How I got my Jaguar E-type
Silver Streak
Sometime in 1994 the Swedish public service tv screened the 1976 movie Silver Streak (Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, Jill Clayburgh) in which Richard Pryor’s and Gene Wilder’s characters have the good taste to choose a red (maroon) e-type series II (2+2) when steeling a car. I was struck by the beauty of the car and the plot of the movie faded beyond importance in comparison. Also, in the end of the movie Richard Pryor’s character is asked by the feds if they can take him anywhere. To which he replies, "Well, I left my Jag in Kansas City.” This line sealed the deal – I had found my dream car, or perhaps it was the other way around…
At the time, still in school, living with my parents, I needless to say could not foresee an e-type being mine in anything but a remote future. Neither did I spend my days looking for e-types in my neighbour hood or reading books on the models, engine, and so forth. I reasoned it would be too sad to become so involved and not having a Jag of my own. Thus I waited…
The Daimler Sovereign
Unexpectedly, just a few weeks before Christmas 2003, my parents bought a dark blue Daimler Sovereign (1989)! Although the design is quite different from the e-type they are still unmistakably related. At this time the old e-type dream emerged anew in my head but as before it would have to remain a dream for some years still. However, I borrowed the Daimler on many occasions and savoured the Jaguar feeling.
The Awakening
In late spring 2006 I had finally reached a stage in my life where buying (and owning!) an e-type might actually be possible. In a way this was not only pleasant. Before, the e-type was something unobtainable which was very nice to dream about, now I had to scrutinize my dream to see if I actually felt it would be worth the price, the time, the risks and the hardships.
The Process
So, to be able to decide on anything, I needed more information. Now, as opposed to 1994, I could benefit from the more developed internet and the abundance of information available. I read page after page on e-types, enthusiast home-pages, forums, pages on maintenance, and more. I also began to observe the ads, looking for possible e-types to buy and find out the going prices. I decided I was to realize my dream after all!
In late august one advert caught my attention, a series 1.5 (2+2), green exterior with chestnut tan interior, was for sale – in New York. From the online pictures it looked fabulous and the asking price was in the upper regions according to the different online charts. The price seemed fair, as long as the description was accurate, but how could I tell? I contacted the seller with the first of many e-mails with questions and for every answer I felt more and more convinced that this was in fact my e-type we were talking about, not his. These are two pictures taken during this period:
Still, I had to have a first hand opinion and there was no way for me to travel to NY at this time. I have friends in NY and they gladly offered to help me out by accompanying the seller to an independent inspector and this appeared the best solution until I accidentally came across Mikael.
Mikael travels to the US every year in the end of September to visit the annual Hershey fall meet in Carlisle/Hershey Pensylvania to look for cars on behalf of interested buyers in Scandinavia. This was almost too good to be true – could he possibly swing buy NY to inspect my car? As it turned out Mikael was going by route of New York anyway and could easily inspect my Jag on the way back, 1st of October.
On the 2nd of October I got of the phone with Mikael in New York and had a full hand-written page before me with comments on the car, only minor faults. Before this I had also been in contact with Kent – The E-type expert in the Swedish Jaguar Club which I joined two weeks earlier – and now I could compare Mikael’s report with his checklist on critical areas. Everything was looking just good.
In the afternoon I called the seller and told him there were some issues I would like to go over and once he had clarified a few things I told him I was willing to buy the car, and we begun to discuss the price. In the end we settled for a price slightly below the asking price and I got of the phone as a new man – for the first time a Jaguar owner!
The Transport
Even under the best circumstances it takes some time to transport a car from New York to Gothenburg. I decided to do everything I could to minimize the time, not only to shorten the horribly long wait, but for every day winter was coming closer and closer. I had already contacted a transport company in Gothenburg, specializing in transport from the US to Gothenburg (and other ports) and now I called them up to make a formal order. The next step was then to get the car to the port in NY, which the seller had agreed on doing. On Columbus day, 9th of October, he delivered the Jag to the port and I at the same time released the funds from our third party escrow company as he signed the title over to me. Now it was officially mine, but still in New York. As he dropped it of he also took these pictures and sent me.
The Garage
So far I had decided that a garage was something to consider once I had a Jaguar, and not the other way around. Now suddenly I was in a hurry to find a good place for my e-type to rest during the winter and relax in the summers. It turned out to be a bit more difficult than I had first thought. My apartment in Johanneberg, (central part of Gothenburg) unfortunately did not include a garage and it appeared to be 100 cars to every garage space in the neighbour hood. The waiting lists were long. Then, as usual in these cases, I got three alternatives at more or less the same time. Either I was lucky or the word “Jaguar” unlocks special garage doors. In the end I found a place in a garage not more than five minutes walk from my apartment, in an extra secure sub-level with residents of the same magnitude. Just to be sure this was a good place for my Jag, I wanted to inspect the garage first hand. Early one Tuesday morning, when the rain was pouring down like there was no tomorrow, my fiancée and I visited the place. I emerged feeling content that this was indeed a good place for my car.
The Waiting
The following days of gruesome waiting I performed many small tasks and paper exercise needed for imports from the US to Sweden, quite a project in it self. I also found out what regulations that applies for a 1967 e-type (which is not much beyond what it was produced with in the first place). It was however required that I at least indicate the proper km / h speeds on the speedometer as it came with mp/h. Naturally I couldn’t imagine a number of post-it’s or something even more crude so I followed the tip from Kent and after some searching got my hands on a real-looking sticker to mount inside the glass.
As the days passed and the weather gradually changed I often logged on to the tracker website provided by the shipping company. The ETA did not change, but was set to 6th of November, if I was lucky it would still be above freezing and no snow. On the other hand, who could tell for sure? What if the ship got delayed? How many days would it take to unload and clear customs? And why, why did I have to go to Finland on business that same week?
The Pick-up
So, finally Friday 10th of November I left the office at lunch to first get a one-day traffic insurance (which is required in Sweden) and then to pick up the Jag in the port. A colleague helpfully offered to give me a ride and soon I was there. When we got there my Jag stood parked outside with a battery charger plugged in. After some minutes of private time with the car I looked for the shipping people and soon we stood around the car, the engine running nicely, admiring this detail and that. Then I thought I'd better check the gas level and as it was almost beyond the Empty I decided to leave while I could. What a feeling it was to drive my own Jag for the first time!
To my surprise the NY Customs had removed the NY plates on the car. I had planned to keep them on as in Sweden you’re allowed to drive with foreign plates for a week. As I still had not received my Swedish plates I saw no other alternative than driving without plates al together. Two minutes after leaving the port I met a Police car although they only smiled and gave me a friendly wave so I could relax. Needless to say I tried to find the shortest route from the port to my garage, although I must have been too exited by my new friend to find the way. As it turned out I visited both my parents and my sister and picked up my fiancée before I finally got the Jag parked and properly tucked in in the garage.