This 1964 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 has gone from barn-find to beauty

We’ve brought you many stories of barn-find classic cars that have been rediscovered after spending decades in storage in forgotten locations – but rarely do we get to show you what happens to them after they’ve been located.

In this case, we can. That’s because this 1964 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 3.8 Fixed Head Coupe, found as a rusting heap in an unused garage after 40 years has been restored to its beautiful original best by a team that specialises in the the reconditioning of these iconic sports cars. 

The car, which hasn’t turned a wheel since being stockpiled in 1979 in south east England, is now back to being a glorious runner worth around £200,000 – and here’s how it was saved…

The Jaguar was discovered some three years ago in a slowly deteriorating barn where it had been stored for 40 years.

After having its heritage confirmed by checking the matching chassis and engines numbers and cross-referencing these to a list of original right-hand drive cars produced in 1964, the near-wrecked classic was purchased by specialist company E-Type UK for around £50,000 in 2017.

It was soon sold to an existing client as a full restoration project to be undertaken by the Kent-based firm to return it to how it would have been when it emerged from the Coventry assembly line some 55 years ago.

Given that Series 1 E-Types – especially those built between 1961 and 1964 with the 3.8-litre engine , like this one – are by far the most valuable, the cost associated with bringing the Jag back from the dead makes financial as well as sentimental sense. 

Especially as it is believed that the car covered very few miles in the 15 years it was used before being placed into storage.

While the clocks – which weren’t original – suggested the dilapidated motor had covered less than 200 miles, E-Type UK said record suggest it was more than this, though still fewer than 1,000 miles since delivery. 

When new, the six-cylinder 3781cc direct-overhead-cam engine would have produced around 265bhp and 260lbft of torque, making the E-Type one of the most ferociously quick sports cars money could buy at the time, as well as the prettiest. 

However, four decades of no use will have a staggering impact on both performance and looks – as the new owner quickly noticed. 

Upon its discovery, this E-Type looked as though it was well preserved and rot-free, protected from the worst of the weather by four walls and a roof. 

But after an extensive sandblasting and a three-day strip-down by the Kent-based specialist firm, the extent of the damage caused by 40 years of neglect, coupled with previous cheap repairs and the usual British dampness, revealed the scale of the Series 1 coupe’s dilapidation.

The first phase of the restoration was to ensure the car would be safe and durable in years to come by identifying and replacing sections that were too rotten to save. 

The workshop team found that many areas of the floor and the inner and outer sills were beyond repair, opting to replace them completely while also strengthening the body elsewhere. 

Every suspect piece of metal was eliminated to ensure the structure is even stiffer than the day it left the factory.

After the metalwork was completed, the E-type was introduced to the filler room where E-Type UK’s specialist bodywork technicians set out to restore those seamless ‘60s lines. 

The entire car was cleaned and skimmed, then block sanded to obtain the perfect straightness and contours, with long hours of fine-tuning the perfect gaps and apertures. 

To achieve the original Jaguar colour of Opalescent Silver Blue, the car underwent a long process of painstaking preparation to guarantee it was at its absolute best. 

Due to the silver pigments in the paint, errors are often unavoidable and can result in a cloudy finish. However, with infinite detail paid to the process, the final result was a sparkling and even finish.

While many elements of the E-Type were returned to their factory best, others were upgraded so the Jaguar could be driven regularly with the utmost level of comfort and safety. 

Reassembly started with fitting this E-type’s uprated independent rear suspension, which also included improved brake calipers and brake pads. 

At this stage, the front suspension was also fitted to create a rolling shell, making the car easier to manoeuvre around E-Type UK’s busy workshop.

The E-Type UK team then turned its attention to a number of performance and usability upgrades. 

The original 3.8-litre XK6 engine was fitted with high-lift cams, a balanced and lightened crank and new seals, all of which will help with driveability and reliability. 

Also fitted were a new five-speed gearbox for tighter shifts and more refined cruising, a new full stainless-steel sports exhaust and an aluminium radiator and header tank for enhanced cooling.

With much of the work complete, the finishing touches were applied, including the newly trimmed Oxblood Red leather interior, along with fresh chromework and headlight surrounds. 

In a nod to examples of the rare E-type Lightweight (of which only 12 were originally completed) the new owner requested the addition of a new red vinyl bonnet mouth, setting off the look perfectly.

In total, the full cost of the restoration amounted to in excess of £200,000 – plus the undisclosed purchase price before it was rebuilt.

The current market value of a fully restored and uniquely finished example like this today is in the region of £200,000, though not many will have covered as few miles as this one since leaving the factory more than half a century ago.

And the car will undoubtedly increase in value in the future and will not be wanting for upgrades or improvements for years to come, which should in the long run return a profit for the new owner.

Marcus Holland, founder of E-Type UK, described a restoration of this magnitude as a ‘real challenge’, given that 40 years of inactivity ‘takes an enormous toll on every single part of a vehicle’. 

He added: ‘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.’