2008-06-23 18:46:03 | pauls writes:

Ebay item 5/23/08
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll
Current bid $19,100 reserve not met, 8 bids, 6 days left in auction. Buy it now price $45,750.

Sellers description:
Just about the nicest ’20-footer’ I’ve ever seen. This is an unrestored red-on-red 1974 Jaguar XKE with stick, wires and air. I bought it about 12 years ago from the original owner in San Antonio, Texas and have enjoyed 20,000 miles of road trips and cruise nights. Talk about a head turner…I’ve been asked many times if I wanted to sell it and I never did until now - my new son needs his toys more than I need mine, so this sweet cat is on the block.

Everything on the car is in working order with the exception of the radio which lost all power one day after I bounced over a pothole, and the parking brake no longer holds the car in place securely – it may need adjustment or new pads. Sometimes one or another of the 4 carburetors will drip a little gasoline; I have never rebuilt them. Also the car needs new air filters. There are 4 brand new tires with less than a tank of gas on them.

Prior to my purchase, the clutch was replaced and the seat covers, carpeting and folding top were redone. I recently installed a new brake master cylinder and pads on all 4 wheels, new distributor cap, rotor, wires and plugs, rebuilt the starter and alternator, replaced the original sagging rear suspension springs, and chased down a few minor electrical bugs in the switches and relays, plus replaced the ignition box with a modern Crane unit. The exhaust system is recent with twin performance mufflers feeding an original V-12 fan-tail style resonator. Over the last ten years, I replaced the water pump, rebuilt the clutch slave cylinder, and replaced various belts and hoses and I think the front shocks. The tachometer sometimes needs to ‘warm up’ before it works OK, probably a loose connection somewhere. All lamps, horns, signals and gauges work fine - best of all is the ICE COLD Air Conditioning, yes the GM Style Delco A/C works great, a blessing here in the Texas Hill Country where it was 107 in the shade yesterday. Suspension and shocks work well; even the original bushings are still providing service.

The car has spent its entire life in the arid Texas climate - only 9 inches of rain this year, most of that from a couple of passing thunderstorms. Cosmetically, the car is not as pretty as it appears in the photos, although it won a First Place trophy in the Driven Class at the last Jaguar Club meeting I attended. What I believe to be the original 35 year old factory paint has faded several shades from the original deeper red to a lighter tomato-orange hue, and the top paint surfaces are ‘sun-crazed’, i.e. sprinkled with tiny wrinkles and shallow cracks like antique leather. I have successfully buffed out some of the crazed areas but that just leaves a spot of shiny darker red paint – the old kitty really needs fresh paint to look young again. The sheet metal has no major dents nor any rust beyond minor surface blemishes, but there are typical chips, door dings and scratches you’d expect after 35 years, the worst dent is next to the antenna, see photo. The body, boot, bonnet and doors all fit together snugly with straight narrow parting lines – the car is very straight, never wrecked. The original glass and chrome are still glossy with good shine. The wire wheels are nice too, showing very little stains or corrosion. The only serious cosmetic problem is the vinyl folding top, after more than 20 years it finally split a hole too large to easily patch, although it could be repaired. I don’t drive the car in the rain, so it has not mattered to me. I do not have a factory hardtop, though I know where one is available nearby.

A few years ago one of the ugly 1974-only black rubber bumper blocks split in half so I investigated some options for better looking bumpers. I found that slightly trimmed Series 1 overriders complemented the front blades and that a Series 2 alloy plinth was an exact replacement for the rear bumperette’s original angle-iron superstructure. I prefer the resulting sleek appearance but you could readily restore the original configuration - I still have all of the mounting brackets and backup lamps.

I drove it a few times this week and it ran fine with good power, strong brakes, easy steering, plus it drives smooth and straight although sometimes there is a little shimmy in the steering wheel. This car is road ready, I drove it to work regularly before I retired, and it runs fine on regular gasoline.