Description
Offered for sale is an entirely solid, very original, numbers matching 1964 Jaguar 3.8L Series I E-Type Fixed Head Coupe (FHC) finished in rare, factory correct Black over Biscuit. Garaged and well loved from new and having never been restored, this three owner car is the proverbial “survivor”, used as a weekend driver throughout the nearly 50 years since Max Hoffman imported the car. Based on this history and the condition of the car’s telltale points, it’s believed that the 57k miles registering on the odometer are entirely original.
According to the most recent owner, the original owner kept the car immaculate until the late 1970s, at which point it was purchased by a professional photographer and architectural preservationist from the historic town of New Castle, Delaware. His tenure of ownership would continue for the ensuing +/-25 years, before finding the third local buyer in 2002, a buyer whom he found through the local Jaguar Owner’s club and one that he could be sure would provide the E-Type the same kind of care and preservation to which it had grown accustomed.
As offered today, the car is not without its minor aesthetic blemishes, but as the pictures exhibit, it is still abundantly presentable. The deep black finish, while showing its age, polishes up nicely, the glass is in excellent condition and the brightwork shows only minimal wear, with no dings or flaking chrome. The original chrome knock-off wheels are wrapped in Michelin radial tires with plenty of remaining tread. The car’s body displays absolutely no evidence of rust or bondo and is extremely straight, with excellent panel fits and gaps all around. The wonderfully offsetting Biscuit interior is equally clean, showing only minimal wear to the Connelly leather, interior panels, carpets and headliner. The car also retains its period Blaupunkt radio, full wire wheel spare and changing tools.
Always maintained and consistently taken out to stretch its legs, the car is in fantastic shape mechanically, its original 3.8L inline six with triple SU carburetors starting right up without any smoke or hesitation. Pulling strongly and smoothly through each of the original Moss gearbox’s gears, it propels the car down the highway with grin-inducing force. The car drives and brakes straight, handles crisply and thoroughly provides the early E-Type’s trademark visceral feel. The car’s undercarriage is solid and free of corrosion and the engine bay is entirely sanitary, further testament to the amount of miles the car has traveled.
This is an excellent opportunity at acquiring an extremely desirable, solid and mechanically strong example, finished in it’s rare, factory correct color. Whether continuing its tenure as a wonderfully original weekend driver or as the ideal platform for an uncomplicated concours quality restoration, this 1964 E-Type FHC is sure to provide strong investment upside while bringing its next owner the same joy imparted upon its previous caretakers.
