1971 Jaguar E-Type 5.3-Litre V12 Series 3 Coupé

A decade after the Jaguar E-Type Series I arrived, the design progressively matured through 1971 with the introduction of the Series 3. Designed to showcase the new smooth and torquey 5.3-litre engine, originally developed for Le Mans, the Series 3 cars were available as a Roadster or a 2+2 Coupé. The new cars were easily identifiable by the large cross-slatted front grille, flared wheel arches, wider tyres, a larger bonnet bulge, updated bumpers, four exhaust tips and a badge on the rear that proclaimed it to be a V12. It also featured uprated brakes, power steering as standard and a large horizontal scoop added to the underside of the bonnet to assist with cooling. The interior was entirely new in the V12, with more comfortable seating, stylish new door panels and a smaller, dished and leather-rimmed steering wheel. Being slightly larger and altogether much softer in nature, the E-Type in Series 3 form had lost the wildness of its youth but gained the long-legged touring profile, to which it was arguably better suited.

The car’s previous owner found this Series 3 in the US, after a search for a sensibly priced example in the best condition he could find, and imported it to the UK in 1995. When it arrived here, he went through the car carefully, decided what needed doing and prepared a timescale that allowed him time to enjoy the car between major jobs. He intended to leave it in left-hand drive to use on the occasional European trip, but to gradually bring it up to a factory-correct show standard. He established that it is matching numbers and it now has a Heritage Certificate.

In 1999, after a couple of years use, the bodywork was first on the agenda and Autostyle of Kirkham in Preston carried out a full panels-off, glass-out respray in its original Signal Red in exchange for £1,500 (it was 1999). The original interior was scrapped and replaced with a new Biscuit leather one by long-established Jaguar Coachtrimmers, Suffolk and Turley at a cost of £5,863. The quality of their work is evident in the car’s interior nearly 25 years later.

The car continued to be enjoyed by its owner over the years and, from the history file, we can see that in 2010 the engine, gearbox and rear axle were overhauled by GMT of Preston at a cost of £16,177. Regularly maintained and further detailed, this Series 3 became a regular at many Northern car shows including the Lancashire Automobile Club events where it won the Judges Award for Best Car of the Day in 2014 and, in 2018, placed first in the Group III Concours d’Elegance. He continued to maintain the Jaguar, including a refurbished starter motor in 2020, until we had the privilege of selling it in early 2022.

It was purchased by our vendor at that sale to join his small Collection but, unfortunately ill-health has precluded him from using it much, and we are pleased to have been asked to offer this delightful S3 V12 for sale once more.

It’s accompanied by its original ‘Passport to Service’, the Heritage Certificate, Owners Manual, unusually invoices from the US and a number of receipts and invoices from its time in the UK. The car remains in excellent condition having been carefully looked after, and the mechanical work over the years should be confidence-inspiring for its next lucky owner. A sensibly guided ‘turn-key’ entry into the world of E-Type ownership.