The 'E' Type Forum

Hi All,

still doing a lot of research and learning about the car.

I got a lot of recommendations to stick with SII and its 4.2 engine because it is more reliable, easier to maintain, gives more enjoyment in driving then the V12 which is more complex, harder to maintain and adjust, makes nose of the car heavier and less enjoyable to drive, overheats in the city slow traffic... etc.

Apparently 4.2 was built because Americans requested that engine and nobody in Jaguar was happy about it (they apparently preferred the old 3.8L).

Any advise and pros and cons from your experience would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
G.

It isn’t really a case of one being better than the other. From your other posts, it seems you’re looking for a very specific spec of car, with a relatively modest budget. If the engine type isn’t so important, I’d buy the best car I could afford irrespective of engine type. A badly maintained 4.2 will be a lot worse than a good V12 and vice versa. You’re more likely to find the auto you’re looking for in a V12, though a S2 4.2 2+2 auto is probably the most affordable E-type spec out there.

As far as reliability goes, I don’t think there’s anything in it. They’re both very well designed engines, with few inherent faults. The V12 takes longer to service as there’s more of it. The V12, being a later car, has a more complex emissions system that can cause problems if there are vacuum leaks etc. Not a fault with the engine as such, just the complexities of maintaining a car that was designed 10 years later than the 6 cylinder cars.

Dynamically, they’re slightly different. With the induction of the V12 case a substantial redesign of the front suspension. The V12 suspension is more sophisticated, but by the time it was built Jaguar were building the cars to suit American tastes. All V12s have PAS. This was an option on 6 cylinder cars, and having converted mine from PAS to manual steering, I don’t think PAS did anything for the car.