Description
•Fully restored after being imported from the USA
•Upgraded Fosseway brakes
•Borg Warner five-speed gearbox
•Converted to right-hand drive
The Series 1 E-type 2+2 combines the unmistakable style of Jaguar’s landmark design with the extra practicality of two rear seats, and is a beautifully versatile choice of 1960s sports car.
Chassis number 1E 77896 was built on 12 January 1968, as one of the cars that are now unofficially and retrospectively known as the ‘Series 1½’. This means that it retains the overall design of the Series 1 but features some of the upgrades that would also be found on the Series 2, such as the open headlamps and rocker switches on the dashboard rather the earlier toggle switches.
It was finished in Opalescent Silver Grey with Dark Blue interior, and was dispatched to Jaguar Cars New York on 22 January. The first owner is recorded as being Peter Satori Leasing, and documents in the car’s history file show that, by 1980, it was owned by Marcia Jacklich in Laguna Beach, California.
It was still in California in 2012, and the following year it was imported back to the UK as a project car in need of a full restoration. The new owner then set about returning the E-type to the road, a painstaking process that included converting it to right-hand drive, fitting new floors, plus a new engine frame, wiring harness and fuel tank.
The 4. 2-litre straight-six engine was fully rebuilt and an uprated alternator was added. Koni dampers have been fitted as part of a complete suspension rebuild, and the braking system benefits from powerful Fosseway four-pot calipers plus vented discs on the front.
A Borg Warner T5 five-speed gearbox has been installed and greatly improves the E-type’s cruising ability, and new chromed wire wheels were fitted. The interior has been retrimmed using English leather and Wilton carpets, and features a modern DAB stereo system.
Having been resprayed red, this superbly restored and intelligently upgraded E-type 2+2 finally returned to the road in 2019, and is now being offered for sale complete with a Heritage Certificate and a photographic record of its rebuild.
