> CLASSIC JAG SLEPT FOR THREE DECADES IN A GARAGE
1962 JAGUAR E-TYPE RHD
The car: 1962 Jaguar E-type right hand drive The owner: Pete Moffett, St. Catharines, Ontario The story: I married my wife Lynda in May 1970 in Toronto, and in September moved to Bedford, England to pursue postgraduate studies in aerodynamics. When we arrived we stayed at a B&B before school started at Cranfield University.
I mentioned to our host that I was looking for an affordable sports car, and the next morning we heard an engine revving up outside. Here was a beautiful white E-type. I looked at my new wife and she said “go ahead.” After the equivalent of $1,500 changed hands I had, my besides my wife, my heart’s desire.
Lynda and I spent the next two years touring England on the weekends, though it was obvious from the start the car needed restoration and an engine rebuild. After graduating, in 1972, we shipped the car to Canada and drove it for awhile.
Having two boys and a mortgage, there was no money left for restoration, so the car slept peacefully in the garage for the next 35 years. I’ve been heard to say, “Life begins when the dog dies and the kids leave home,” and by the time I retired in 2001 our cats had died and the boys had moved out.
So I looked at the project. While I wanted to do the restoration myself, I didn’t have the skills, tools or experience. So I left it to the experts, my role being gofer and financier. The day arrived in 2010 when the body, engine, transmission and differ- ential were sent off (see photos at Jagmaster.ca).
Five years after the E-type left our garage, it was finished, and Lynda and I went for a drive in the same car in which we had toured England 40 years before.
While the exterior is stock, inside I added a fire suppression system and electronic fuel pump. The interior was changed to leather. Also added: electronic ignition, a radiator fan, LED lights to replace all the filament bulbs and air conditioning.
We are members of the Niagara British Car Club and the Ontario Jaguar Owners Association and enjoy the road trips and social aspects of these two clubs.
The future of the car is secure in that it will be passed down. My son and grandson are gearheads and they will enjoy many miles in what Enzo Ferrari called “the most beautiful car in the world.” Show us your candy: Do you have a beautiful original, restored or customized car? Send us your words, and pictures, which are especially welcome if you or yours are in them. Email wheels@thestar.ca and be sure to use “Eye Candy” in the subject line.