Jaguar E-type 2+2
1966 Jaguar E-type 2+2 auto
Owned by Malcolm Mckay (c/o classic.cars@bauermedia.co.uk) Time owned Six years Latest/total mileage 38/48,929 Latest/total costs £1260/£4895 Previously Heater rejuvenated, washers put right and LED headlights on board…
After clocking up 7000 miles in the E-type in 2019, 2020 saw it languish in the carport all summer and in the garage for the winter – except for our anniversary in November, when the rules allowed us a short run through the Somerset lanes to the top of the Quantocks. Though happier on open, sweeping roads, the E took the twisty, mucky farm lanes in its stride.
Dropping down from the hills, however, reminded me of one shortcoming of its Borg Warner Model 8 automatic gearbox – select low and it will hold onto second, but you have to get below 5mph for it to select first – the brakes end up doing all the work and as you hit the accelerator to pull through the corner, it suddenly grabs first and jolts the whole car.
Automatic transmission was in its infancy in 1966, at least in the UK, but improved later. This gearbox has grown on me, being surprisingly relaxed despite the low 3.31:1 differential fitted to US cars, but its days are numbered; I acquired a 1966 Jaguar S-type manual gearbox with compact overdrive a couple of years ago and collected it, fully re-built, from Hardy Engineering just before lockdown hit. The 2+2 is the only E-type with a big enough transmission tunnel for it to fit without modification; the tunnel needs a little easing on a manual 2+2, but on an auto you just have to cut the hole for the gear lever.
It’s not all simple, of course – you also need the correct flywheel – and 4.2 E-type flywheels don’t exactly grow on trees – and a clutch pedal as well as all the hydraulics. Fortunately Jaguar used the same pedal housing and just put a blanking plate over the bulkhead holes, so no modifications needed there. You can buy a new flywheel but I prefer to use an original if possible and the pedal is not available. Fortunately for me, fellow E-type owner (and transmission expert) Scott came to the rescue with a 4.2 flywheel in good condition that just needs a light skim and another kindly provided a brake pedal left over from a lhd-rhd conversion that I can modify to operate the clutch.
Hydraulics and clutch are readily available from specialists so I now have everything I need – except the time to do the job! I’m currently flat-out writing a new edition of Original Jaguar E-type to be published this year for the car’s 60th birthday, after which (virus permitting) I’ll be chasing E-types and XKS around Ireland on our next rally… so it may be a while yet!