The 'E' Type Forum

Afternoon chaps,

Thought I would just introduce myself, been nosing around here for a while now and have recently set myself the goal of buying an E type before my 22nd birthday on January the 7th 2015... I like a challenge!

I've wanted an E type since being given a ride in a family friends one when I was five or six, I still remember the smell and roar of the engine! I feel that I am about at the point now where I can afford to buy one, either as a project or on the road. I feel if I don't find my E type now with prices on the up I will never be able to afford one.

To a point I've had my E type 'fix' through my 1971 MGB Roadster, obviously not the same but the next best thing for me up until now hopefully. Practically minded I've restored it mostly myself and now is a garage queen coming out on high days and holidays. I will never sell it and likewise I never plan to sell the E type.

I'd of course prefer the E to be a RHD series 1 drop head 3.8 but realistically I'd be very happy with any year and engine although ideally not the v12 as I can imagine that'll be a headache when it goes wrong! RHD preferably but not a must. If any of you chaps know of something that might fit the bill it'd be great if you could give me a PM.

Also, are there any local meets near to me in Ipswich, Suffolk?

Look forward to your replies,
Christian

:D

Well hi Christian. Welcome to the forum, and hopefully to ownership of an E in due course.

You will find cars coming up quite regularly. In fact a RHD OTS sold this weekend at Bonhams auction at Beaulieu. Keep an eye on the auction listings for suitable cars, but you are in a lot of company.....me for one!

Bon Chance

Hi and welcome. Personaly, I used ClassicCarsforsale.co.uk as they seemed to have a good stock. I went for a series 2 4.2 litre 2+2; the 2+2 is the most affordable of each range for cars in the same condition, and gave me more headroom which I needed as a 6ft plus man. 2+2s give 2 inches more headroom. Also more room for storage when you go away. However, I understand the appeal of the OTS! Lok great with the hood down, although that may be on limited occasions in this country.

Keep your options open and think laterally. All E-Type's went down the line with a body that could be either LHD or RHD and cost of conversion is only about ?1,500 (detailed guides in our Knowledge Base). The S2 was a far better developed car and whilst it lacks the absolute beauty of the S1 it makes up for it in is usability and younger age. The bargain, at the moment, is a rust free USA S2 - either FHC or OTS. Contact Angus Moss and see if he can source you a car. Check out his web site to get an idea of the sort of stuff he finds. www.mossjaguar.com

Hi Christian, nice to find another young enthusiast. You're more in a position to fulfill your dream than I am, but I suppose I could be driving two from 21. In response to there being anyone near Ipswich, have a word with Simon Bennett (Simon B on here or @E_Type_66 on twitter if you use it) He lives v close IIRC and I'm sure he'll point you in the right direction.

Simon

What happened to Christian then?

Sorry for the slow reply chaps, hope that wasn't mean't sarcastically Andrewh - My Grandad passed on later Sunday evening after my post so my weeks been taken up arranging things and looking after my Grandma etc. All good fun.

Anyway, thank you all for your welcoming words and advice. Good to have another young guy on the forum! I'll check Simon B out, might even be able to help point me in the right direction and if nothing else have a good chat about classic cars! Quite open to either a LHD or RHD, considered importing one but the thought of buying blind scares me a little! If I was to buy a LHD one I wouldn't convert it really as I reckon it would lose its originality I'm looking for. Interesting what you're saying about the S2's Heuer - I've driven a S1 drop head and that was lovely but it had been modernised with bigger brakes, better suspension etc. Keeping an eye on all the online sites including Car and Classic and Classic Cars for sale. For the moment prices seem overly inflated but I think that's people looking to sell their cars after seeing the increase in price recently and trying to cash in!

Haha Andrewh, stiff competition already! Car auction is another route, Silverstone Classic Car auction is fairly near by to me and I have a friend which works in the team there, so maybe thats worth a shout. Watch this space chaps...

Angus has a fantastic S1 4.2 FHC coming in from the States shortly - the toolkit has never been opened! http://mossjaguar.com/cars-for-sale.html If you want originality ......................

Christian : under no circumstances ever, ever buy an E - or for that matter any other car - without someone seeing it . Don't let that put you off importing one, but make sure that someone , who can be trusted , and who has some idea about E types has had a good look at it. For starters, it is important to establish that the car actually exists, because sadly, not every car that is advertised is what it seems, and there are unscrupulous "sellers" who merely rip photos off e.g. auction catalogues to try and substantiate a vehicle's existence