2009-11-17 14:54:38 | pauls writes:

Ebay item 11/17/09
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Current bid $11,100, reserve met, 12 bids 4 days left in auction.

Sellers description:
This is a very well preserved and original E-Type coupe, but currently with a later year, low mileage, replacement V12 engine fitted. I still have the original engine, and this is included in the auction, as is a spare transmission, a complete set of four stromberg carburettes, and some other parts.

I have owned this Jaguar for about 20 years and used it regularly till I retired from my job as Syracuse University professor and started my current occupation as a consultant on projects in developing countries. Since then (1999/2000) the car has been stored most of the time, due to my absences abroad. On one occasion when I was back in the USA, I decided to rebuild the engine, which had lost a bit of compression on some cylinders. In order to keep the car in a usable condition, I took the opportunity to buy a second V12 engine from a colleague who runs a classic car hire company for weddings - he had a V12 engined XJ12 sedan and decided to change the engine to a Chevy V8 (which he did in all his company cars, including several Rolls Royce, Bentley and Jaguar classics, in order to simplify the maintenance procedures for his whole fleet). I had the opportunity to drive the XJ12 before he removed the engine, and so was sure that it was in good running order. I removed the original engine from the E-Type coupe and replaced it with the later-year and low-mileage engine from the sedan. This is a relatively easy job as the engines are identical, except for the sump cover and oil pump, which are of a different shape due to the low ground clearance of the E-Type as compared to the XJ12 sedan - you just unbolt the parts from one engine and substitute them with the parts from the other. Unfortunately, due to my constant trips overseas, I did not rebuild the original engine and, although the car with its new engine starts and runs, I did not have the opportunity to put the E-Type back on the road and use it. Now it seems that I will be spending even less time in the USA, so sadly I have decided to sell the car to someone who has more time to give it the attention it deserves.

The condition of the body is first class - absolutely rust free. During the 20 years I have owned the car, it has not seen snow and very little rain, and has always been kept garaged. There are a couple of places where the paintwork has been slighty damaged during storage, by careless moving of other tools around the shop - a few small chips or scratches which can easily be touched up with a detail brush - but these are only surface marks, not passing through to the metal, so there is no rust. I have tried to show these on the photos. I also show the floor of the trunk, inside the spare wheel housing - a favorite place for corrosion on these cars - it is absolutely rust free. The chrome is good and will polish up beautifully. The tires are very good.The seats and upholstery are clean and in good condition.