History – Good as New

With just 12,400 miles showing, this 1973 E-Type Series 3 Open Two-Seater survives today in a simply extraordinary state of originality. From its Pale Primrose Yellow paintwork to the mohair hood, tyres, and black vinyl seats, the car remains remarkably close to how it left the Browns Lane assembly line almost 52 years ago.

Originally finished in Pale Primrose with a contrasting black interior, chassis 1S1889 was completed on 9 June 1973 and dispatched to Fletchers of Swansea just 18 days later. Registered TWN 824M on 30 August, it was collected by its first owner, David Fodgen of Bath, shortly afterwards. In his four years of ownership he covered around 10,000 miles, before advertising the car for sale in The Sunday Times on 31 July 1977 for £5,450.

That two-line advert—easy to miss—caught the eye of Brian Dignan of Cheshire, who was actively searching for a Series 3. Surviving pen marks on the original classified page still show the moment the yellow Jaguar captured his attention. Fodgen’s handwritten receipt confirms Dignan acquired the car on 17 August 1977 for £4,800, and immediately re-registered it with his cherished plate, KBU 1, which remained on the car for the next four and a half decades.

Even early on, Brian viewed the E-Type as an investment, using what he fondly called “battered old heaps” for everyday driving. Paper MOT records reveal how sparingly he used it: by May 1981, the odometer had increased only to 10,986 miles, rising by a mere 500 the following year. Nevertheless, he cared for it diligently. In the early 1980s he commissioned Hollingdrake, Stockport’s Jaguar main agent, to apply Ziebart rust protection—a decision that played a crucial role in preserving its structure and originality.

Among the apprentices at Hollingdrake at the time was Mark, who fell in love with the car as a teenager. “It ticked every box,” he recalls. “The colour, the convertible body, the V12—I always wanted it.” His chance finally came in 2017 after Dignan’s passing. Having long joked with Brian’s son that he would “have it” when Brian let it go, he unexpectedly received the call a few weeks later while the family were settling his affairs.

From the bonnet’s hidden recesses to the headlamp surrounds, the metal remained clean, crisp, and rust-free. Even so, with a collection of other cars, Mark added little mileage of his own.

In early 2023, honouring a promise to support his daughter through flight school, Mark made the difficult decision to sell the E-Type—though the cherished plate was retained. Now registered XGY 954M, it was purchased by Ruth Blair, who was drawn to the car’s astonishing originality. “I wasn’t looking for a project,” she explains. “I wanted something pristine—and this was it.”

When Ruth contacted Jaguar World Magazine in early 2024 after seeing a feature on another Primrose Yellow E-Type, the editor was sceptical—as he’d heard similar claims many times before. But once he learned of this car’s extraordinary mileage and history, he travelled over 325 miles to see it for himself.

Even from the garage doorway, the car’s original cellulose paint was unmistakable- its soft, creamy richness a quality modern acrylic resprays cannot replicate. Closer inspection revealed no noticeable marks or blemishes, perfectly fitting original chrome, and even the Dunlop SP Sport tyres it left the factory with (soon to be replaced by Ruth for safety).

Ruth is no stranger to the model; she learned to drive in a Series 3. “My brother said nearly everyone crashes soon after passing their test because they go from a tiny engine to something more powerful. His solution? ‘I’ll teach you in an E-Type.’ When I heard this one fire up, it took me straight back.”

Jaguar World  have covered other low-mileage Series 3’s, but none have retained their original mohair hood. Opening the door, the car even retains a hint of that unmistakable “new-car smell”- vinyl, glue, and plastic-transporting you to 1973 the moment you sit down. The Smiths speedometer still reads 12,367 miles, only 35 of which have been added since Ruth purchased it. Averaged out, the car has covered just 242 miles per year since new; yet subtract the 10,000 miles added by the first owner, and from 1977 onward its average falls to a scarcely believable 51 miles per year.

Under that long, elegant bonnet, the magnificent V12 is immaculately clean, still wearing its original factory stickers: firing order, oil viscosity, and other details normally lost through heat, age, or restoration. Traces of Dignan’s four-decade-old Ziebart treatment remain in protected crevices. Accompanying the car is a treasure trove of original documentation: the handbook, factory wiring diagram, guarantees, two sets of original keys, an original dealer keyring, receipts from each owner, and even the newspaper featuring the advert that first caught Brian’s eye.

Ruth smiles as she reflects on the car’s past. “Brian clearly had a passion for it, didn’t he?”

But perhaps the most remarkable aspect is not just how beautifully preserved this E-Type is - it’s how usable it remains. Despite averaging only 242 miles per year since new, and just 51 miles per year since 1977, it is clearly capable of covering many more. Far from a museum piece, this is a fully functioning, mechanically refreshed example, ready to be enjoyed exactly as Jaguar intended.