£300K Series 3 anyone ?

[cactusman]

I agree too Robbie.....if you want the smooth reliable and fab (and maybe uninvolved) drive of a modern car then buy a modern car...Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes to name but a few make numerous models...they are all excellent. If you want to make an e type (or anything else) drive like a modern car then that's your choice of course...if that's what you want then it's fine......but ask any classic dealer or restorer and they will tell you the money is in the original unmolested cars....could you really imagine someone reworking a 250SWB Ferrari with modern brakes, suspension etc.....methinks not.....

Personally for me the main reason for buying a classic is to experience what they are like to drive....and no...my old E does not drive like a modern car. Brakes are....well, adequate. Steering is a delight at speed but awful in a car park. Headlights are not brilliant. You feel the bumps. Actually I love the 3.8 seats....lots don't....Things do rattle a bit.....but there is the fun....IMO....

[1954Etype]

Always a fascinating debate. We tend to use our cars for long distance journeys and I left my current car (S1 4.2 FHC) LHD as we tend to drive more on the Continent. For me, they shouldn't rattle, get hot, be noisy inside and everything should work (they did when they were new). A standard E Type is a great car to drive and I have driven all the Series cars now. I haven't driven an Eagle but I bet it is fantastic.

We also upgrade our cars - We fit polybush all round. Series 1 brakes fade a lot and we always recommend fitting bigger calipers on the front. Seating can be challenging for some so we fit new. Aircon makes the car more comfortable in the weather and climate that we tend to drive in and a 3.07 diff matched to a Jaguar all synchro box is a joy.

Alternator upgrades are good for reliability and the headlight relays make a big difference. Brighter brake lights are a good idea but beyond those all reversable mods there isn't a lot more that I would strongly recommend.

For me, the E Type experience is what every individual wants to get out of the car. Some of our customers love driving them in the summer months only and then putting them away. Others use them for track days and long distance touring. No-one is right or wrong, just what is right for you.

[Joes66]

https://www.evo.co.uk/jaguar/203430/ecu ... s-revealed
This sounds very much like my dads old MRT c type jaguar which I discussed recently with Steve
7 were made in 1954
Only difference is the use of aluminium rather than fibreglass which was a very new advanced material back in the 1950s
All been done before
But for me these are just an expensive kit ca
At least the MRT cars were built in the day and have some racing and historical reference
Joe

[mgcjag]

Just for info the Ecosse " Kit Car" as some of you may call it will cost in the region of £500k....just been in discussion with them...looks like the chassis and body is built by JLR Classic.....but not confirmed yet.....Steve

[rswaffie]

£500k?
To quote Edmund Blackadder ‘My opinions are rather difficult to express in words, Baldrick’.

[chrisfell]

What Angus said.

[max-it-out]

Perhaps the ultimate upgrade ( and indignity )for an E would be to convert to electric - only around £ 100 k ( ) But then what would it be ? Not a proper E-Type , that`s for sure .I can`t understand why anyone would pay huge amounts to convert a classic to electric . If someone wants an electric car , why not just buy one , and keep the classic for weekends

Saw an ad for a series 3 that had been fully restored and fitted with one of the last V12 s ( 6.0 litre )- That`s a modification that seems reasonable .

[Fuel.inj]

I watched the programme Vintage Voltage recently and an owner paid between £40K-£50K to restore and convert an MG Midget to battery motor. The driving range was about 120 miles. It was a soulless interpretation IMO.

[cactusman]

I think there is a distinction to be made between sensible upgrades such as better bulbs, fuel resistant lines, electronic ignition and the like.....upgrades that are bolt-on in most cases....and thus easily removed/reverted back, and major bodywork surgery, replacement drive trains and the like that are either a one way trip or would require major work to revert back....my car has some upgrades...electronic ignition, relay conversion for the halogen headlights, LED bulbs, better radio (the original is safely packed away) but they are all easily reversed should a future custodian so wish....all the major bits are pretty much as was in 1962....

[mgcjag]

This all comes down to the old proverb....One mans meat is another mans poison.........the person paying the bill can have what he wants.....the original post of the £300k E type is what it is.....for some people spending £300k on a car like that is like others spending £300 on a daily driver............what we can do is discuss what we think the actual value is and how good/ bad the workmanship and modifications are.....Steve

[Joes66]

Mark
There may well be little choice soon on electric vehicles
At the moment I am exempt from the ULEZ in London but that may not be the case in the future
At some point and soon I am guessing an end will come for petrol and diesel cars starting in the city centres
It may well be that our classics won't be allowed on the road any more
I can imagine that will effect prices as well if you cant use them
Could be a huge off loading of classic cars onto the market plummeting prices through the floor
I live very close to the congestion charge area and drive through it most days
If the lobby groups had been un successful and classics had been banned i would no longer be able to use my cars
I was forced to sell my excellent Toyota 4x4 for this very reason
Imagine if you owned a classic and lived say in Brixton in London and then they banned the use of older polluting cars last year?
What would you do?
Sell it or keep it?
In short there could well be a time approaching jwhere electric conversions will be the only way to take your classic out
oe

[max-it-out]

Good point , although I think it`s unlikely that classics will be banned from the roads altogether - I think there are too many owners ( and people with influence ) who would object . More likely it would made more difficult and expensive ( higher taxes on petrol )with possibly an annual mileage limit .

[Simon P]

Well as chance would have it, I live a stone's throw from Brixton, and bit by bit any car ownership is becoming a right royal pain the ar*e.

In addition to all the myriad bus lanes, and cameras, and charging zones that we've grown to know and love, the arrival of the pandemic has given local councils emergency powers to push ahead with all manner of traffic measures, without any sort of consultation and all in the name of 'the greater good'.

Hence inner lanes are taken out for pavement widening, side roads are blocked off to traffic, and the arrival of 'bus gates' means you can be fined £65 for driving down an otherwise open section of road if you choose the wrong time of day: your own internal well-honed map of how to get from A to B, which has served you well over the last umpteen years, suddenly gets thrown out of the window, and lengthy detours to circumvent restricted or closed off access roads have become the order of the day.

And don't get me started on cycle lanes! As someone who probably rides more miles on the bike than I drive in the car, even I think they've got completely out of control and if I had my way they'd rip them all out and go back to Square One.

Sadly, I think that even the supposedly 'temporary' measures are here to stay (as is ever the case), and the bottom line is that basically if you drive a car in London you're no longer wanted (and where London leads, other UK cities tend to follow).

The irony is that all the road restrictions and blocked access apply equally to all cars, so the man who rushes out to 'do the right thing' and buy a Fisher-Price car may save on the Congestion Charge or the ULEZ, but finds himself equally as stuffed in terms of ever actually getting anywhere, and fined just as much if he strays into the wrong lane

The one small comfort is that we in this country have a long and proud tradition of never actually banning things, merely....errrr....charging you for the honour of continuing to exercise the privilege. I expect it will go the same way with classic cars (and existing petrol and diesel cars in general) and for the limited number of miles most of us chalk up in our classics, that's probably something we can live with. The greater problem may come when demand for petrol falls to the point where it's no longer viable for companies to produce and sell the stuff. That's probably beyond most of our lifetimes (or at least driving careers), but the day will come.

[cactusman]

I agree Simon....I think classics will be around for a while yet. A recent headline in a classic car news paper said the classic market was worth 12 billion....or a figure like that.....lots of employment and lots of tax....
Despite the well intentioned campaign against oil, we will need the stuff for ages yet for making plastics, pharmaceuticals, paints etc....petrol may become a niche product but will be made....at least for some time yet.

I can see a time when they can only be used at certain times of day/week and even with mileage limits but they won't be banned...

[Gfhug]

And all these traffic calming measures councils have rushed to implement in the name of going green are producing no go areas for those lovely big red fire engines just when you need them most
Sadiq Khan has taken up the baton from Red Ken

Geoff

[rswaffie]

Lockdown has provided plenty of time for me to reflect on the impact my fully restored 3.8 will have on both the environment and the varying sensitivities of my fellow human beings. So, I’ve decided on the following course of action that will help me sleep sounder in my bed:

1. Replace the engine and drivetrain with a Tesla equivalent to reduce my carbon footprint. The batteries will need to be recharged via power generated from unicorn farts, but I’m sure Mr Musk includes that as part of the deal.
2. Replace all interior leather with a vegan alternative.
3. Remove all red rear light bulbs in case they are deemed too threatening to cyclists.
4. Removed the flashing indicators in case they induce epileptic fits in pedestrians or the aforementioned cyclists.
5. Replace rubber tyres with sustainably sourced bamboo.
6. Change two-tone horn sound for whale songs to prevent scaring pedestrians and other road users.

That should do it.

Nurse, it’s time for my medication.

[chrisfell]

I’m waiting for the inevitable red rust to remove the floor so I can convert to Flintstone Power.

[max-it-out]

I `m doing my bit for global warming - making it worse . The Jag`s only doing around 18 mpg at the moment
I don`t see what`s so bad about GW anyway - should save on my Winter heating bills

[Joes66]

Just checked my e type on the ULEZ website for central london
It says its not allowed in?
Says ok for LEZ
May have to apply or something?
People should check
Joe

[Simon P]

You should just come up as 'non-ULEZ compliant' and therefore needing to pay the £12.50 daily charge. I can't see anywhere any proposal to prevent you coming in (impossible to police, and why would they anyway - this way they line the pockets of TfL!)