Description
The Jaguar E-Type was ten years old and needed new life. History repeated itself and it was a huge success when Jaguar debuted its robust new engine in a sports car instead of the saloon for which it was designed. Despite its sports-car heritage, Jaguar depended on saloon vehicles for its survival and had developed its twelve-cylinder engine to power them with sufficient torque and refinement. Larger and softer in nature with weight redistributed 53/ 47, the Series III had lost the wilds of its youth but gained the long-legged touring profile, to which it was arguably better suited. Robert Bell in Motor was quoted as saying at the time that they all expected to try a new engine, but what in fact they drove was a new car. Not a yowling, aggressive Ferrari-like machine with which, perhaps, most people associate a V12 engine but a very smooth, quiet and refined grand touring sports car.
This very good, matching numbers, right hand drive, Jaguar E-Type Series III Roadster was supplied in 1972 by Henleys, Bournemouth for personal export. Then finished in light blue with blue interior and fitted with the automatic gearbox, Kilometre speedometer, steel wheels and factory hard top. The car was exported from the UK to South Africa where it remained for over twenty years. In the early 1990's it was purchased by a German collector/ dealer and shipped to Germany where it was acquired by an Englishman working in Germany for a large drinks company. In 1997 he returned to the UK and sold the E-type to the now previous owner who then had the car stripped down and had a bare metal repaint changing the colour to silver and having all new black leather interior fitted, when the car was stripped it was found to be completely rust free, and then fitted 'after-market' wire wheels. In 1999 he returned to the UK bringing the car with him and registered the car with the registration number XJB 824L. The previous owner used the car sparingly before putting the car into dry storage in 2010 were it remained until 2022 when it was purchased by the current owner. In his ownership it has been fully serviced. Recent work carried out includes replacing all the ignition system to make sure that it starts, runs and drives well. This good Series III E-Type with 86, 140 kilometres on the odometer which equates to just under (approx.. 54, 000 miles), which is believed to be correct. It is supplied with a V5 registration document, an MoT test certificate which expires in April 2025, the Heritage certificate and a file containing old V5 registration documents from after its return to the UK, old MoT certificates and some UK invoices. Included in the sale are the original steel wheels with hubcaps.
