1968 Jaguar E-Type 4.2 Roadster
- Meticulously restored between 2011 and 2017
- Presented in original colours of Opalescent Silver Grey with red interior
- Supplied new to Jaguar Cars, New York
- Converted to right-hand drive and five-speed gearbox
| YEAR | 1968 |
| MAKE | Jaguar |
| PRICE | POA |
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
This superb Jaguar E-type was built during the final year of Series 1 production, and hasrecently benefitted from a full restoration in which the painstaking attention to detail even extended to using bolts with period-correct markings.
Completed at the Browns Lane factory on 26 January 1968, chassis number 1E 16873 was a left-hand-drive Roadster that was dispatched to Jaguar Cars, New York, on 12 February. It was finished in Opalescent Silver Grey with a red interior and a black hood.
By 1972, the E-type was owned by John Kenneth Long, who lived in Redondo Beach, California. The history file includes a 1974 invoice that was issued by Parnelli Jones Firestone on Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance, for the car’s smog certificate.
It seems that Long then moved to Parker, Colorado, and took the Jaguar with him. Its current UK-based owner bought it from a dealer in Colorado, and a windscreen sticker suggested that it had last been taxed in 1980-81. He recalled that the car was ‘quite dishevelled’ but looked to be ‘remarkably free from rust’, and he duly had it shipped to the UK in October 2011.
A talented engineer, he then embarked on a restoration that eventually returned the E-type to the road in August 2017. While he took care of the mechanical side of things, he carefully selected a number of specialists for other elements of the rebuild. The bodywork, for example, was delegated to Pitt Lane Restorations in Winchester, while BAS International made and fitted the interior trim.
A new mohair soft-top was also fitted, a tonneau cover was made, and the floors were given a layer of heat- and sound-proof material – as were the insides of the doors.
The engine was fully rebuilt, and was later fine-tuned by Nutts Performance Classics once it was back in the car. The standard four-speed gearbox was replaced by a T5 five-speed manual – a popular E-type modification that makes high-speed running much more comfortable. The differential was also rebuilt with a UK-spec 3.07:1 final drive, and uprated Coopercraft brake calipers were fitted front and rear.
Since being completed, this beautiful Jaguar E-type has completed the Fougeres Rally through Normandy and Brittany, and is perfect for classic touring thanks to its well-chosen selection of upgrades. Now offered for sale in its original colour scheme, and having been converted to right-hand drive, it’s a lovely example of the highly coveted Series 1 Roadster.
MODEL HISTORY
Three years after the E-type’s sensational launch at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, Jaguar introduced the first significant change to its flagship sports car when the 3.8-litre, twin-overhead-camshaft, straight-six engine was replaced with an updated 4.2-litre version of the same unit.
Also developed for use in the Mark X saloon, the bigger engine provided a boost in torque – up from 261 to 283lb ft – and retained the triple-carburettor set-up of its predecessor. A number of other upgrades were introduced at the same time: the old Moss gearbox was replaced by a new all-synchromesh, four-speed Jaguar gearbox, and more comfortable seats were installed, plus improved electrics and a new brake servo.
Elsewhere, the basic layout was retained. With its monocoque centre section and a subframe to carry the engine and front suspension, the E-type owed much to the Le Mans-winning D-type of the previous decade. Independent rear suspension was employed, and disc brakes were fitted all round. Two body styles were initially offered – a Roadster and a Fixed-Head Coupé – and a 2+2 model was added to the range in 1966.
When Motor magazine tested a 4.2 E-type, it said that the new model ‘creates its own unique position among the world’s most desirable cars with a combination of performance, handling, looks and refinement that is still unequalled at the price’.
Denis Jenkinson – the famous ‘continental correspondent’ for Motor Sport magazine – considered the 4.2 to be a considerable improvement over the earlier 3.8, and that was backed up by ever-increasing sales in vital export markets such as the US. The Series 1 4.2 remained in production until 1968, with Motor Sport editor Bill Boddy concluding that it was ‘very near perfection’.