Barn-find 1964 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 3.8L restored

The Jaguar E-Type is widely considered by many as one of the most beautiful cars of its time. Nearly 60 years on, it’s among the most desirable collectibles today, and E-Type UK, one of Britain’s leading E-Type specialists, has just unveiled a newly restored model.

You’re looking at a 1964 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 3.8 FHC (Fixed Head Coupe; it was also available as an open-top model), one that has been sitting idly since 1979 in a previous owner’s unused garage in southeast England.

Upon discovery, the car looked as though it was well preserved and rot-free, but decades of neglect started to surface as soon as the restorers began stripping the car down. As the pictures here have shown, there were many rust spots of varying severity throughout the body, some of which have perforated the sheet metal.

The silver lining was that the barn-find E-Type still had its original Opalescent Silver Blue exterior paint colour, and the new owner had every intention to keep it that way. But rust had eaten through a large chunk of the floor and sills, so the workshop team fabricated and welded these components back on. This also improved the structure’s overall rigidity.

Once the metalwork was completed, the team’s bodywork specialist applied fillers to any dented panels, before block-sanding them to obtain the seamless ’60s curves. It was then given a fresh coat of Opalescent Silver Blue, which E-Type UK said was a tricky process because the silver pigments in the paint would sometimes result in a cloudy finish.

Next up was reassembly, and among the first few installations was the fitment of an upgraded independent rear suspension system. E-Type UK also uprated the original 3.8 litre XK6 engine with high-lift cams, a balanced and lightened crank, plus new seals, all of which it claims will improve drivability and reliability.

The car originally came with a four-speed manual (a three-speed auto was only introduced in 1966), but this was swapped out for a modern five-speed automatic transmission for tighter shifts and more refined cruising. Completing the mechanical rebuild are uprated brake calipers and brake pads, plus a full stainless-steel sports exhaust and aluminium radiator and header tank for better cooling.

For the finishing touches, the cabin is upholstered in Oxblood Red leather (as per the customer’s request), along with fresh chrome trimmings and headlight surrounds. The bonnet mouth is wrapped in red vinyl in a nod to the rare E-Type Lightweight (of which only 12 were originally completed)/

E-Type UK founder, Marcus Holland said: “A restoration like this is a real challenge for our team; 40 years of inactivity takes an enormous toll on every single part of a vehicle. But customers come to us to make their dream car a reality, so we will take it apart piece-by-piece, clean and improve everything we can save and replace everything that we can’t with better-than-original quality.”

“Not only are we delighted to have delivered our client a car they’ve always wanted, but we’re honoured to have played a part in keeping this piece of British motoring history on the road, and being used regularly, for many years to come,” he said. Satisfying transformation, don’t you think?

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