How much does it cost to restore an E-Type Jaguar?
This is a question we get asked a lot and it’s an almost impossible question to answer. There are really 2 questions and a timeframe in which to ask them.
A better first question would be ‘how much will THIS Jaguar E-type cost to restore’ and the second question would be what level of ‘correctness’ and finish is required.
And it’s also about asking these questions at the right time because the answers can only really be given once the car is stripped of all parts, the shell media blasted and mechanical components and trim fully assessed. Whilst we can draw on many years of experience of all kinds of Jaguar E-type restorations and create accurate estimates for their restoration there will always be some unexpected discoveries along the way.
Repair or replace?
A key factor in cost is whether to repair the damage to original panels or use modern replacement panels. Time spent working on bad old panels can cost far more than installing new ones. That said, the new replacement panels do not fit perfectly onto a shell that was handmade over 60 years ago. Cutting new panels or parts of new panels into a shell is a highly skilled and time-consuming process. More new panel metal replacement on the shell will mean more time spent in body prep, lead loading, gapping up and final shaping. More new metal or repaired old metal work will also mean that when it comes time for painting, the car will likely need to be double primed – adding to the final paint costs.
The cars previous life plays a part
Jaguar E-types have been an object of desire since new. The passion and enthusiasm of owners have kept them on the road for over 60 years and the quality of repairs carried out in the 1970s, when they were just a 10 old vehicle, can be variable. Many of these cars will have been crashed at some point in their past. Some damage may not be visible until the car is stripped of paint, but with an expert eye, some can. Rear end shunts that have been repaired may be revealed through careful inspection of inner rear wing panels in the boot, where tell-tale small creases may be visible. Bonnets with extra shimming may be hiding bent front frames.
Body panels may have been repaired in the day by simply lead filling dents and creases and repainting rather than letting in new metal. We recently worked on a Jaguar E-type that had had its rear end damage ‘repaired’ in period by the application of over 11 kilograms of lead loading to the back of the car! Once that was removed it was clear that the only way to correctly restore the car was to fit two new rear quarters, a boot floor and other rear end panels. Effectively the entire rear third of the car was replaced. The historical lead loading had been carried out with great skill so that the extent of this damage was only visible after the car had been bare metalled.
Beware the ‘Bitza’
We have seen a lot of Jaguar E-type project cars come from the US which are just a shell and a collection of Jaguar mechanical parts. Be aware that, because of the long life of the six-cylinder power plant, it’s not uncommon to find engines from later cars or even other Jaguar models fitted to these supposedly correct Jaguar E-types. There are a myriad of differences between US cars and ROW models, bear in mind also that the US carburation system was vastly inferior to the UK triple carb set up. Restoring your car to be correct for Europe will involve buying a set of triple SU carbs, correct manifolds and re-engineering and refurbishing them which will set you back many thousands of pounds.
Cars will often have incorrect or later parts fitted as part of their historic maintenance. There were also a surprising number of revisions and changes made to the different Jaguar E-type series during their construction. Cars were fitted with upgraded parts throughout the build period and getting all these details correct for a specific year can be costly in parts – and in time spent tracking them down. Getting into the detail and trying to create a perfect Jaguar E-Type correct in every respect for the model year adds exponential cost.
Don’t forget the ‘boring’ bits
With the excitement of completing the big visible parts of the project like body work and paint it’s easy to forget to cost in the less exciting things that remain largely hidden like wiring looms and fixings. Often, wiring looms will have been hacked around in the past and working with original brittle and stiff wiring can use up hours and money that might be better spent on a new loom built to the correct specifications of the car. Original fixings take time to clean up and repaint or re-plate and whilst new ones are tempting because they may be more cost effective, the quality of reproduction parts are often inferior to the original 1960s components. Ultimately it pays to make the effort with retaining original door locks and latches
Patina or perfect?
We urge our customers to think carefully about what level of restoration is desired. Leaving an original interior intact with its wear visible clearly saves money but trying to improve parts of an interior by re-colouring seats or replacing parts of seat bolsters with new leather can just use up money that would be better spent going towards a complete high quality trim kit and investing in a trimmer to make them look right. Even the best interior kits have seat covers which leave a lot to be desired and they will still look like kit parts after they are installed. Having a trimmer adjust the kit seat covers for a better-quality finish, or better still having the seat covers hand-made will make a world of difference.
Another upside to a kit is that there is little point in having door cards hand made as on this element the kit parts are excellent.
Do or don’t do it yourself
While it may be tempting to save money by having a go at some interior work yourself bear in mind that installing new door cards and a carpet set is within the realms of the talented DIYer but trimming a centre console or the installing a roof liner is not.
One step at a time
We think the right approach for any Jaguar E-type restoration is to think of a restoration as a journey with decision points all along the way. Be open minded to altering your approach and adjusting where you want to spend your money as you go along. Once the car is disassembled don’t be tempted to send everything off all at once to be restored. Wait until you are further into the process then decide if that engine really needs a full rebuild or the whole interior really needs replacing. That way if the metal work budget increases you have some ability to change direction on the other elements of the rebuild. If you live with the original interior for a few years its easy to carry out that work later.
With our years of experience with Jaguar E-types we have seen many of the pitfalls and potential budget busting discoveries that can turn a straightforward restoration into a major headache. Our approach is to work closely in tandem with you and review things together as the process evolves, offer advice and think smart about how to best use your budget to get the best overall result.
Our advice is always to aim for the best restoration for YOUR budget rather than THE best Jaguar E-type restoration.