E-TYPE TEMPTATION

Roadsters firmly in the big league, but tin-tops offer great value for money

Their values might be rising but compared with same-era Aston Martins, the Jaguar E-type offers stunning value for money.

At the top end early, ‘flat-floor’ Roadsters in first-class order are comfortably into six figures, but an excellent 2+2 can cost far less than a good ‘Big’ Healey. Restoration projects aren’t unusual and while low estimates can look tempting, restoration costs can be high due to the E-type’s complicated bodywork.

H&H’s first RAC Woodcote Park sale saw a 1962 fhc in seemingly solid ( but decidedly shabby) condition sell for £63,000. Stored for more than 30 years and the engine not run for more than two decades, it was a deserving project that would make an ideal basis for a full restoration.

In March this year H&H sold a 1962 fhc project for £38,812 but with early cars enjoying strong demand, once restored it might still be sold at a profit.

Offering a more affordable route into E-type ownership was a 1968 2+2 project hammered away for £15,120: while the ‘family’ model is seen by many as the least desirable model it offers a sensible way into owning an E-type, and one that is likely to gradually appreciate in value.

Roadsters continue to draw both the big sums and the consequential headlines, and Silverstone’s February sale saw a condition 2/2+ 1964 roadster sell for £123,750: a 1963 fhc in the same sale was off for £73,370, showing that the lack of a roof will come at a premium.

March was a busy time for auction E-types, Historics selling a shabby 1962 roadster for a strong £145,600 and Bonhams’ Goodwood Members’ Meeting sale seeing a same-year roadster make £180,700.

Just like when it was new, the lastgeneration Series 3 model attracts a different clientele from the earlier, six-cylinder models. More of a tourer than a pure sports car, it combines the sophistication of a luxury saloon with the looks of an E-type.

In the vanguard of the late-1980s classic boom, Series 3 models change hands today for less than they did during the last market value hike and they are generally showing less appreciation than earlier cars. In April Brightwells’ tidy 1971 fhc made £42,900 and Barons sold a smart 1973 roadster for £81,400.

Thanks to a long production run E-type supply is healthy, and with

dry-state American imports adding to the mix, the choice is as good as it has ever been.

Early roadsters will command top dollar, even though they may have peaked, but Series 2 2+2s offer a sensible route into owning this most evocative of British classics.

This tidy 1974 Series 3 V12 roadster sold at Silverstone’s sale last month for £85,500.

The latest deals for fhc models include this 1968 Series 1.5, which Historics sold for £60k. Roadsters sell at a premium, as Historics’ 1969 Series 2 model proved last month.