1962 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Roadster

The Jaguar E-Type has become a British automobile legend. Manufactured between 1961 and 1975, the iconic silhouette was barely changed from the initial design studies penned by Malcolm Sayer. The success of the E-Type was due in no small part to its stunning looks, remarkable performance and competitive pricing - the equivalent Ferrari of the day would have cost three times more and delivered less horsepower.

With Jaguar's racing successes in the 1950s still fresh in the memory, it's no wonder the E-Type captured the hearts and minds of a patriotic public at launch, and if all E-Types aged as gracefully as the car offered here, then it's easy to understand why that affection continues today. The Series I, as it later became known, was introduced, initially for export only, in March 1961, and UK cars began to appear in showrooms some four months later in early July. The cars were initially fitted with the triple SU carburetted 3.8-litre six-cylinder Jaguar XK6 engine from the XK150S attached to a Moss (EB) 4-speed gearbox with no synchromesh on first gear which made progress in traffic a little 'musical' until the technique was mastered. Later revisions saw a bigger engine upgrade to 4.2 litres and a driver friendly synchromesh gearbox.

According to the Jaguar Heritage Certificate, this delightful 3.8 Roadster was dispatched to its first owner, a Miss L. Williams of Shipston-on-Stour on the 24th June 1962, resplendent in Pearl Grey paint with a complementing Light Blue leather interior. Chassis number 850552 was to be just one of 943 OTS (open two-seater) cars produced in right-hand drive, and according to online sources, only some ten 1962 cars are currently licenced, with two on SORN.

983 DNX was purchased by our vendor, at the tender age of 21, for £375 on the 22nd of April 1973. He must have been a hard worker because this sum was saved entirely from his wages working as a car valeter at a Birmingham Vauxhall dealership. The car was in a sorry state and after taking some initial advice from the mechanics at the dealership where he worked, our vendor went on, over a period of seventeen years, to gently restore the car, using professionals where needed. This labour of love was completed in 1990 and the sparkling E-Type was then proudly driven to Donnington Park to take part in the E-Type 30th Anniversary Concours d"Elegance. His many years of painstaking effort were rewarded with a “Highly Commended” certificate signed by no less than Jaguar legend Frank “Lofty” England.

Our vendor was a carpenter and 983 DNX was his daily driver (with his tools stowed in the boot), however, the Moss gearbox and Birmingham traffic were not good bedfellows, so the decision was made to change it. The original box (EB5345JSO) was carefully removed and replaced with a post-1965 equivalent which had synchromesh on all four gears. The original gearbox, clearly stamped with the number, is included in the sale and, we can therefore state, with the inclusion of the original unit, that 983 DNX is a fully matching numbers car in component state, should the buyer wish to re-instate the old Moss box.

In 2013, the car was loaned to Jaguar to be driven by model and brand ambassador David Gandy in a promotional video for the launch of the Jaguar F-Type. A well-framed photo montage of the video, given as a gift by our vendor"s daughter, is included in the sale. There are also lots of photos of the 17-year restoration which was completed in 1990. Lightly used, the car has only covered 13,000 miles since then and has an MOT valid until July 2017.

The interior was re-trimmed in the correct quality Light Blue leather, which beautifully complements the glorious milled aluminium centre console, and the excellent Pearl Grey paintwork, whilst being typical of the sixties, is absolutely pin-sharp contemporary once again. Offered today in a wonderful condition, this consignor can verify that the car started on the turn of the key, and once warm, settled to a contented burble. It is reluctantly offered for sale by our vendor as he finds his advancing years and the low-slung nature of the car incompatible.

This is a very special, early E-Type with lots of history, a film career and forty-three years of memories.