1964 Series 1 E-type Coupe: We saved this original owner car from languishing in a warehouse in Tallahassee, Florida. Yes, apparently Speedwell has involved itself in the sordid occupation of saving lost cats.
While on other business in an old school Triumph speed shop in Florida, we noticed the top of an E-type Coupe just barely exposed in a pile of boxes and mechanical artifacts in a forgotten corner of the warehouse. The business owner is an accomplished hillclimb racer who has achieved a great deal of notoriety (10 year champion at Chimney Rock) in a Triumph TR6, so the E-type looked very out of place. We asked him what the story was with the car and he just shrugged his shoulders and said “Oh that? That’s just my old car”. As it turned out, he had purchased the car brand new back in 1964 and even took delivery of it at the factory in Coventry. He then brought it back to the US and used it for many years as his daily driver to and from work at NASA. The years rolled by and after he opted for a more modern car to serve as daily transport, he decided he would turn the Jaguar into an autocross car (In the pictures of the car’s excavation you will notice the rear fenders had been flared so the owner could run wider rear tires). After doing several Autocrosses, he decided he would like to get into hillclimbing. He figured out that Triumphs could be more cost effectively turned into competitive racers than Jaguars and began what became a long and successful career in modifying the beasts to run hard up a mountain. The Jaguar was pushed into the corner and over the next 20 years became completely engulfed in boxes of parts, storage containers and all manner of shop debris while her owner became the Southeast’s most heralded Triumph engine guru and one hell of a hillclimb driver.
Click the link just below for a short video of what we found:
Now where did I put that wrench
Well, never being one who could sit idly by and watch a car like this continue to be unloved and neglected, I inquired as to if he would be willing to sell. After a great deal of back and forth, the owner finally decided he would part with it. The only condition was that my buddy and I would be charged with moving the mountain of parts and decades of shop by-products that were impeding the car’s egress from the shop. Obviously I am still coming to terms with the fact that I am not young anymore and that I am, actually, not invincible, so I agreed to his terms. I won’t go into all the gory details, but after moving thousands of pounds of engine blocks, cylinder heads, gearboxes, boxes of books, an old artificial Christmas tree, 300 boxes of loose auto parts, two rifles, a shotgun, eighteen crankshafts and a cannon, we were able to free the old girl and bring her out into daylight for the first time in 20 years. Hallelujah, holy cow, I have never worked so hard in my entire life. Did I mention it was July and we were in Florida? I’m pretty sure I aged 10 years that weekend. My buddy is a Marine, so naturally he thought it was no big deal. He's not normal.
Anyway, we got the car back to Georgia, my buddy removed the hastily done rear fender flares and welded proper patch panels back in and we offer her for sale here on Ebay in the hopes that some kind soul will purchase her and return her to her former glory. This is a numbers matching car except for the gearbox which has been upgraded to the much better 4.2 4-speed. Obviously the car does not run, however, the engine does turn over by hand and makes no weird noises while doing so. The driveshaft is missing, along with the radiator and some other more minor parts. The car does have some minor rust issues, but is a very solid and restorable example of a Series 1 coupe. It does come with brand new seat frames and a new center console section (pictured at the link below). Please look over the pictures as they tell the car’s condition much better than I can. That said, don’t hesitate to email with any questions or requests for specific pictures.
Lots of pictures including some under her skirt
The car is currently registered in Georgia and will come with a Georgia Bill of Sale along with the registration receipt and a Heritage Certificate from Jaguar's Heritage Archive.
US customers- We have a Monday through Friday schedule and can assist with loading onto a carrier.
International customers- Exporting this car from the US should not be a problem with the documentation we will provide. If it helps, we can offer transportation of the car to any of the following Ports via insured trailer for an additional $500. Port Charleston, South Carolina; Ports Brunswick or Savannah in Georgia. Please let us know what your requirements are and you will find us very responsive.
Please do not email asking what the "Buy it now" price is". Speedwell always let's Ebay auctions run their course out of respect for fellow Ebayers. Winning bidder must provide a $1000, deposit with 48 hours of auction end and balance must be paid within 7 days of auction end. Car must be picked up within two weeks of auction end. Please note our feedback rating. We take our reputation within the Ebay community very seriously and will do all we can to make sure the winning bidders buying experience goes well. Thanks for looking!
On Nov-17-16 at 13:22:36 PST, seller added the following information:*This car is actually a 1963 and was built in June of that year. I knew it was a 1963 but I listed and described it as a 1964 because I was having a senior moment.
On Nov-18-16 at 09:39:44 PST, seller added the following information:The mileage on the odometer says 67,610 but the true miles are unknown.