We purchased our 1971 Series III V12 Jaguar E-type on Bring a Trailer on Feb 28, 2020.
Price including commission was $39,375. It was represented as having 22k original miles, and all original surfaces, in and out.
The chassis number is 1S71487BW.
When I plugged that into the search field in our SCM Platinum Auction Database, I learned that we had reported on this very car in 2001. It was offered at the eBay/Kruse Auburn Auction, where it did not sell with a high bid of $10,750. It was described as having covered just 16,800 miles and being all original.
The accompanying comments of one of our auction reporters gave me faith on the overall condition of the car and the authenticity of its mileage.
When the car arrived at SCM World Headquarters on April 24, 2020, it was showing 22,238 miles.
This past Saturday, July 12, I took it on a Jaguar Owners Club of Oregon tour. Our destination was Timberline Lodge on nearby Mt. Hood. When we stopped for fuel, my co-pilot, Rick Martin (no relation), noted that the odometer was at 32,069 miles.
So in the five years we have owned this car, we have traveled over 10,000 miles in it, including using it on three SCM 1000s. It is now 54 years old.
Before we bought this car, I had no understanding of the V12 Jags as serious, high-speed GT cars. Like most fans of six-cylinder E-types, I thought the Series III cars were bloated and heavy. One internet wag described them as looking like a tugboat that would be pushing a barge full of Series 1 cars up the River Thames.
However, after five years and 10,000 miles, I’ve come around. I now maintain that the SIII is one of the great touring cars of its era. With its 272-horsepower, 5.3-liter V12, it cruises comfortably all day at 80 mph and has no problem hitting triple digits without downshifting. The V12 is a perfect match for the BorgWarner 3-speed automatic.
We’ll have more about getting to know the SIII on the road next week. Suffice to say that learning to appreciate this bigger brother of the E-type line has been a series of pleasant revelations.
Your writing flows and entices me to do a road trip in such a fine vehicle.
Let’s go!
Knock on wood! (Fortunately, you’ll probably find a least a bit inside the e-type.)
You won’t find too many original E-Types in such good shape – and without rust.
I’ve always heard that the 6-cylinder models drove and handled better, but that the 12-cylinders “toured” better.
I’m happy that you kept it!