I had the car displayed at our annual "Cars-in-the-Park" show and it  received a lot of attention, but then, my wife's presence might have had
 something to do with it....

"My love for Jags started at a very early age.  My father used to restore cars as a hobby, not that I was much interested in his projects.  It was not until he bought a 420G that I started to take interest in what he was doing night after night in the garage.  I have never been very mechanically minded (that's why I am so dependent on advice from fellow listers), so could not have been of much assistance to him.  The 420G was a real gem, a lot of car with a lot of power.  Most of the times we only used it for towing the caravan when on holiday, so I have a lot of good memories attached to that particular car.  But the Jag I really fancied and only saw in magazines, is the E-type.

I never thought I would ever be financially in a position to own one of these wonderful cars, but about two years ago I decided its time to buy the car I always dreamed of - the E-type (any E-type!).  I scanned every available magazine for an E-type, but the ones I could find (with my limited budget) either needed a lot of attention (which I am unable to do on my own), or have already been restored and way too expensive.  About 6 months ago I took my youngest son for a stroll and saw the most beautiful Jag I have ever seen.  I immediately fell in love with it and there and then asked the owner whether he would be interested in selling the car.  Apparently he had the car for about 10 years but only drives it every now and then, and only between work and home.  He was quite surprised when I asked him as he had decided just that very day to sell the car.  I bought it there and then (no test-drive no haggling about the price), but as one of the listers so gently put it: "you don't buy a Jag, it buys you".

ready for Sunday afternoon drive	My two favourite cats
Just as good	Eat your heart out
Look me in the eyes and tell me  you don't love me	As displayed at the annual "Cars-in-the-Park" show, Pretoria, South Africa

Apparently I am the third (proud) owner of this magnificent vehicle.  Apart from being resprayed about 9 years ago and the restoring of the interior woodwork (which was done by my father just after I bought the car), it is mostly still original.  It has done about 99k miles and is still going strongly.  It has no rust at all, but in the true Jaguar tradition, have some oil leaks.  I remember taking out the wall-to-wall carpets in my garage just before I bought the car, the reason being that I want to know if the car leaks any oil so I could immediately pay attention to it.  I certainly wish I still had that carpet!
The day I drove the Jag into the garage, my wife turned towards my two sons and said: "Take a good look at your dad, you won't be seeing him for a very long time*"
Our first drive in the Jag was not without problems.  After a slow drive around town, the power steering became very heavy.  It turned out to be the pressure valve in the pump that got stuck.  After loosening and cleaning it, it started working again, although a complete overhaul would have to be done in the near future.  However, this experience helped me realise that despite the car's good looks, a 33 years old car would need more than good looks to be enjoyed fully.  So I have started with a "rolling restoration" and enjoying every minute of it.  My father helped me overhauling the carburettors, which improved the overall performance significantly.  The overdrive unit doesn't function with the steering column lever, as it should, but the first owner installed a manual patent which works fine, but which I will replace as soon as finances permit.

Toyota expansion tank, fits snugly on the bracket for the screenwasher bottle. No more antifreeze on the paving!	Overhauled master cilinders
Left side of engine	99002 miles and still going strongly. Blue colour not original, will change to original colour whenever I decide to having it overhauled.
Brakes overhauled, new ball joints fitted. Upper ones XJ40, lower ones original replacements	Me replacing the overhauled brake servo. Parts were extemely expensive
My eldest with the steering box - looks like a Lister Diesel engine.

Regards
 Riaan Hattingh
 Dr J A (Riaan) Hattingh
 Manager: Policy and Research Division
 Bank Supervision Department
 SOUTH AFRICAN RESERVE BANK