1966 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2 Litre 2+2
No Reserve

Registration No: Un-Registered
Chassis No: 1E 75618 BW
MOT: Exempt

• A very solid project sold with a correct-type, overhauled 4.2-litre engine plus a manual gearbox
• Originally supplied to the American market but converted to right-hand drive.
• Supplied with a history file including heritage certificates plus import documents

The 2+2 Fixed-Head Coupé version of the immortal E-Type (known as the XK-E in America, where most examples were sold) was introduced in 1966. Nine inches longer and featuring a more vertical windscreen, it was equipped with a pair of small rear seats and a notably airy feel courtesy of its stretched wheelbase and raised roofline. It benefitted from the same fully-independent suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and disc brakes as its two-seater brethren. Powered by a 4,235cc DOHC straight-six engine developing a quoted 265bhp and 283lb ft of torque, it was the first E-Type model to list automatic transmission as an option. Only in production for some three years, a mere 5,600 are thought to have been built.

Appearing as something of a diamond in the rough, this scruffy but fundamentally solid E-Type promises to be a rewarding project for an enthusiastic restorer. Constructed to LHD US-market specification on 9th May, 1966, and despatched on 2nd June to be sold through J.C.I. USA, it was originally finished in Silver Blue with Dark Blue trim, a 4.2-litre engine and an automatic gearbox.

It is believed to have resided in Texas all its life prior to being imported into Britain in 1992, with a Texas Certificate of Title recording its owner as Billy M. Melrose from June, 1980, with the implied previous owner being John R. Duff Jr. of Dallas. Mr. Melrose transferred the Jaguar to its final American owner, British Auto Specialists of Fort Worth, at an unrecorded date. It was repainted Black during its time in America and a note on file records that it received a new Abbey bonnet and other panels in 1988, when it was imported by Rheinbergs of North Yorkshire it was minus its engine and gearbox.

Some headway was made with the restoration through the 1990s, with a factory-correct 4.2-litre engine and manual gearbox sourced for the car, along with the correct SU carburettors and assorted other new parts. The engine was rebuilt by Jaguar specialist Vintage Sports Engines (VSE) and an account of their work is on file. Sadly, the owner’s failing health forced the project to be abandoned in the 1990s, with little progress since. Nevertheless, the E-Type does not appear to have suffered for its time in storage, and with all the metal seemingly very solid, it represents an ideal restoration opportunity for a mechanically-minded enthusiast. Documentation includes the 1980 Texas title, a Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust certificate and assorted invoices mainly from the early 1990s.

PLEASE NOTE: This lot has never been registered with the DVLA.

For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
[email protected]
07484 082430