This 1964 Jaguar E-Type Went From Forest-Find To $100,000 Classic
This early ’64 E-Type Series I Coupe sat in the woods for nearly 30 years before being restored to its former glory.
It’s heartbreaking to come across a beautiful automobile wasting away in the forest as Earth reclaims it. Let alone a Jaguar E-Type covered in vines, moss, and home to all manner of forest fauna. But renowned Jaguar E-Type restoration specialists, E-Type UK, wasn't about to let that happen and rescued a 1964 E-Type Series I Coupe after it sat rotting away in the woods for 30 years. The transformation turned the aluminum heap into a cherry example now worth over $100,000.
According to The Sun, the E-Type had sat abandoned in the brush on the property of an estate in Gloucestershire. Its owner had once intended on restoring the car, but succumbed to illness and left the E-Type to be reclaimed by mother nature. When it was uncovered, the car was then handed to the pros at E-Type UK who then put hours upon hours of backbreaking work to restore the E-Type to its original beauty.
Digging the knife in deeper, the car itself is reportedly a numbers-matching example of a Series I 3.2 coupe, meaning it’s one of the earlier 5,830 cars produced. Later variants came with larger 3.6- and 3.8-liter versions of Jaguar’s legendary straight-six.
Despite its interior being completely ravished by nature and its roof wholly collapsed, surprisingly the E-Type’s signature shape, independent rear suspension assembly, subframe, and additional running gear were entirely intact.
The shop then sourced original-equipment parts for the restoration while other NLA (no-longer-available) parts had to be fabricated from scratch, including a period-correct roof and floor pan. The shop’s body specialist then made sure everything was restored to a T thanks to religious use of a body alignment rig. Finally, the E-Type received a repaint in the car’s original Opalescent Silver Grey hue and then polished for over 60 hours to make sure it was as factory-accurate.
Though given the attention to detail and use of modern equipment, it's probably better than factory-new.
After the rigorous restoration, the company says the car is now worth over £100,000 or $123,467 USD.
"We are incredibly proud and privileged to have been given the opportunity to complete a full restoration of the 10th Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2 RHD FHC to come off the production line,” Marcus Holland told The Sun. "This historic sportscar certainly came with its own unique challenges, bringing out the best from our in-house team through the extent and quality of the work required. We have seen and completed a number of "bush-find" restorations, but this must be one of the most significant E-Type UK has ever undertaken.”
