Sometimes in order to make something better, you have to strip it down to its bare essentials. That’s exactly what the owner of this spectacularly restored version of the 1962 Series 1 Jaguar E-Type did. The end result retains the charms of the original coupe but also brings some enticing modernizations along the way. Let’s take a look…
The Story
At first glance, this particular E-Type FHC example looks like it’s time-traveled from the early-’60s, but upon closer look, several updates set this apart from the pack. For the job, the owner — referred to as the “Surgeon” on the car’s web listing — tapped Jaguar Master Engineer David Ferguson for the task. Ferguson acquired a barn find XK E-Type FHC in northern California, where it had been dismantled by its original owner 25 years ago but never finished.
Wanting a project during the pandemic, the Surgeon decided to use his extensive Jaguar knowledge to build a modernized E-Type for charity. Over the years, he had owned and built about a half-dozen Jaguars, including a trio of XKEs.
Future Tech
For this special barn-find XK, the Surgeon and Ferguson decided to strip down the body and bead-blast it before adding paint, chrome, and powder coating. For the color, they went with Opalescent Silver Gray found more on Jags from ‘65 to ‘67. They also replaced the hood with a lightweight aluminum fabricated bonnet popular in Le Mans racing.
Under the hood, the engine was completely rebuilt and upgraded with a performance cylinder head, Delong Sport cams with 9:1 compression, a lightened flywheel, and electronic ignition. They also had the oil cooler, braided brake, and clutch lines improved upon. But perhaps most importantly, the gearbox was rebuilt and mated to the new 4.2-liter inline-six, which wasn’t found on XK models until 1964 (‘62 models likely used a 3.8L I6). Most other engine upgrades for this example were done to better optimize the 4.2L. The brakes and suspension were also upgraded and a Big Bear exhaust was installed.
How About the Inside?
First swapping in a Moto Lito steering wheel with power steering, this E-Type was also equipped with an aluminum radiator cooling fan and an air-conditioning switch mounted to the top of the steering wheel. The dashboard gauge cluster now includes water temperature and manual oil pressure indicators — the latter replacing the electric oil pressure gauge. Other additions include rally trip computers, tire pressure sensors, a modern stereo, and a satellite navigation display. On the other hand, if you want the original dash cluster and radio, they come included; the upgrades can easily be removed and replaced.
The vehicle is also accompanied with both a set of the original bucket-style seats and the more comfortable seats that came with the later 4.2 models. All four seats work with the new three-point inertia safety belts.
Spec Sheet
Model: Series 1 Jaguar E-Type FHC
Model Year: 1962 (restored and upgraded)
Engine: 4.2L inline-6
Power: Unspecified
Mileage: ~3,900
Pricing & Availability
Completed in 2022, the restored 1962 Jaguar XK E-Type FHC shows fewer than 4,000 miles in total. It’s currently being sold via Schaltkulisse for $250,000 from Miami.
Recap
Restored 1962 Jaguar XK E-Type FHC
This Jaguar collector turned a barn find ’62 XK E-Type FHC into a restored, modernized vehicle, equipped with navigation, a stereo, and 4.2-liter engine of later models.
