1972 Jaguar E-type Series 3 V12 Roadster

Jaguar introduced the E-Type in March 1961 to worldwide acclaim and its early forays into motor sport were rewarded in May of that year, when Graham Hill celebrated the type's first win at Oulton Park. Success on the track was reflected on the road, and the car's popularity was set to continue right up to 1974 with over 70,000 E-Types eventually produced in Coventry. From 1961, the E-Type evolved and improved throughout its long lifecycle from the original Series 1 Coupés and Roadsters, through the Series 2 cars of the late 1960s until finally the Series 3 arrived in late 1971, this 5.3 V12 being only available as a convertible or a '2+2'. Approximately 7,990 Series 3 convertibles were sold worldwide before production ceased.

Manufactured on 15th November 1972, this original UK right-hand drive E-Type Series 3 V12 roadster was delivered to a Mr R. E. Wray by Botswood of Ipswich, Suffolk, bearing registration 'URT 264L'. The owner prior to our vendor exported the car from the UK into Europe and owned this E-type for 17 years before passing the baton on to our vendor who purchased the car in 2005. A year later, it was decided that the roof needed replacing, so a new hood was sourced and fitted and in 2007, the car was stripped back to bare metal, any necessary body repairs were undertaken, and the whole car was fully resprayed. Sadly however, a year later paint blisters had started to appear on the body, and so the decision was made to have the car resprayed professionally.

After a number of years of routine maintenance and service work, it was time to have the heart of this 'big cat' examined, and so at the beginning of 2015 the engine was taken out and dismantled, ready for a full inspection and rebuild. The work included:

Stripping and rebuilding the gearbox

New clutch & release bearing

New water pump

Renewal of carburettors, nozzle needles and nozzle holder

New timing chain, chain wheels & adjuster

New stud bolts on exhaust side of both cylinder heads

Renewal of valves & guides, and machined valve seats

Reground cylinder head

Polishing of crankshaft and renewal of crankshaft bearings.

New pistons & bushes

Along with the comprehensive engine overhaul, other areas of the car were fettled to ensure the rebuilt car performed as well as it looked. This extensive restoration work eventually totalled more than 25,000 Euros and the car now looks fabulous and drives as you would hope after such major surgery. There are lots of photographs detailing every aspect of the rebuild in the accompanying history file, as a well as a Jaguar Heritage Certificate.

Now ready to return back to the UK after many years away, this car will need to be MoT'd and registered with the DVLA to obtain a UK V5c and registration. For many years, the Series 3 lagged behind its elder siblings in terms of desirability but no more, and the fruits of many hours of labour can be enjoyed with this E-Type Series 3.