1971 Jaguar E-Type

2 seat coupe Coupe

4.2 liter straight six w/triple weber upgrade

Manual

P2R28405

Clear

Price - The car is listed as a no-reserve auction with a $44k starting price. I paid over $62k for the car including the upgrades and restoration work. I believe the starting price is reasonable given rust free condition and the color combination, but I will be up front and add that if a tan interior (which is relatively rare) is not critical to you, I think you can get a comparable black interior car for at least $5k less. If you do bid, read all the way through the description because I've included the good, the bad and the ugly. History - This car was restored to concours level standards in 1991 and won second place in the JCNA national championship in 1992. It had 72k miles on it when it was restored. The car then lived on as a trailer queen, brought to various competitions in the 1990s and then garage stored until I bought it from Classic Jaguar in Austin, TX in February 2013. From February to April of 2013, Classic Jaguar made the following improvements to the car at a cost of $10,325:Replaced dual Stromberg carburetors with new, triple Weber carbs. (The originals come with the car.)Rebuilt the brakes, installing stainless steel pistons and new pads.Converted car to electronic ignition with a Tune 123 distributor and rebuilt tachometer to work with new ignition system.Installed new alternator.Installed new Nardi wood steering wheel.Installed spin on oil filter conversion kitInstalled new spark plug wires and plugs I had the car transported to East Hampton in April of 2013. I had Kalbacher Auto install new electric cooling fans at a cost of $1,796 in September of 2013. I moved to Fairfield, CT in July of 2015, where I then had Automotive Restorations Vintage Racing Services In Stratford, CT make the following improvements to the car at a cost of $10k:Completely rebuilt the entire car suspension including new shock absorbers, ball joints, tie rod ends, rear differential sub-frame mounts, and control arm bushings (this was $7k of total)New high-torque starterNew master clutch cylinderNew slave clutch cylinderLaser wheel alignment Condition - No matter which way you look at it, this is a beautiful car. I have had admirers exclaim that it looks like it just came out of the showroom, but it does have some small chips and blemishes that make it a very nice driver, not a show car. The paint has a deep luster and incredible shine, actually making photographing the car a challenge since everything (including clouds) reflects off the paint. The interior is beautiful as well with no cracks or rips or much in the way of wear. The engine runs very strong with tons of torque and the transmission shifts without any issues. Now that I have the new suspension the car handles perfectly. The early 90s restoration was so good you always think you are in an original car, with just a mild patina of age from the passage of time. I haven't found any rust anywhere including in the spare tire well or anywhere under the hood. The car comes with a complete tool set, jack and accessories to change the spin off tire. Negatives - First, I will add that I am fortunate in that I am financially secure and therefore able to sell the car with full disclosure at a price that I believe it is worth or keep it for myself. So this is the full story: after listing the car at $49k selling price, I had a lot of interested and willing buyers, leading me to believe that it would trade in the 50's. I wanted to deliver the car after addressing three issues: 1) Oil pressure gauge starts at 48 psi cold and then drops to about 22 psi warmed up. This turned out to be a sender/receiver issue. The oil pressure is 28 psi at idle when warm although the gauge is lower. 2) The car turned over slowly at start up, which I thought was a battery issue. It turns out that the car needed a new starter, which I installed. 3) After running hard, the car would smoke some after coming to a stop. I thought this would be the least of my expenses, but it turns out that the rear engine seal is worn. Unfortunately, the engine needs to be removed to replace this seal, making this a $5k repair. I was about to get this done, but decided I had better make sure that no other work was needed before taking the engine out and putting it back. I checked the compression and leak down, which was 150, 150, 130, 155, 130 and 160 psi for the compression and 25%, 25%, 30%, 10%, 20% and 10% for the leak down. From prior tests, I am getting 160 hp and 212 ft-lbs of torque at the rear wheels, which is only slightly worse than the car had when brand new (I've been told it is about 8 hp less than a brand new engine). What I believe is happening is that the Webers and electronic ignition are compensating for the spotty compression, otherwise I would probably have 20% or more power available if all the cylinders were in the 170 psi range. For what it's worth, the engine runs very strong and loves to accelerate hard. So my issue is this: I'm not going to spend $5k to replace a $100 seal unless and until I either want to significantly upgrade the power via an engine rebuild or if I need a new clutch or have some other reason to take the engine out. The car can be driven as is indefinitely. The only time I have had significant smoke is after driving on the highway for about 17 miles around 80 mph. Even then, it wasn't that bad. I drove on the highway for about 20 miles on Sunday night at about 62 mph and had no smoke afterwards, even though I went roaring up the entrance ramps twice (once on the way out and once on the way back). So there it is. You can look at it as a $5k credit towards a future rebuild or as a $5k discount for smoke. If I keep the car, I plan to drive it as is for the next two years and then go for a rebuild. Speaking of which, Automotive Restorations has said that if the gap between the piston and cylinder is small enough, they can install new rings, hone the cylinders and change the rear oil seal for $7k-$8k. They would also change bearings that will be easily accessible. The hitch is that they will not know if they can do a cylinder head rebuild instead of a full rebuild until the engine is out of the car. Other nits - 1) Over the weekend, I noticed that the front brakes release a second or so after I remove my foot from the brake pedal. Braking is excellent, but the release isn't instantaneous. None of the mechanics that test drove my car noticed this. 2) The Webers are currently tuned a bit too rich, leading to some quiet "chuffing" (like a small backfire that is swallowed up by the carburetors) under very slight acceleration typically between 2000 and 2800 rpm. I would address this now, but it is a total waste to re-tune the Webers if someone wants to do an engine rebuild. 3) The windshield washer nozzles are not connected. If you plan on needing to use the washers, buy a different car. If you let the car get dirty enough or be covered in salt where the washers are needed, then you simply don't deserve to drive an e-type. 4) The interior overhead light does not light. I have not checked why because frankly I don't care. 5) I suspect that the rear window defroster does not work. Again, if you think you need this you are probably looking at the wrong kind of car. 6) The chrome is really great on the car, but it is starting to get dull on the top of the back bumpers. 7) Most of the rubber seems quite good, but the seal around the rear hatch isn't great. Notes about this model - If you have been looking for an e-type for a while you know that tan interiors are relatively rare. For me, this makes a huge difference. I looked for months to find a tan interior two seat coupe and finally found this one in Austin. I've been watching eBay ever since 2012 and only saw one other red and tan two seat coupe listed in the last three years, and very few tan interiors overall. The other thing that you should know is that 1971 was the last year that two seat coupes were made. To commemorate this, Jaguar put badges on the lower edges of the bonnet - this model year is the only year where these show up. I ended up choosing this car because I wanted the improved brakes, open headlights, and whiplash protection that comes in the series II cars. I am selling because I used the car more on the back roads of East Hampton than I do in the suburbs of Connecticut plus I could use the extra garage spot.