Howdy All
There are several search listings for books of course, however I didn’t find a topic book list for beginning E-Type enthusiasts.
Do you have a book title or author you would recommend for the person who is just entering the passion/obsession?
Please list them in your order of preference. You will certainly help us who are just starting out on this Jag adventure.
Thanks much.
I would think “E-type Jaguar DIY Restoration & Maintenance” by Chris Rooke is a good start.
The Bentley service manual (or the original Jaguar manuals these are reprints of) are a must have even if you don’t plan to do any work on the car - it has copies of the owner’s manual so you can figure out how things work.
The Jaguar parts catalogue is very useful to locate pieces and bits if you’re fixing and replacing things yourself.
To keep your imagination fueled with an understanding of what it was like to own and drive an E-type in its heyday, I can’t recommend “Jaguar E-type 3.8 & 4.2 6-Cylinder; 5.3 V12” by Denis Jenkinson, enough. The title makes it sound like a dry history - it does have a number of useful historical facts, but it’s really a recollection of Jenkinson’s experiences owning a Series I and II E-type.
He drove them throughout Europe in period, so he used them and experienced them the way an owner (and a talented automotive writer) would experience them, not from the perspective of a later-day collector or concours maven. It really transmits (to me for sure) a vigorous image of what it was like to use these cars back in the 60’s.
Dave
“Jaguar E Type The Essential Buyer’s Guide” by Peter Crespin. It made all the difference in my year- long search for the right car.
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If you are familiar with other British cars, that helps as the overall vocabulary carries through to the Jaguars. If this is your first British car… I would suggest joining a British car club in your area, and build a general-topic library. There are books available that cover Lucas electrics, SU carbs, upholstery, maintenance schedules and practices.
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Outside of the maintenance and parts manuals. I’ve found the following quite useful for maintaining and/or appreciating the car, besides just being generally interesting.
Jaguar E-Type, The Definitive History, Phillip Porter
Jaguar Six Cylinder Originality Guide, Thomas Haddock and Michael Mueller
Jaguar E-Type, Matthew Stone
Jaguar E-Type 6 & 12 cylinder Restoration Guide, Thomas Haddock
Jaguar Chris Harvey. Part of the Great Marques series of books
Jaguar, The Enduring Legend, Nicky Wright
Jaguar, Paul Skilleter
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I agree with Dave about Dennis Jenkinson’s book. I read it every few years to remind me what the E was built to do.
I found this Chris Harvey book to be helpful when I was shopping and getting started especially the parts about common problems and strengths and weaknesses. Look at the photo of the back cover in this e-bay ad to see what it covers. You can get them for not much $$. Several for less than $5 on e-bay today.
David
68 E-type FHC
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Thanks for the pics. Makes a thread more “colorful”.
Also thanks to all who have posted. Better get cracking on Amazon.
I’m surprised no one mentioned Clausager’s book. I’m just a newbie too, but I found it interesting and particularly helpful in understanding the running changes that were made during production.
I also appreciate the suggestions and will be looking into some of those mentioned.
Yep - that clearly explained all my mistakes.
One of them being buying the book after I bought the car.
… Ole
Just bought it…
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If you’re considering a Series 1, the original Haynes manual. Don’t let anyone tell you it doesn’t contain enough information. A lot of it, instructions, pictures and diagrams, is directly copied from the factory manual. Plus, I totally rebuilt my '62 Coupe, every single last nut and bolt, using just the Haynes manual and a parts list.
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Agreed. I bought a Haynes manual before I bought my ‘63. It helped me get a good feel for what all was going to be involved in getting it back on the road.
Thanks for the good suggestion. Mine will be a Series 1.5 but I’m sure it will be useful.
Clive, I did exactly the same thing with only a Haynes!
Speaking of Haynes, I just saw this morning that John Haynes died last week. Sounds like he was a pretty nice fellow. https://haynes.com/en-gb/john-harold-haynes-obe-obituary
Well, Mr Haynes gave more to me than I ever gave to him. 'twas a Haynes RX2 manual that saved me from the poor house. And a Haynes e-Type manual that I take to the garage after I have read the green official manual inside the house.
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What I have found helpful in trouble shooting old cars are simply books from the era. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Chevy or a Jaguar the basics are the same. You’re not going to get exact instructions but if you limit yourself to the books written for Jaguar you may not find the soultion to the problem, I have some books going back to the 40’s that are helpful in understanding systems like starting and braking.
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“Jaguar E Type The Essential Buyer’s Guide” by Peter Crespin was my first and I bought it before I bought my Series 2. It was a huge help in choosing my first car and in refurbishing it. I also bought and read the workshop manual before getting the car.
—Drew