FAQs

1. What’s better a 3.8L or 4.2L E-Type?

It is always worth building your own opinion on which engine suits you and driving one of each, the engines are different and put simply the 3.8L XKE engine is a higher revving engine whereas the 4.2L XKE has more torque.

Within E-Type UK alone, we are split straight down the middle on which we prefer of the engines, so our advice would be get out and try the respective cars and see what you think.

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2. How does the V12 compare with other E-types?

The Jaguar V12 E-type is almost a completely different car form the earlier E-type’s, where the similarities end is in the name and some styling cues. The V12 is longer, wider and more of a grand tourer than previous E-types.

Fitted with power steering as standard and arguably the most comfortable E-type of the range, there is also the the possibility of adding a number of upgrades such as fuel injection which was designed to be fitted as standard before British Leyland began cost cutting.

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3. Should I buy or restore an E-Type?

There is no question that there are plenty of E-types out there that are less than the cost of restoring an E-type. Buying an E-type has many advantages and the most obvious of which is the fact that you can drive the E-type tomorrow.

Although, buying needs to be done with the correct expertise and an understanding of what are critical watch outs. It can be easy to be caught up in the moment and buy an E-type which ends up needing a total restoration.

Restoring an E-type is an enjoyable project and allows you to build a car which is finished to your own specification. This also gives you piece of mind over what has been done and the standard to which the car is finished, although this is not to say this cannot be achieved buying it just needs to be done with a calm head.

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4. How long does a restoration normally last?

A restoration length depends largely on a number of variable factors, the biggest of these is what the restoration involves. Should this just be an exterior re-paint and mechanical restoration the process can be complete within 6 months.

In regards to a total restoration, we would quote a year to eighteen months, we always ensure we keep this to a minimum to ensure that you are not without your E-type for longer than necessary. Although we always ensure that your E-type is finished to the highest possible level and as such would not want to compromise quality in the pursuit of time.

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5. How many man-hours goes into a restoration?

Building an E-type is a labour of love for not only the owner but also for us at E-Type UK, we dedicate approximately 2,000 hours to a restoration across body shop and workshop time.

With a team of dedicated E-type restorers, who have a combined experience exceeding 60 years of working with this iconic marque we understand what it takes to restore an E-type and doing it perfectly.

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6. What’s the biggest variable in a restoration?

There are always a number of moving parts to any restoration and this is largely ironed out in the scope when we build a restoration plan.

The biggest variable in regards to budget and time is normally body work, this area is difficult to assess the full extent until the E-type is blasted and down to bare metal. Once an E-type is in bare metal, nearly all of the variables are known and able to be addressed.

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7. Do you only restore E-types you have supplied?

We like to see all E-types back on the road and as such would be happy to discuss any restoration / upgrade queries you may have.

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8. Should I restore my E-type to Heritage Certificate specification or personal specification?

Jaguar supplied cars in many colours and trim options and of course finishing them in Heritage Certificate colours keeps the diverse mix of colours in the market and to see. This said though, there is no replacement for personal preference and we always say do a restoration for the enjoyment of the car at the end.

As such having an E-type that is finished to your exact standard and in a colour you like and enjoy will make the final product even more enjoyable. The only piece of advice we would give is to stick to Jaguar colours and Jaguar combinations, this will ensure that you do not adversely affect the value or limit the resale value of your E-type and if your E-type is one of the early chassis’ then restoring to Heritage Certificate colours as originality is key to value.

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9. Does upgrading my E-type affect future re-sale values?

The E-type is one of the few premium classic cars to not be affected by having upgrades applied to the car. Of course making these are period to the car and only enhance the usability of the car is critical but as mentioned earlier, Jaguar always intended to build the V12 with fuel injection so this is a natural addition.

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10. Why don’t you restore and sell on all of your stock?

A combination of reasons, if we were to restore all of our stock, then every car we restore would be finished to a specification we desire. Allowing customers to buy a project from us, means we are already familiar with the car, alternatively allowing a customer to buy in part of the way through gives the customer the opportunity to spec the car and remove some of the daunting areas including body work.

The other side of this is ensuring we prioritise customer work over internal work and keeping these cars moving ensure we do not have your E-type off the road for any longer than it needs to be.

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If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to call us or email marcus@etypeuk.com.