Mondena and Back – 1964 Jaguar E-Type – S1 3.8 FHC

One of the last 500 – RHD -Series 1 3.8-litre cars built and a car that has been driven the way it was meant to be. The S1 3.8 short-block is the preferred engine, faster revving than the later 4.2, and the unit that gave the early E-Type its character.

A Documented Life on the Road

The previous custodian kept meticulous records of every penny spent on this car, and he spent it where it counts. The original matching-numbers engine was comprehensively rebuilt by Sigma Engineering of Dorset in 2012, itemised line by line on an £11,456 invoice that would most likely cost double to commission today and he then went and used it. Continental tours, including a pilgrimage to the Ferrari Museum at Modena. This is a Jaguar that has crossed borders under its own steam, not on the back of a trailer.

The Sigma Engineering Rebuild — June 2012

A no-shortcuts rebuild of the original engine, specified for sustained continental touring. Key work from the Sigma invoice:

• Cylinder head fully ported to fast-road specification, machined for unleaded inserts, re-cut valve seats, set up on the flow bench
• Block bored and honed +20, two new liners
• Crankshaft crack-tested, tuftrided, reground and polished
• Uprated rear main seal
• Flywheel machined, lightened and balanced — drilled and dowelled to accept a modern diaphragm clutch
• Re-conditioned damper, new timing chains and tensioner
• Gearbox rebuilt with new layshaft, gaskets and seals
• Carburettors stripped, rebuilt with new jets and needle/seat kits, fitted with a Filter King
• New uprated starter motor, new header tank, full reinforced hose kit
• Set up on the rolling road; Facet fuel pump and regulator fitted after rolling-road testing found fuel pressure inadequate

Full Sigma documentation, every itemised invoice, and the previous owner’s expenditure file are available to the next custodian.

Specified for Real-World Touring

Every choice on this car was made for the open road in modern traffic:

• D-Type style wheels with the correct expensive three-eared spinners
• Upgraded driver and passenger seats with integrated headrests for proper long-distance support

For the Next Driver

Not a trailer queen and not a museum piece. A rare, sorted, last-of-the-3.8 Series 1 with the documented mechanical integrity to be enjoyed — exactly as the previous owner enjoyed it, all the way to Modena and back.

Enquiries and test drivers welcome for an E-Type driver who enjoys the open road.