Desirable S1 Project: 1963 Jaguar E-Type Roadster
I think that every classic car enthusiast has what I would term a “dream garage.” That is, they have a list of cars that they would own if money and space weren’t considerations. Mine is pretty eclectic, but an early Jaguar E-Type Roadster sits close to the top of my list. I believe the Roadster version holds a styling edge over the Coupe, but that is my personal opinion. Those feelings have me looking longingly at our feature car, a highly desirable 1963 Series 1. It requires restoration, but everything is there for a new owner to return this beautiful car to its former glory. The seller has listed the Roadster here on eBay in Hanover, Massachusetts. They set their BIN at $73,500 OBO.
Jaguar management followed a familiar path in the 1950s. The company had achieved success at the Le Mans 24-Hour race and wished to use this to leverage a production model to replace the XK150. The E-Type’s development commenced in 1957, with the car unveiled on March 15, 1961, at the Geneva Motor Show. It caused such a sensation that the company was forced to embark on a cross-country overnight drive to deliver a second E-Type to the show to fulfill the incredible media demand for test drives. This Roadster rolled out of the Coventry factory in 1963, but the Opalescent Silver Blue paint gracing its panels isn’t original. The seller holds a Jaguar Heritage Trust Certificate confirming its original owner ordered it clad in Cream paint. That shade is visible in various locations, and the tired appearance makes stripping the panels as part of a high-end restoration the ideal opportunity to return the car to its factory appearance. Rust can be an issue with these cars, and this one isn’t immune. It is visible in the floors, although the problems aren’t extensive. Replacement steel is readily available, so returning the body to a rust-free state shouldn’t pose a challenge. The Black soft-top isn’t ripped or torn, and it may present okay after some time in the sun to remove the wrinkles. This aspect of the E-Type’s development deserves special mention because it confirms the company’s ability to adapt to unexpected problems. Pre-production testing revealed that the soft-top would “flap” at speed. Rather than redesign the top and bows, Jaguar incorporated lead shots into the top seams to add weight and reduce the problem! The seller includes a factory hardtop that would make this an all-weather proposition. The beautiful wire wheels look excellent, and the chrome is acceptable for a high-end restoration.
The color changes to this E-Type aren’t restricted to its exterior. The Heritage Certificate confirms the original owner selected Light Blue trim and upholstery. The interior is presentable in its current form, but the overall condition falls short of what is required for a high-end restoration. That isn’t the end of the world because trim kits in the correct colors and materials aren’t hard to find. The sticking point for some will be the price. They typically start at around $5,000, but costs can climb if small items like handles or bright trim pieces are required. However, the potential value of this Roadster, once restored, should justify the expense.
One reason the E-Type caused such a sensation upon release was its price. It offered buyers comparable performance to exotics produced by companies like Ferrari but at a bargain basement price, typically around 40% less. The first Series 1 cars rolled off the line equipped with a DOHC 3.8-liter six-cylinder powerplant, producing 266hp and 260 ft/lbs of torque. There was no automatic option, with a four-speed manual feeding the power to the independent rear end. That is another aspect of the car’s development that deserves attention. The company didn’t have a system appropriate for use in its new model, handing the development of a new IRS to its engineers on a tight timeframe. They delivered a production-ready version in under a month, which remained largely unchanged throughout the E-Type’s lifespan. Much was made of the new Jaguar’s ability to hit 150mph, and the Coupe version achieved this mark…just. However, the Roadster wasn’t as fast, running out of breath at 131mph. The news for potential buyers with our feature car is positive. The seller states that the engine and transmission are freshly rebuilt, with both in excellent condition. It is unclear whether the vehicle is roadworthy, but getting it to that point could be an achievable short-term goal if it isn’t.
The longer I stare at this 1963 Jaguar E-Type Roadster, the more I feel I need to win the lottery. It is one of my dream cars, and I can picture how stunning it would look once restored. The admission price isn’t cheap, and the build will consume a significant sum of money. However, a high-end result will net a six-figure value for those brave enough to take it on. I hope someone does it justice, and I can be sure that the job will be done correctly if that person is one of our readers. Do we have any takers?
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Comments
One of the sexiest automobiles ever built!
Amen. Give me an E-type and a Miura and my Sports Car collection would be filled to overflowing.
I owned a bright red ’63 roadster for about a year. In hindsight, I wish I’d never gotten rid of it. The only work I had to do was put a new battery in it. Just wasn’t practical for my needs back then. Also owned a silver ’64 coupe. Had to replace the rear axle u-joints in that one, but otherwise, ran/drove great. Again, just wasn’t practical for me at that stage of my life, which was too bad, because every woman I met wanted to get to know me better because of my amazing cars. Go figure..
I wish I knew where these guys from Hilltop find the cars in the first place.
I imagine the price of admission is quite a bit less where the car is found vs. resale!
Beautiful car. I’ve always preferred the coupe but with the included hardtop I’m rethinking that. Awesome car as it sits, with the hard top in place.
Big asking price but I’m sure appropriate for this one. Instead of jumping into a long term restoration to a trailer queen though I’d just as soon put it on the road and drive it!
Beautiful.
Back in the late eighties a friend, from the other side of the big pond, picked up one of these. He was head over heels Jaguar.
Took it apart to do a full resto which he was very capable of. But it ended up being sold as a pile of parts. Very nice parts, but parts.
His other set of wheels was a Norton Commando he’d rebuilt. Nice bike.
This one looks like it would be a ‘checkbook’ restoration at $73K for a start. The talented person who would want to do it him/herself probably doesn’t have that cash for the start unless he has a backer. Big investment and most likely a solid reward at the end… but you never know. The color change says a lot to which way this restore needs to go. Full rotisserie! Nice looking example for a starter but out of my ‘sandbox!”
The hardtop isn’t a factory one, unfortunately, as they’ve been going for around $20,000 on BaT in restored condition. This one looks like a Dynaplastics one, which is worth maybe a few hundred bucks.
It’s the Cats Sass 🐆 what a ride 👏🏼
Despite the initial appearances, this is going to need more than just floors. Those rotted rockers hide much more damage behind them. ETypes in this condition are going to have rot in the door bottoms as well, with other surprises probably lurking elsewhere. This is a total disassembly and rotisserie restoration for the body before any mechanical issues are corrected. Etype prices have recently contracted and you can find a much better example for this price elsewhere. The one thing this has going for it is that it’s an early car.
Like C3s with rusty birdcages pass. Sorry but at 73k forget it. Several of these early cover light copies rolled across several auctions lately, including BJ and very nice cars were at this price to 15k higher. 73k and then a restoration? You might as well rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic or buy some old Enron stock certificates.
@Chris Cornetto: Chris, E Types in perfect restored condition or fabulously good survivors, are going for hundreds of thousands of dollars. One went for almost a million pounds in England recently…and much of the body had been replaced. Check on Hemmings and you will see a 1967 coupe that is not perfect…its wipers don’t work and it has paint chips…yet the asking price is $ 230.000! You are thinking of 1970s and early ’80s prices!
I just sat and watched a red unit that was like new and it topped out at 82k. 59 impala convertibles are bringing stupid money in some instances which does not mean I will get that for mine. I see E types for big bucks and then not so. Deals are out there. I feel you can do better for the money on this one.
last comment so so WRONG Chaulk it up some folks just can not afford them all sr1’s are big bucks ,15k where they be mon
Adam: I have no doubt that you must have read somewhere about the roadsters having a top speed of only 131 miles per hour, so this is not about coming after you…but whoever wrote that is absolutely wrong. The early coupes in standard factory trim could just about do 149, so you are right about that. While the roadster, with the top up and the windows up tight, was not quite as fast–due to mildly less slippery aerodynamics…an 18 mph difference is illogical for the same car, with the same gearing, just because not a fastback. Also note that the roadster is lighter. If you peruse the book on Jaguars written by Paul Skilleter, you will see that he mentions that the early roadsters commonly went up to 145 mph.
I know that the stories about the early E Types not doing 150 mph and why are numerous. Some say the factory used D Type parts in the test cars (unlikely because of internal differences–including that all D Types were 3.4s). We also hear that the test cars were given tuned 3.8 XK-150 S parts…. That’s what mythology is all about: a grain or two of truth combined with speculative tall tales.
We will probably NEVER know exactly what was done to the early E Type road test cars made available to the press…but we do know for sure that there was indeed some fudging. However, designer Malcolm Sayer had assured Jaguar boss Sir William Lyons in 1959 that the E Type would be capable of 150 mph IF equipped with RADIAL tyres (“tires” in America). Sir William had then contacted Michelin and been assured that their radial “X” would soon be made in 185 X 15 size. That only came about in 1964. Early E Types had to do with abysmally inadequate Dunlop BIAS-PLY rubber–an absolute joke on a car with a racing monocoque and four wheel independent suspension/disc brakes As if by magic, though, once Pirelli started making the first radial in that size in 1963 and they were fitted to E Types, suddenly roadsters were being clocked in the upper 140s and the coupes were capable of a whisker over 150. Malcolm Sayer had been vindicated; he had indeed designed a 150 mph sports car.
The epilogue to the saga of whether the E Type could really do 150 mph or not was finally settled in early 1965, by the car magazine The Autocar. It was time to road test the new 4.2 |E Type…which came shod with Dunlop radials! The magazine randomly selected several E Types out of dealership showrooms–so that the factory would have no prior knowledge of what cars would be tested…as the rumours of factory cheating had been swirling around for four years already The roadsters still could not do 150 but came extremely close at over 149 mph in one way runs. The coupes all did over 150, with the best number being 153.3 mph in a two way run.
I had a ’61 Roadster back in ’68/’69 and it did top out at 145 mph back when I was young and dumb. Scared my buddy to death!
Enzo Ferrari once called the E-Type “The most beautiful car ever built”.
These early Series-1 cars are the mist valuable of the breed. This does not appear to be early enough to have the coveted external bonnet latches and flat floors.
Yes, it’s expensive. A proper restoration will be quite costly, too. Even in today’s market, if it’s done right it could more than break even.
72,000 of these were built in 14 years. This is an iconic car, in its most desirable configuration. From that standpoint, it will be a sound investment, not to mention an object of everlasting beauty.
I commented earlier about the price.
Hemmings just auctioned a completely restored ‘64 FHC in pristine condition upgraded with a 5 speed and D type style wheels for an astonishingly low $65,000. A much better buy than this.