I have written a 20 page (so far) treatise of my experience with my E as part of the record for the car, but I'll give you all the much shorter version. My father bought the 1968 Sable/Lt. beige 2+2 E in August 1969 as a pre-owned car. I was a little boy at the time, but when I first laid eyes on it, it was love at first sight. Sometimes, when my dad would return home from work, I would wait outside in the front yard and wave a home made checkered flag. He drove it to work back east for 3 years and until we moved to California in 1972. It was always a special treat for me to get a ride in the car. I remember once I washed and waxed it and when he returned home from work, he said someone at work asked if he the car repainted. When I was of driving age, my father wouldnt let me drive the car much, so I would take it and drive around. Sometimes I took it to school. My dad would let me drive him to his car pool pick up point and then I would take the looooong way home! One time he lt me drive the car to my music lesson. I was so excited to have the car and drive around. Even back then, 1979, it drew lots of looks. My dad bought a 3rd car in 1979 and the Jag sat most of the time, being driven rarely. I went away to college and got married. In 1985, my brother and I rebuilt the engine, in the car. We test drove the car without the bonnet which caused a cop to tell us on his PA "Hey buddy, you are missing something!!" The car was parked in 1985 where it sat for 33 years.

In 2018, my parents moved out of their house and asked me what I wanted from the house. I said "I want only one thing...the Jag." My mom said silly things like its too fast for me and its too much work for me to do...blah blah blah. I said "Im taking it." She asked me dad if I could have it and he said "Ok". I had the car shipped to my house in So. Cal and threw a Jag coming home Party. Day 1...I washed the car and polished the chrome. Day 2....I disconnected the gas tank, injected fresh gas in the carbs, bought a new battery and......it fired right up!!! I continued to work on the car, replacing the hoses, belts, tires, cleaned the gas tank, re-cored the radiator, flushed the block, used kerosene to clean off tar from back east etc. etc. The idea was to make the Jag a daily driver. I upgraded the ignition system, the radiator, and the alternator.

I wanted to show my dad the car but that would mean that the car would have to make the 450 mile trip up north and he would have to be healthy enough to see it.My dad's health was deteriorating rapidly. In May 2020 he was almost 95. I finally figured out the overheating problem - it was several things. With the Covid crap going on, my parents' senor facility restricted visits. I heard they allowed drive by visits and I really.wanted my dad to see the car in person and get pictures of him with the car. You see, there were no existing pictures of him with the car. The facility had a drive by visit scheduled and on May 22, 2020, I drove the Jag up to the Bay Area. It ran beautifully, even in heavy traffic.

On the day of the drive by visit, 30 minutes before, I got a phone call from my mother that my dad had fallen and hit his head and was going to the hospital. I raced over to the facility right before he was wheeled to the ambulance. I had the EMTs wheel his next to the car as I figured this was the only chance I would get to have a picture of him and the car. Then he went to the hospital. My dad seemed stunned from the fall and didnt say anything. The whole experience shook me up. I got some pictures of the car with my mom and went back to the hotel. I sat there alone and begged the higher power to at least allow my dad to get better so he could see the car. My mom called that afternoon and said my dad was coming home from the hospital. I raced over to the facility but he was already upstairs and in bed. I told my mom, feed him as much food as you can tomorrow so he has energy to see the car and that Im bringing the car over.

I drove the car to my parents' former house and parked the car in the driveway, near where it sat for 33 years, except now it was clean and running great. I took some pictures. I was hoping tomorrow would be a better day.

The next day I went to the facility and parked in front. We had to talk through the window screens because of the Covid situation. I told my dad that I brought the Jag and asked if he wanted to see it. He said yes. I told my mom to wheel him out front. She said they wont allow it. I told her to d it anyway. I ran to the front, turned on my gopro camera and viseo taped my father seeing the car for the first time in two years and the first time running in 35 years. I took many pictures and showed him the inside. He said it was beautiful. I handed him the keys and told him I kept the keys and his original leather pouch. He looked at the keys and then handed them back to me. That was a magical moment. He said "take care of it." I said, "I will"

The next day, I was driving the car back home. I took more pics of my dad and the car, said good bye and gave him a hug. The car drove home beautifully as always.

My father went into hospice car 2 weeks ago. I rode my motorcycle up to visit him but he was in really bad shape. I asked him if he remembered seeing the Jag and he said yes. He was taken off his medication and put on methodone for comfort. He has a short time to live, so I hugged him and said goodbye and made the long lonely ride home.

The Jag was always larger than life to me growing up. Everyone who knew me knew about the car. It was more than just a another car. Its difficult to articulate what it was. My dad was a very difficult man to connect with and the car was the one way I could connect with him. When I drive the car, I usually put it on the classical music station like my dad would and I drive the car with huge appreciation. I would not want to drive any other car.

 

First, I'm sorry to hear about your Dad. Mine passed away 23 years ago when I was 42. He never understood my fascination and interest in cars, yet he assisted me when I was 16 by working on my first car (definitely not a Jag - it was a 1965 Ford Custom) He drove his cars until the wheels fell off, from my birth to his passing, I only knew him to own 5 cars and only 2 of them were new. He always teased me that I would rather trade a car than put air in the tires and he wasn't wrong....LOL When my uncle (his brother-in-law bought the 1968 Jag XKE Series 1.5 with a purchase prices around $6,800 my Dad would say,"that's the price of three VW Beetles" which were advertised at the time for $1,999, to which I would reply "but then you'd have to drive a VW and I'd rather drive a Jag".

All these stories just go to show the everlasting impression the XKE made on impressionable youths and their timeless styling that still turns heads today when one drives by. I simply cannot wait for my boyhood dreams to come true with the delivery on Tuesday of the car I've dreamed about for a long long time.

 

Thank you for your kind words. Its too bad you couldnt get your uncle's car. I thought about buying an XKE years ago but the one I wanted was my dads. I will keep it original except for anything broken. For example, the headliner was torn and hanging down so I had it replaced. The front seats are torn and need to be re-covered. Other than that, its all original..spare wheel and tire, paint, engine, etc. Im looking forward to hearing about your car when you get it. When is the expected arrival? I just love the color, red with biscuit(?).

 

Some pics...





I have the original Pennsylvania license plate that the car came with and it wears the original California Plate. I had to restore the front California Plate in order to be approved to keep the original California plates, although the car will like we never see the front plate on

 

Your story is awesome and I too wish I had my uncles Jag just for the history. But it was his daily driver for 5-6 years, has 90k+ miles on it, was restored once back in the late 80's now has some obvious rust in all the places that a Pennsylvania car driven in the salt/snow environment would and hasn't been started in over 20 years. It would have been a real project car before I would ever be able to put one mile on it.

I'm still hopeful that once my uncle sees that I bought this one, due in next Tuesday, he will still sell me his car as a project while I drive this one. My wife will kill me with two Jags in the garage, but life is short and she will threaten but not actually ever pull the trigger. But if she does you can print out this thread to show the judge that she did it, unless the judge is a married woman, in that case she may pat wife on the back....LOL

 

My father's car (I have trouble saying its mine) has some Pennsylvania rust. The left rear wheel arch shows some bubbling but it doesnt look extensive. The battery tray is thoroughly rusted and will need replacing. The heater fan box above the battery will need de rusting and well as the surrounding area. The rest of the car looks solid. Fortunately it was his daily driver in Pennsylvania for only 3 years. The dry climate of northern California really helped preserve the car. It's hard to believe but the original tires inflated and held air before I replaced them.

I understand you purchasing your own car and not making restoring your uncle's car priority because it is a tremendous amount of physical, mental, and financial effort. I'm incredibly fortunate to have a Jaguar parts place located three miles from my house that had almost everything that I needed for the car.

If your wife gets aggressive with you for owning two Jaguars, should that become the case, perhaps I can help as I am a family law attorney, albeit in California. LOL

Here is where the Jag slept for 33 years. Second picture is 18 months later after being driven over 450 miles from southern California.




On the drive back home. Picture was taken by my daughter-in-law. It is the only picture so far of the car being driven.

 

Thanks. This is all good to know. When she presses the issue should a second Jag ever enter the picture, I will ask her to speak to my Attorney.

Bob

 

Its Tuesday...did you get the car?

On a sad note, my father passed away this weekend, a day before my birthday. RIP Dad. You are my co-pilot now.

 

Believe it or not, the car was delivered on Saturday, far ahead of schedule (pics below)

But more importantly, I'm very sorry to hear about your Dad. After you posted your story, I showed the story and pictures to my wife and she was so happy that your Dad got to see his car and tell you to take care of it. I lost my Dad over 23 years ago and rarely does a day go by that I don't think of him, quote him, say things that he said to me that I swore I would never say to my kids and now I say them to my kids. I thought of him when the Jag was delivered, I swear I heard him say "Do you know how many (insert cheap car name here) you could have bought for the price of that Jaguar?"

The sadness will pass and the good memories will last forever.

Bob

 

Bob... thank you so much for your kind words and for showing the story to your wife. I greatly appreciate it.

Your car is beautiful and looking forward to stories of your drives and experiences. That beautiful red is one of my favorite colors and I always thought if I ever got a Jaguar that wasn't my father's, it would be that bright red.

 

I am really enjoying reading this thread today but that has put a slight downer on it. My deepest sympathies on your Fathers passing and as we say in Ireland, Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

 

I can see your point that the thread has more than a hint of sadness given that @DeusExMaxima 's dad passed away, but I find it uplifting in a sense of the ever enduring passion for the Jaguar E-Type and the bond that was created between them as a result.

I was at at Jag Concour's that the North Texas Club had this past week and my wife and I were sitting in the shade under a tree watching visitors look at each car. There was a Dad with two young boys looking at the Jag E-Types in a row with their bonnets up. The oldest boy, likely around ten, seemed mesmerized with cars and was lingering behind his Dad soaking in all the details that he could. He was looking under the bonnets, looking in the open windows, in the case of my coupe - looking in the tailgate window. I turned to me wife and said "And so it begins". Maybe I'm imagining things, but my fascination with the Jag E-Type began when my uncle bought one when I was 13 and it was cemented when I drove it at 16, the joy this little boy showed in looking at the Jag's might just have lit his fire for them too.

 

Thank you very much for your positive attitude and nice story at the concours. I actually had meant to post the passing of my father in my build thread but posted in the wrong thread. Im blessed to have such an amazing car with 51 years of memories plus the ability to work on it.

 

Beautiful, drive it and enjoy it, I look forward to driving mine at every opportunity particularly in nice sunny weather, and it’s a real head Turner! 😎👍

 

Had the front seats and center arm rest re covered in leather and vinyl. Its a bit lighter than the rest of the car which has 53 year old patina. All the foam and everything on the seat was salvageable except for the leather. Even the rubber tensioner underneath was in great shape.

 

Seats look very nice. Did you buy a kit and have someone install it, or did you take the seats to an upholstering shop and have them make it from scratch?
Looks really good. Enjoy the car.
Bill.

 

Thanks Bill. Upholstery shop did the work from scratch here in so cal.