Solid Investment? 1963 Jaguar XK-E Roadster
When you get to the bottom of this article and see the price that has been set for this Jaguar XK-E Roadster, it may make your eyes water, but the simple fact is that Series I XK-Es are one of the most sought after classics today, and they command a price that is in keeping with that desirability. This particular car is located in Los Angeles, California, and is listed for sale here on eBay.
This Jaguar is claimed to be a one-owner vehicle, and it looks like it is both fairly straight and fairly solid. It was originally finished in Opalescent Dark Blue, but this has deteriorated quite markedly over the past 56 years. It does look to be complete, and while the exterior trim is not perfect, it is certainly good enough to be restored. The whole car is going to require restoration, and that is not something that is going to come cheaply. We’ve seen a few project-grade XK-Es come across the desks of Barn Finds in recent months, and I think that this is easily the best Series I that we’ve seen. One blessing with this car is that it is a fairly early one, so it still has those wonderful covered headlights. They just give the car a much nicer and more flowing look.
The 3.8-liter straight-six engine in the Jaguar is a wonderful engine with a menacing exhaust note, and this is an audible indicator of the 208hp that the driver has at their disposal. This engine is backed by a 4-speed manual transmission. This combination was capable of pushing the XK-E to a verified 150 mph when new, and even today, the performance of a good Series I is still quite impressive. This is a full numbers-matching car, but the owner doesn’t indicate the condition of the engine or transmission, and that’s a shame.
With the Dark Blue exterior finish, the light blue interior trim must have looked something pretty special when it was new. The interior is complete, but once again, it will require a full restoration. Thankfully, there is a strong parts network for the Series I, so locating the components required would be fairly easy. Being a Series I, it also comes with a dash full of toggle switches rather than the rocker switches of the later cars. I like those because they always feel like they’re more in keeping with the traditional British sports car.
Okay, so now we come to the crunch. This is a car that is going to require a full restoration, and while this is not going to be cheap, the overall appearance of the car suggests that it should be relatively straightforward. The owner has set a price of $135,000 for the XK-E, which is probably enough to make your eyes water. The value of the Series I is something that has done nothing but rise over the past 20 years or so, and this increase has been one of the most significant in virtually all of motoring history. It is not unusual to find a Concours example selling for close to $300,000, and the increase in value doesn’t look to be slowing at any time soon. What tends to make the value trend for the Series I even more impressive is the fact that these were one of the very few collectible cars that were not negatively impacted by the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, which is a pretty fair indication that owning a Series I XK-E doesn’t just give you access to a truly great car, but also a solid investment.
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Comments
If any car proves that beauty is in the eye of the beholder it is the XK-E. Many people find it to be one of if not the most beautiful car ever made. To me every proportion on it looks wrong or exaggerated. Nose is way too long compared to the back. Combined with the dome-ish cabin it gives it a major clown-shoe appearance to me. Wheels/tires are too tall for their width as well, but that’s excusable given tire technology of the time. Maybe if they weren’t set in as much it would look better? It’s like the Kim Kardashian of cars….Headlights and rear end just don’t look like they belong on that frame lol
Hah! I came here, compelled to say just this, but you beat me to it. I’ve never like these, especially to too-far inset wheels, the exhaust that sticks out the back, the weirdly tall greenhouse, etc. All time bests (in no particular order): 300SL, 250GTO, 959, Continental MKII, ’61 Corvette
I remember seeing these in the 60’s and you could be sure it’s was smoking out of the exhaust. Never thought they were a great looking car.
Respectfully disagree! We had a ’63 just like this. My 17yo self learned to drive a stick on it, what a fast, fun and yes beautiful car!
Art always has its own interpretations, I.e., Enzo Ferrari was quoted in an article written by Sean Curtis in a 1964 Classic Cars Review of having said of the XKE that he thought it to be “the most beautiful car in the world”.
King of the Clown Cars 🤡
What will make your eyes water will be the cost and length of time to restore it to Concours condition, which would be the only reason someone would buy it. It is a beautiful car.
Based only on vehicles shown here and elsewhere which were being offered by the BHCC, I have developed an attitude about the firm which could be charitably described as Cautious. “Keep your eyes wide open, and your wits about you, delete all emotion, and take everything you are told with a block of salt.”
That said, this appears to be an extremely solid car, which was used in a vehicle-friendly climate. There are no photos from underneath, and with this price of entry, there certainly should be! A big plus working from a starting place such as this represents, is the apparent absence of the need for more than a small amount of body or structural rust repair. There are no low-angle photographs, so there may be surprises hiding below the belt line.
I’d love to have a Jaguar like this, but if I liquidated some retirement funds for it, my wife’d kill me, and I’d still not get to play with the car. ;-)
Geez, wash it..says its blue but how would you know, for 135 Large. Good luck to the new owner.
Cheers
GPC
Had I known that BHCC was the seller I wouldn’t have even bothered opening the link. Check out their website and sales pitch video if you need more proof
That’s a lot of pre-restoration money, especially with an economy crash expected. It is at least $150k away from the Amelia isle one. The original dark blue color is only second to the light metallic blue for me.
The Great Unwashed Masses by and large cannot afford $100k cars given that they have evidenced no Disposable Income Gains in over 40 years. Nor has the cohort evidenced Wage Growth but they have all evidenced massive increases in Household Debt over the last 30 years. Clearly, only those with Discretionary & Disposable Income Gains over the last 40 years could possibly indulge themselves with a $130k XK-E Jag on a whim.
Warren Buffett can buy the car but his secretary cannot.
Bob
If his secretary had been wise enough to invest $3,125 in her boss’ fund in 1990, she’d have enough to buy it today. It’s not always about what you earn, it’s what you do with it.
I was raised on Finance by my Chartered Accountant father. Believe me when I state that it’s about what you earn if your Disposable Income = 0.
The beauty of Mathematics is that there is technically no way around zero.
Bob
Speaking of “Great Unwashed,” this is a perfect example of “why in the world didn’t they wash the darn thing?” No matter, as I couldn’t (and wouldn’t if I could) cough up the asking price! However, if I could, first thing I’d do is spend a few hours buffing and polishing the outside and another few hours on the inside vacuuming, conditioning leather, etc., etc. Maybe I’m the only person who would like to a: see how decent it could look just being cleaned up; and b: fix what needs to be fixed and then enjoy a car with “real patina”! ;)
Real dirt on a car is a selling feature sometimes. All the big auctioneers still haul dirty unwashed restoration candidates into their respective car show/auctions. Barrett Jackson sells unwashed cars too, eh.
Most restoration experts understand the old adage in car culture that claims ‘one cannot polish a turd’.
Bob
For over a hundred grand less than this, I own an opalescent dark blue later S1 4.2 Coupe with less miles than this that I can actually drive, with no restoration required.
It makes no sense to me to go for an earlier car that still needs engineering refinement and pay so much more moola! The one plus about this Jag is that it at least comes with a factory hard top, and while neglected, it looks to have been stored in a dry location.
I too wouldn’t trust this seller, based on the Wheeler Dealers episode and what they have tried to flog in the past.
There is a theory to the collectibles market that people want to buy back their youth… hence all collectibles have a peak to their value… which is where this vehicle is at…
As an investment I would avoid this one… by the time to finish a restoration everyone who wants one will be dead… the owner has already done the math… but I’m sure they would gladly sell you all the parts needed to complete the job.
It’s beautiful. I would love to drive it. No I wouldn’t invest in it.
Cab driver, once more round the block. My Dad used to sing that tune. Not sure daCabbie, my thought is there are cars of such nature that will continue to climb in value. The recent MB Gullwing posted here will rise in price. I think the E Jags will rise also. I hate to throw the word Iconic out there, but in my little world there are some timeless vehicles that will continue to climb in price. Sad that I will never own one, but I am happy I get to see them. Take care, Mike.
I have a one-owner (me) 2003 F-150 that has worked as hard as I have over that same 15 years, and the thing looks brand new and drives like it’s brand new.
If this XKE is a one owner car, then that guy didn’t take very good care of it. If I were a one-owner of an XKE, I can assure you it would look as good as my F-150.
You must not live anywhere that salts the roads because, boy, those things love to rot out around the rear fenders. I tried to buy a used one and couldn’t find one that wasn’t rusted in that area.
The Explorer Sport Trac of the same vintage did not seem to suffer this same fate as I picked up an ’02 with no rust that lived in New England it’s whole life.
Series one roadsters have cracked the Half million mark a couple of times last year. I seem to recall one selling for $700K. So, if you can afford a 135K resto project, and an additional 100- 150K to restore it, you still have equity…
For all the hoopla on the first series etype. If you haven’t been in one, then you really are missing something. All of the flat floor early models have zero leg room, so if you’re not short, you’re not driving one period, unless you’re into contortions.
1965-1967. Are the best year’s of the series if you want to drive it. More leg room, seats are more comfortable, full syncro gearbox. I never liked the OTS. my dad had a 66 FHC. The car was absolutely wicked, fast as hell, and for those with complaints on the running of the vehicles? If you know how to drive it, you’ll never have a problem with carbon deposit issues.
I still have all the docs for the car, but unfortunately for me it was sold in the early 70’s and I have searched for it but have never located it. He sold it for $2.800. Yep, that’s correct. Twenty eight hundred dollars. Which I guess was about what they were worth then. Not even going to bring up the 62 356 Porsche he sold.
And for the record, no they weren’t beat to death. They simply weren’t vehicle’s bringing those price tags. No more than $300 one owner 442’s, GTO’s, or SS 454 Chevy’s.
Back in 1971 I was working for a VW dealer that also sold a varied lot of sports cars that today would be considered highly collectible , Porsches, Maseratis, Jaguars , Ferraris, ETC. These were mostly very low mileage “used” cars & very very well cared for & clean. On this particular day it was raining & had been for most of the previous night. The lot these cars were parked in was prone to flood and the water was already up to the wheels so it was a mad dash to move em to higher ground. All the shop personnel were asked to help, grab a set of keys and move the cars, I thought I lucked out and grabbed keys for an XKE coupe
probably around a 1962 or 63, me being 6’4″ & 250 lbs with size 15 feet found out I couldn’t step on the clutch without stepping on the brake at the same time . Besides the steering wheel an inch or two away from my chest/gut, so there I was sloshing thru ankle deep water unable to drive that car with Bob Grossman standing in the shop doorway with a smile on his face. Years later he built a new showroom. elevated, next door.
Bob is my revered namesake. Spent a lot of time reading of his adventures with Cunningham especially the story about getting fired for overrevving his C-Type (could have been a D). I think your #15 foot was hung up on the steering shaft, not the brake unless you had a monster twist in that left leg! Great story!
It’s LHD,but has British number plates?
Restoration will be at least $130,000.
I remember back in the 70’s on a line waiting to get into a club and a bare-chested guy shows up in a dented, dingy silver XKE with the top down. Even in such a condition, the car drew oohs and aahs .
One of my favorite cars which I will never own. I should’ve bought one back a few years when they were around 14 – 17K. Well, back to a 944.
Strange about UK number plates. This series #### WK is local to the UK factory and on some of the most historically significant E types, particularly Lightweights such as 5114 WK etc.
So maybe this was collected at the factory and driven around before shipping to LA. Or maybe it’s a scam…
A tremendous opportunity to purchase a car Enzo Ferrari called the most beautiful sports car of the 20th Century. This will sell but not at the asking price, perhaps in the $100K range.
What a neat car, I can only imagine the wonderful musty scent of the interior. FWIW, Hagerty values a #4 car at $74,800 and a #1 at $297,000. SCM’s 2019 Pocket Price Guide lists a median value of $161,500, so those two sources appear to be generally synchronized. This car looks solid in the limited photos. It might not require a lot of rust repair, but it still needs everything. At the $135K purchase price you’ll be upside down pretty quickly compared to the value of a sorted driver. I believe that it takes more than a nice restoration to turn one of these into a $300,000 car. It also requires a great back story, something that doesn’t come through in the advert.
Change the oil, prime the carbs & damn the torpedoes ! Drive the thing. You gonna live for how long ?!
Adam can you tell me where you found this fact:
What tends to make the value trend for Series I even more impressive is the fact that these were one of the very few collectible cars that were not negatively impacted by the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.
Not disputing it just interested finding out more on it.