Jaguar : E-Type Series 1 Open Two Seater (British Racing Green)

Jaguar 1962 XKE Series 1 Open Two Seater (OTS; roadster/convertible/ragtop)

Title: The license plate is an original 1962 California plate with a 1962 sticker on it.   DMV provided little extension plates for the left and right where the new stickers are attached. I have California title in my name and the registration is current.

Mileage. 106. 50 miles; it has turned over only once.   My dad bought this car used in 1968 which means I've been driving this vehicle for 46 years.

Color: British Racing Green (BRG)

Engine:  Original 3. 8 litre double-overhead cam straight 6.   Redline: 5. 00 rpm

Wheelbase:  This is the short frame. 96. 0 in. not the 105. 0 in "20-footer"

Condition:  Very good; runs well and looks nice.   It was pranged (dented) once so the nose of the bonnet (hood) was repaired.   The car was repainted from the original blue to BRG using a DuPont Imron polyurethane finish with about seven coats. rubbed out between coats. at a cost of about $7. 00.   It has since received a small number of little stone pits but looks gorgeous.   The windscreen (windshield) was cracked during the 1971 San Fernando earthquake near LA and was replaced in 1983.

Interior: It has new original sheet metal from XKs Unlimited for the center consol and shift-lever dome.   I have a new piece I'll provide for the instruments but I did not put it in because the old one looks pretty good.   There is no sound system; just a blank where a radio would go (these cars have a positive earth (ground).   The seats have been reupholstered this year using new wood foundations I got from XKs Unlimited.   The floorboards in the boot (trunk) are new and varnished.   There is new carpet in the boot and cockpit.   I had a new hood (top) and rear window installed several years ago and the rubber seals are not perfect. The door trim is missing one lower chrome strip. I put in third-party normal-looking three-point seat belts. This car has not been smoked in during the 46 years it has been in our family.

Gearbox. 4-speed manual.   The original transmission did not have synchromesh in first gear.   My dad replaced the transmission with one from a newer model so it now has synchro in all four gears

Differential:  Original high-ratio.   The reduction ratio on the differentials was increased in later years to make the cars go slower because customers in LA stuck in traffic had to slip the clutch half the way to work.   That slowed down all four gears including the top end on those later models.   My car has the faster differential and was rated at 90 MPH in second. 120 MPH in third. and 160 MPH in forth. This model was advertised to do 0-60 MPH in 6. 2 seconds.

Engine:  Was tuned up only a few hundred miles ago by Burnett in Palo Alto.   The original pistons were fully dome-topped and the engine has a hemispherical head.   The compression ratio was so high that the car needed high-octane fuel no longer available.   So I had my mechanic replace the pistons with semi-dome-topped units that decreased the compression ratio a little but so perhaps it no longer can reach 160 MPH but it also no longer pings when you punch it. The carburetors are triple SUs. recently rebuilt and tuned. Follower-valve on vacuum-assist for brakes is missing.

Radiator:  I had a new core put in that is thicker (same height and width) so it has better cooling.   Also. Dad bought a third-party fiberglass shroud to direct the air from the electric fan better.   The fan used to be wired to a thermostatically controlled switch but to avoid overheating. the fan is now wired to run full time.

Fuel pump:  The original pump was down inside the fuel cell.   When it needed replacement. you had to break into the tank.   So we brazed in a tube that went from the access cover down to near the bottom of the sump and put an external pump on that sits beside the fuel cell outside.   It is easy to replace now.

Bumpers:  This early model has the minimalist chrome bumpers so it looks really good.   There is minor pitting of the chrome on the front bumpers.   Many owners added a front oval bumper addition around the air intake; Dad got it with one that we removed and that I will provide; there are mounting holes in the bumper guards where it was once mounted (see close-up photograph).

Wheels:  chrome wire wheels with classic original two-wing knock-offs.   I have a Snap-On dead-blow hammer in the boot for removing the knock-offs without peening the edges.

Headlights:  This early model has the lamps set back with the curved lamp covers that fit the contour of the fenders so it looks clean.

A deposit of $500 through PayPal is due within 24 hours of end of auction.   The balance is due by wire transfer in U. S. dollars within five days. Wire transfers will have a 2-business-day hold before release of the car--no exceptions. The car can be stored for no more than two weeks from end of auction.   Any and all shipping costs and arrangements are at the buyer's expense.   We will make reasonable accommodations to make the car available to your shipper.   This vehicle is sold as-is.   Neither guarantee nor warranty is expressed or implied.  

Also published at eBay.ca

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