1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I Roadster

Introduced in 3.8 litre form in May 1961, the Jaguar E-Type caused a major sensation when it first appeared, with classic smooth lines and great looks, not to mention a 150mph top speed! With 265bhp and a huge weight saving of over 500lbs over its immediate predecessor (the XK150), William Lyons had created one of the all time most beautiful cars ever to be produced at Browns Lane, Coventry.The first cars to be produced were Series 1 'flat floor' Roadsters, which aside from significant competition "E's' remain the most coveted examples.The car we're proud to offer here is a November 1961 car, chassis #876086, delivered new to the USA via Jaguar's New York agents in left-hand drive. It was repatriated back to the UK and to our vendor in May 1991 whereupon an enthusiastic restoration began.Some 16 years later, with many fresh nuts and bolts and countless new parts, his restoration was finally finished and our vendors new E-Type was DVLA registered in August 2007. The result? A fabulous Jaguar E-Type in first rate condition with sympathetic attention to detail and now right-hand drive. Being a qualified engineer himself he was competent with all aspects of restoration, and being a privateer owner/user he wasn't restoring to secure a profit margin, which is perhaps the reason the car emits so much charm. It may also explain why it took him some 16 years to complete!..Regrettably, being 1991 and E-Type values not being what they are today, the decision was made to drop a lower floor into the driver's foot well to make the driving experience more comfortable. Knowing what we know today, this likely would not have happened, but fear not, for it's a relatively straight-forward task to reverse were one so inclined. For our vendor, it was the satisfaction of improving an already beautiful car that excited him and sparked the engineer in him. Once the car was completed to the standard he'd imagined, being an E-Type owner isn't really for him, and for the last nine years fewer than 1,500miles have been travelled, though, the car is often started and run to temperature.There is a reasonable amount of information in the history file including invoices for most of the parts that were required for the restoration, the UK V5C, a current MoT and the Jaguar Heritage Certificate which corroborates the matching numbers.We've said it many times before, but at today's guide price this car certainly demands significant consideration...