1989 Jaguar Xj6 Base Sedan 4-door 3.6l on 2040-cars

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Jaguar re-releases the toolkit the E-Type came with when it was new

Finding a complete, original toolkit is a rare treat for vintage car collectors. Jaguar's Classic division has its finger on the hobby's pulse, so it launched a reproduction of the toolkit placed in every new E-Type between 1961 and 1971. It lets owners put the final, factory-correct touch on their restoration. The British firm rummaged through its archives to find the toolkit's engineering records in order to make it to the exact same specifications as the original. The list of tools included in the bundle includes pliers, a three-piece screwdriver, a screwdriver used to adjust the ignition points, a feeler gauge, a grease gun, a valve timing gun, and an assortment of wrenches. They're all Jaguar-branded, and they come in a leatherette pouch that's just like the one buyers got when they purchased a new E-Type. It fits neatly in a corner of the E's trunk; the only thing missing is a rag to wipe your hands with when you're done wrenching. Jaguar doesn't offer one -- yet. Jaguar noted that only Series I and Series II variants of the E-Type came with the toolkit, and it went out of production nearly 50 years ago. This is a classic British car we're talking about, so you can safely bet the cost of a full, in-house restoration that the tools saw plenty of use. They inevitably ended up in mix-and-match toolboxes over the years. Sourcing a complete kit in good condition is consequently difficult, and expensive; some trade hands for nearly $6,500. Available online from Jaguar - Land Rover's classic shop, the reproduction is priced at 732 British pounds (about $950), so it's a bargain in comparison. Still, we wouldn't blame owners who decide to keep the toolkit for decorative purposes, and use much cheaper tools when wrenching gets serious.

More than 30 vintage Jaguars found, forgotten for decades in a greenhouse

A long, long time ago, some unnamed person realized that storing motorized precious metals in a barn would eventually be passe. This visionary hoarder decided, instead, to collect an assemblage of more than 30 vintage Jaguars in a greenhouse in Beaulieu, England. To passers-by, it would look like someone was tending a crop of blue tarps. To us, thanks to Beaulieu Garage, it looks not like a barn find but rather the first "greenhouse find." The classic car restoration shop wrote in a Facebook post, "we were asked to help clear a private collection of cars," and when Beaulieu Garage saw the array, "An offer was made," and now it has a whole lot of rusted metal looking for good homes. It took a week to get everything out, and the shop said the "parts alone have taken up 12 storage racks, with engines and gearboxes included." While a barn isn't the best place to park a car for decades, a greenhouse is arguably worse. The glass house is a combination of maximum UV levels and rain forest humidity, the ambient moisture free to rust and rot everything the sun can't kill. And early Jaguars aren't known for robust defenses against the elements. Most of the cars are E-Types, many of those the early and more elegant 1960s models. Among the trove are some cars that "you could probably get running in a couple of days," but the photos show there are plenty of long-term projects that rate effort comparable to The Pacific Campaign. Incredibly, Beaulieu Garage is confident that "All will see the road again," assuming the worst problem children can find empathetic buyers. The first salable car has been listed, a left-hand drive, 1960 XK150 3.8-Liter Drophead Coupe with matching numbers that was originally sent to New York. This is said to be the last XK150 the factory painted a cream color, and the fourth-last XK150 ever built. Scraps of the red leather interior remain, the sand colored top looks to be in the same condition. After eight years in the greenhouse, Beaulieu Garage charmingly describes the XK's previous digs as "Dry Stored in the UK." The convertible comes with a heritage certificate, and will cost GBP40,000 ($52,654 U.S.) to trailer home. A Facebook post from today says the shop will get parts lists and pricing up shortly, so stay tuned if you have a lot of time and money you need to find occupations for.

Jay Leno gets reacquainted with the Bertone Pirana

Jay Leno gets all manner of vehicles stopping by his garage – some more rare than others, but this one is an entirely unique creation unearthed from another time. It's the Pirana, a one-off commissioned by a British newspaper in the late Sixties that we actually found listed on eBay a few years back. It was built atop a Jaguar E-Type, but with custom bodywork designed by Marcello Gandini and crafted by Bertone. The result looks like a Maserati Ghibli or Lamborghini Espada of the same era, but actually came out just before either, previewing the Italian exotics that would follow from Gandini's pen and Bertone's carrozzeria. The Pirana is now undergoing a complete restoration to bring it back to the original condition in which it appeared at the 1967 London Motor Show, but before the process is complete, Leno shows us around and takes it out on the open road to relive memories of a relic from a bygone era.