2024-02-19 16:35:00 | pauls writes:

Car offered at:

www.carandclassic.com/auctions/1971-jaguar-e-type-series-iii-v12-coupe-nR3l04

Seller's description:

1971 Jaguar E-Type

Colour Blue

Odometer 45,781 Miles

Engine size 5343

Seller Type Trade

Town Wandsworth

Location London

Country United Kingdom

Showing just 45,781 miles, believed correct

Matching-numbers example

Heritage certificate

UK right-hand-drive car

Full restoration in 2001

Eagle-spec Turrino wire wheels

Former concours winner

The History and Paperwork 

V5 

Heritage certificate (issued 2024) 

2023 – invoice for £3,986 – ball joints, gaskets, etc 

2022 – invoice for £4,957 – mechanical strip and rebuild, discs and pads, exchange calipers, wheel bearings, etc 

2022 – invoice for £6,696 – Turrino wire wheels 

2001 – documentation for extensive restoration work – bare-metal repaint, engine and gearbox rebuild, window glass, lights, pipes, rubbers, chrome trim, etc 

Certificates for concours entry – 2004 (1st place - Sports; 2nd place - pre-’75 Sports) 

The Condition 

Beautiful paint and chrome 

Turrino wheels and Michelin tyres 

Treat yourself to a virtual stroll through the photographs, and you’ll surely be impressed by the condition of this E-Type. The paintwork is tasteful and elegant, the chrome all gleams very pleasingly, and the car is fitted with a special set of wheels: these Turrino wires are the same high-quality items as fitted to Eagle E-Types restorations - there’s an invoice from 2022 for £6,696. They’re wider than the stock wheels, allowing for the fitment of broader modern rubber with less of a sloping shoulder, and the 225/55 Michelins have a transformative effect on grip and handling. 

All of the correct trim and badges are in place, the light lenses are all in good condition, and so is the window glass. The only notable blemish to highlight is a very minor ding on the leading edge of the nose above the grille, which would most likely be easily remedied via paintless dent removal. It’s a very well presented and extremely pretty E-Type indeed. 

This prettiness continues to the interior, where we find the dark blue seat trim to be in good order, the fronts titling correctly to allow access to the rear. The carpets and headlining are complete, and the dash is neat with no cracks or sun damage to the top. 

Inside the boot it’s dry and clean, and underneath the boot floor we find a spare (non-Turrino) wire wheel, jack and mallet. 

The Mechanics 

Recent mechanical overhaul 

Manual transmission 

It’s very easy to have a good time in a V12 Jag. They just love to waft, and when that venerable engine is wrapped up in the sylph-like E-Type coupe silhouette, it’s a surefire recipe for good times. Indeed, this Series III is very happy to oblige; started from cold, it fires up without issue and settles into a steady idle, the gauges swiftly registering the correct pressures and temperatures. 

The engine pulls strongly and feels like it’s nicely in balance without any histrionics from the carbs, and the manual transmission shifts smoothly. The brakes are reassuringly strong and pull the car up in a straight line, while the suspension feels supple and allows the Jag to cruise with its trademark smoothness – no undue noises, no squeaks or rattles, just pleasant GT motoring.