Jaguar E-Type S3 V12 Restoration

Accidents on the road are a daily occurrence and cause some inconvenience. In the best case, it is only a car body damage that can be repaired. However, what is a more or less quickly procedure with newer cars, as the manufacturers can deliver all the necessary spare parts relatively quickly, can become a game of patience with classic cars. Accordingly, it is annoying if you come to a rough halt with your beloved classic car and have forms of another vehicle or other objects unsightly immortalized in your own sheet metal. This also happened to the owner of a Jaguar E-Type Series 3 with the 5.3-liter V12 engine under the long hood.

His car was built in 1972 and has a famous name in the ‘first ownership’ column of the car’s papers. Kevin Keegan, who played under the nickname ‘Mighty Mouse’ as a striker for FC Liverpool, Hamburger SV (championship title in the 1978/79 season) and the English national team. He also tried his hand as a singer with the pop band Smokie. He later coached the English national team and the Manchester City team, took a break between 2005 and 2008 and then trained Newcastle United for around nine months. Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the OBE (Order of the British Empire).

Due to an unfortunate accident, the left side of his former Jaguar E-Type looked a bit like modern art. Mostly affected were the bonnet, the side sill and the door. In order to restore the car to the best possible condition, the current owner turned to E-Type UK, a specialist company in Hadlow, southeast of London. A closer look at the damage fortunately revealed that there was no damage to the chassis. However, further previous accidental damage was discovered after the paint was stripped, which had been repaired badly in the past. For this reason, the car got a new outer sill not only on the left but also on the right side. In addition the car got new side parts for the bonnet and a new left door. After all gap dimensions were adjusted, the car went into the paint booth to be repainted in the original ‘Willow Green’ color after a coat of primer.

Afterwards the interior got new seat covers in ‘biscuit’. The new soft top is also finished in matching color. All bodywork parts got fresh chrome. In addition there were typical number plates with black background, matching exterior mirrors, a new set of the original steel rims and a stainless steel exhaust system. As a final detail, the mechanics of E-Type UK added a 14-inch Moto-Lita sports steering wheel with wooden rim at the request of the vehicle owner. Now this Jaguar E-Type S3 V12 Roadster is again in top condition and ready for new rides. Hopefully without crashing again.

Images: E-Type UK