Lot Ended
Description
Current owner 20+ years; exceptionally well-maintained car with a vast
history file; factory hard top and recent new soft top; forced sale due to
illness
Undoubtedly
one of the most pampered cars in this auction, this beautiful E-Type V12
Roadster comes with a vast history file extending back to the mid-1980s.
The Heritage Certificate confirms that it was built in August 1973 and
was supplied new via Henlys of London finished in Rhodium Silver with a dark
blue interior and was originally registered as UCK 590M. A DVLA print-out of
previous owners shows that it became RNB 28 in 1975 (when owned by a Richard
Brown of Surrey) becoming XGC 142M in 1979.
The previous owner, a Mr B Manning of Purley, bought the car at a
Coys auction for £79,000 in July 1989 when it had covered just under 50k miles,
the catalogue stating that it had been “a highly-placed Concours contender at
club meetings over the last four years”, the history file containing at least
three JDC concours certificates from 1985 – 1987 (2nd place;
3rd place; highly commended). It was also featured in the Classic
& Sportscar calendar of 1986. Old MOTs (of which there are 22) imply that
the car was not used at all from 1989 – 1997.
Our vendor, proprietor of a well-known Herefordshire body shop,
bought the car from Mr Manning for £37,500 in 2002 when it had covered 50,455
miles. Before buying the car he had it professionally inspected, the report
concluding: “This vehicle is quite superb. It has undergone some work to a high
standard, but on the whole is relatively original. The vehicle structure is
sound, the cosmetics and interior good, and the mechanics on the whole very
useable. There are, however, some areas where further examination is
recommended. In particular I suspect some attention will be required to the
transmission, brakes, steering and suspension. Generally, the attention required
appears to be on the whole minor. Some recommissioning is required as the
vehicle has had little use”.
A member of the
Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, our vendor has looked after the car meticulously ever
since, entrusting all the work to those excellent chaps at CMC in Bridgnorth.
There are literally hundreds of invoices on file and it is impossible to give
anything other than a brief summary here. Highlights
include:
2003 – entire front end of car
repaired and repainted following a pheasant strike with new headlights and
chrome surrounds etc (photos on file); new chrome luggage rack; new bonnet gas
struts; Sigma alarm/immobiliser fitted.
2004 –
major £7,564 spend at CMC including engine removed and detailed with various new
parts; engine bay/A frame cleaned, painted and detailed (photos on file);
gearbox reconditioned; rear subframe overhauled; diff rebuilt; new drive shafts;
new brake pipes; alternator rebuilt; new coolant hoses; ride height checked and
adjusted; road test and tune up.
2005 – 4 new
road springs and 4 new shock absorbers.
2006 –
full service at CMC; new exhaust system.
2009
– propshaft replaced; major £2,115 service at CMC.
2010 – new front bumper and over-riders; steering
overhauled.
2011 – gearbox removed and
serviced.
2013 - rolling road tuned at c.65k
miles; new front seat squabs, foams and diaphragms from BAS
International.
2014 – new rear bumper and
over-riders; full service and underseal treatment.
2015 – full service at CMC at 66,588 miles which included a new
blue mohair soft top, front suspension bushes, new cam cover gaskets, new inlet
manifold gasket plus much else besides.
During
his 20-year ownership our vendor used the car regularly, including tours of
Europe, and it has now covered 70,267 miles. Sadly he then became unwell and the
car has been lying unused in a heated garage for the last three or four years,
although it has been started and run regularly to keep everything free. The last
MOT was issued in June 2019 at 69,643 miles which it passed with no advisories,
nor has it had any advisories since at least 2007.
Fitted with a new battery immediately before the auction, it has
been starting promptly and running beautifully as we have moved it around on
site, with good 70psi oil pressure when cold (notes on file state that it runs
at 40psi when hot). Given the period of inactivity, we would advise some
precautionary recommissioning before the car is pressed back into regular use –
the brake fluid, for instance, is very low.
Supplied with a factory hard top in good condition, the car also
comes with a large amount of technical literature relating to the model,
original handbooks, parts catalogue, maintenance chart, wiring diagram, sales
brochures etc. It also has two sets of keys and an agreed insurance valuation of
£90,000 dated 2020.
A most attractive E-Type
all round, with a reassuringly vast history file, it now only needs an
enthusiastic new owner who can continue to enjoy and pamper it in the
manner to which it has become accustomed.
For
more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email [email protected]