheel arch with the possibility (we don’t know) of a small spot of nascent bubbling at the base. It could just be some overspray.

We also found some scuffs to the paint at the base of the n/s/f wheel arch, around the upper lip of its n/s/r counterpart, plus some others on the n/s/r door and some cracks in the paint on the sill beneath it. 

There are various small scratches on top of the o/s/f wing and, to a lesser extent, on the roof and on top of the n/s/r wing.

The chrome on the wheels is spotted with rust and there’s some foxing and pitting to the chrome on the bumpers and door handles. 

The matching tyres look to have plenty of life left in them.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings all appear to be in good order.

The condition of the interior is really very good indeed, and the blue upholstery has very little to show by way of wear, creasing or any damage.

The headlining is beyond reproach as are the splendidly rich and glossy veneers on the dashboard, door cappings and other inserts and trim.

The dark blue carpets are edged with cream trim and look very good indeed.

The door cards are fine, but both front doors have splits to the vinyl trim on the armrests.

There are one or two very small scuffs and marks on the trim around the transmission tunnel.

The steering wheel, gear selector, instruments, dials and controls all look decent to us. 

The vendor tells us that, as far as he’s aware, everything works as it should. 

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed a 3-way switch added to the dashboard just to the left of the steering column. This is there to circumvent some of the issues these cars can suffer with in relation to the factory-fitted automatic choke. 

The 3-way switch - automatic, permanently-on and permanently-off being the options - has a blue light to let you know when the choke is engaged.

The car also has an aftermarket alarm system - ultrasonic and motion sensor - with a manual reset button inside the glove box.

The car has a reconditioned radio with an additional jack input.

The boot looks very good, and contains a big box full of JEC magazines and other paraphernalia. 

The engine and engine bay look clean, shiny and dry. 

The undersides appear to be possessed of plenty of structural integrity and nothing we’ve seen has prompted us to tut or raise an eyebrow.

The vendor tells us that the sills, A, B and C posts, chassis rails, outriggers, jacking points, crows’ feet, bulkheads and fuel tanks are all solid and that the oil pressure is good. 

This car comes with plenty of bills, receipts and invoices covering expenditure on it while in the ownership of the vendor, plus a copy of the original handbook and a guide to the carburettors.

It also has the original condition report he commissioned prior to buying the car and upon which he based his initial buying decision. 

Yes, there’s currently a need for a little light tweaking and fettling courtesy of a Jaguar carburettor whisperer.

But all the really heavy lifting - bare metal restoration, comprehensive engine rebuild, etc - has already been done by other people, so you won’t have to. 

All you have to do is carry on with the careful and loving curation of this pedigree S Type and look forward to many years of extremely classy motoring.

We are happy to offer this fine vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £10,000 - £12,000.

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’.