2021-06-24 11:48:15 | pauls writes:

Car at auction 6/21

themarket.co.uk/en/listings/jaguar/e-type-series-1-42/5cd5b833-c186-43a2-bbdd-d1 ...

Auction description:

Offered by the vendor, Roy Swann, a retired aeronautical electronics engineer, business owner and passionate Jaguar enthusiast. Together they form an important and rare grouping of legendary British motoring icons.

This Series 1 4.2 litre E Type was manufactured on the 9.2.66 as a LHD car and exported to Jaguar Cars New York on 18.2.66.

At some point after that it went off to live in Canada.

In the late 1980s an antiques dealer with premises at the wonderfully addressed Armoury of St. James, Piccadilly Arcade, London, saw the car while on holiday in Montreal.

It was undergoing a restoration and it may (or may not) have been at this point that it became a RHD model in anticipation of finding a UK buyer.

The antiques dealer instantly found himself attracted to the car and arranged to buy it and have it shipped back to England for a full restoration.

He chose Mill Lane Engineering of Godalming to carry out the work with instructions that he would like everything done to the highest standards but with an eye to the fact that he was by no means, “as rich as Croesus”.

Sensible man.

Mill Lane took one look at the car and informed the then owner that a new body would be required. One such was promptly ordered from the premier supplier of E Type bodies, Martin Robey.

The car then underwent a total restoration that addressed every inch of the car, mechanically, structurally, aesthetically – inside, outside and underneath.

Mill Lane Engineering went bust at some point towards the end of the process and the job was then handed over to another classic car restorer, Uniclip Automotive, for completion.

Eventually, having spent a great deal of money and fought the odd legal battle or two in order to regain ownership of his own car from the administrators, the antiques dealer put the car up for sale.

This is when our vendor, Roy Swann, saw the car exhibited at the 1995 Goodwood Festival of Speed and decided that the E Type would be the perfect (and alphabetically logical) complement to his C Type and D Type.

The vendor then sent the car off to K&N Motors for a full and final fettling and tweaking, making sure that absolutely everything was spot on.

By the time the car came back to him it was, he tells us, as good or better than a brand new Series 1 4.2 E Type.

This car, like the others in the Swann Collection has seen very little use in recent years.

We have given the car a very basic recommisioning and driven it up and own the road a couple of times (it started, went and stopped perfectly well).

We didn’t drive it further because the brakes are currently in the habit of locking on. We suspect this may be an issue with the master cylinder, but we’re not mechanics.

The car will require a comprehensive recommissioning to be fully fit for serious use.

On the Outside

The green paintwork is gloriously rich and deep with a lustre and shine to it that perfectly accentuates the car’s sensuous, svelte lines.

It really is an exceptionally good looking car, with smooth, ripple-free flanks; solid sills and gutters; tight, consistent shut lines and door gaps; and panels that are remarkably free of any dinks, dents, scuffs, nicks, chips or other unwanted blemishes.

The chrome work on the bumpers, wire wheels, spinners and trim is un-pitted, bright and shiny.

The hood, although barely used, has suffered slightly from years of being folded away. So, it’s a trifle dusty, baggy and crumpled and has, literally, come unstuck from the rubber surround in a few places. It’s not torn, or otherwise terminally damaged, but it does need some TLC.

We haven’t seen any rust anywhere and the only blemishes we’ve spotted are a couple of stone chips to the paint.

And you can only see those if you look sideways, use a powerful torch and squint a bit.

On the Inside

The interior is warmly inviting and, by E Type standards, really rather luxurious.

With pretty much everything renewed, replaced, repaired or refurbished during the restoration process, it’s a glorious symphony of tan and beige shades and is very easy on the eye and, it should be said, the buttocks.

The leather seats are in top condition and are both comfortable and supportive.

This is a car you could take on long journeys without having to crawl out of it on your hands and knees and phone a chiropractor when you finally arrive at your destination.

The carpets, door cards and roof lining are very good, as is the interior of the boot.

The dashboard (with its period radio), transmission tunnel, handbrake and centre console all look as good as new. So, too, does the steering wheel.

The gear lever gaiter has come loose on one side.

As far as we can tell, all dials, gauges, knobs, levers, toggles, switches and buttons work as intended.

Lifting up the carpets reveals….nothing to worry about whatsoever.

Underneath

The engine bay doesn’t contain any surprises. Everything appears to be as it should be and is in its right and proper place. There is no sign of any leakage, seepage or weepage.

The engine looks like what it is: a powerplant that’s put in fewer than 1300 miles of work since being completely rebuilt.

The undersides of the car look only barely acquainted with any kind of road use.

They are clean and dry and the only oxidisation in evidence is of the entirely standard ‘rust dust’ variety.

All visible components look to have a great deal of structural integrity.

History Highlights

The car comes with big box of paperwork and bits and pieces, the highlights of which we have detailed in our photographic gallery.

As far as we can see, the exhaustive list of restoration work is well documented and there are plenty of bills, invoices and receipts to attest to the savage beatings taken by the previous owner’s wallet.

You’ll also find all manner of press cuttings and articles and plenty of old MoT certificates.

As with the C and D Type from the Swann Collection, what you won’t find is a detailed service history.

The vendor did the basic servicing and maintenance work himself and the car has never required more than that.

It’s effectively barely run-in.

The car doesn’t currently have an MoT certificate. Its last MoT test, taken on 8.8.13, was passed with no advisories and recorded a mileage of 1206 miles.

The car’s 2007 MoT records the then mileage as being just under 1147 miles, which should give you some indication of just how little use this vehicle has had.

Carpe diem?

We’re confident to offer this vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £90,000 - £120,000. Sold for £126,500