1967 Jaguar E-Type Series I
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
Looking resplendent in its rare original colour scheme, this late-model Jaguar E-type Series 1 has spent most of its life in North America and has benefitted from an extensive recent restoration in the UK.
Chassis number 1E34099 was built at the Browns Lane factory on 5 January 1967 and dispatched to Jaguar Cars New York on 26 January. Although little is known of its early life in the US, it is believed to have had only two owners and covered only about 34,000 miles by the time it was sold to a specialist in Texas in 2018.
Later that year, it was shipped to another specialist, this time in the Netherlands. It was then sold to its current UK-based owner as a project car in 2019, and a thorough restoration soon got under way.
The whole process is documented via a wealth of invoices in the E-type’s history file, and included replacing the floors and sills, stripping down and overhauling the suspension – new Gaz dampers and Polybushes were fitted – and rebuilding the engine and gearbox. Having been resprayed red and retrimmed black at some point during its time in the US, it was also returned to its striking factory-original combination of black with a red interior.
The braking system was fully rebuilt and the final touches to this comprehensive project were applied in the summer of 2024. After initial road-testing, a new water pump and crank damper were fitted, and the suspension geometry was fine-tuned in order to make sure the E-type drove as well as it looked. Now being offered for sale at the Classic Motor Hub, this beautifully restored, matching-numbers Jaguar E-type is an exceptional example of the Series 1 4.2 – the model that many marque experts consider to be the sweet-spot in the E-type range, thanks to its combination of unspoilt styling and numerous improvements over the earlier 3.8.
MODEL HISTORY
The Jaguar E-type caused a sensation when it was launched at the 1961 Geneva Salon. Aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer came up with one of the most beautiful automotive shapes of all time, and at a time when 100mph was still a significant figure, it offered 150mph performance from its triple-carburettor, 265bhp, 3.8-litre straight-six engine
Beneath the skin, the E-type owed much to the Le Mans-winning D-type, and used a monocoque centre section with a subframe carrying the engine and front suspension. At the rear, independent suspension was fitted at a time when many of Jaguar’s rivals still employed a traditional live axle, and disc brakes were used all round.
After various updates, such as the introduction of more spacious footwells to replace the flat floors seen on the earliest E-types, the first really significant change came in October 1964, when the 3.8-litre engine was replaced with an updated 4.2-litre version of the same unit.
The old Moss gearbox was dropped, too, and a new all-synchromesh, four-speed Jaguar gearbox fitted in its place. More comfortable seats were also used in the 4.2, plus improved electrics.
A 2+2 model was added to the range in 1966, joining the roadster and fixed-head coupé. In 1968, after a run of interim models that are now referred to as the ‘Series 1½’, the Series 1 was replaced by the facelifted Series 2, which carried over the 4.2-litre engine. Then, in 1971, came the Series III with an all-new V12 powerplant, and the final E-type was built in 1974. When Motor Sport magazine tested a 4.2 E-type, they found that they were able to spend long periods at 110-130mph on Britain’s pre-speed-limit motorways. Editor Bill Boddy wrote: ‘The Jaguar E-type has been one of the world’s outstanding sports cars from the day it was first announced, representing quite extraordinary value-for-outlay and a high degree of driver satisfaction. In its latest form it is very near perfection.’