Rare 1962 Jaguar E-Type Barn Find Spent 46 Years in Storage, Will Get Restored

Sure, you won't find all that many Jags in junkyards across the U.S., but some have been forgotten in barns for decades. This 1962 example here, for instance, spent a whopping 46 years in storage while waiting to be restored. Come 2022 and this rare Jag found a new owner that will put it back together and on public roads again.

An important discovery according to Richard Michael Owen, this 1962 E-Type is one of only 500 early coupes fitted with welded-in hood louvers and a flat floor. According to its new owner, it's the 307th E-Type built from this early series.

On top of that, it's an all-original, fully numbers-matching classic, including engine. The long list of date-coded components also includes the starter, generator, distributor, hydraulic master cylinder, and wiper motor. How cool is that?

So what's the story of this Jag and why did it spend so much time in storage? Purchased in 1968 from Montreal, Canada, it ended up on the west coast of British Columbia. It was disassembled for restoration, but the process that started back in 1976 was never completed.

As it stands, this 1962 E-Type won't hit the road anytime soon. But the current owner pledged to finish the engine rebuild and reunite it with the car. It remains to be seen if the E-Type will be returned to its original black paint, but I'm fine with British Racing Green as long as it hits the road again. But of course, a restoration to factory specifications would significantly increase the car's value.

The Series 1 E-Type was built from 1961 to 1968. Originally introduced with a 3.8-liter inline-six, the sports car got a larger 4.2-liter mill in 1964. A Series 2 version without glass headlamps covers was launched in 1968 and remained in production until 1971.

The final Series 3 update debuted in 1971 with a significant change under the hood. Jaguar replaced the 4.2-liter inline-six with a 5.3-liter V12 engine. The E-Type was discontinued in 1974.