Description
The Millbrook Sale | Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire
Viewing: Tues 2nd December from 12pm
Auction: Wed 3rd December from 9am
Location: Millbrook Proving Ground, Station Lane, Bedford MK45 2JH
1964 Jaguar E-Type 3. 8 Coupé
Highly original garage find example with just two private owners
Estimate
£20, 000 - £30, 000
Registration No: LKE 559B
Chassis No: 861673
MOT: Exempt
1 of just 1, 799 RHD 3. 8 Fixed Head Coupés manufactured
In the ownership of just two families from new, 1964-2008 and 2008-present
Garage-find example, having been in the vendor's garage since 2008, and previous dry storage from c. 1990
Notably original and reputed to have never been apart – a very special restoration opportunity
Understood to be matching numbers throughout
Launched on 15th March, 1961, at the Parc des Eaux Vives during the Geneva Motor Show, the new Jaguar E-Type was nothing short of a revelation. Having been driven there flat-out by ex-racer and Jaguar PR man Bob Berry, he arrived in ‘9600 HP’ with 20 minutes to spare, much to the consternation of Sir William Lyons. Test drives proved so popular that the services of Norman Dewis were called upon to rush over from the factory with an additional roadster to ease the load. He completed the journey in just 11 hours, averaging some 68 mph. Thus, with its heady blend of supercar performance, breathtaking styling and low price tag, the newcomer left rivals reeling and customers clamouring. The launch was a total success and the canny Sir William had even managed to have the event paid for by the Society Of Motor Manufacturers & Traders! Some 500 orders were taken – double the number Jaguar thought total production might amount to in just one week.
Early sports car racing successes in the hands of Graham Hill and Roy Salvadori, plus the Briggs Cunningham-Roy Salvadori drive to fourth overall in the 1962 Le Mans 24 Hours, helped cement its reputation. Built as a monocoque with a front subframe to cradle the engine, the model's combination of all-round independent suspension (torsion-bar at the front and a coil-sprung rear) rack-and-pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes gave it excellent roadholding and handling capabilities. Fed by triple SU HD8 carburettors and topped with a "straight port" DOHC cylinder head, its indomitable 3, 781cc straight-six engine was quoted as developing some 265bhp and 260lb ft of torque. Allied with a four-speed Moss gearbox (with synchromesh on second, third and fourth), it reputedly enabled the E-Type to sprint from 0-60mph in 6. 9 seconds and on to 150mph. Achingly beautiful yet capable of being viciously quick on the open road or docile around town, the E-type remains for many the greatest ever production Jaguar.
Series I Coupés rank among the most desirable of all E-Types and many enthusiasts consider them the prettiest. In home-market right-hand drive form, they’re also very rare – just 1, 799 right-hand drive 3. 8 Coupés were built. We are pleased to offer an extremely original example, albeit one which is in need of sympathetic restoration. Originally carrying the attractive registration ‘TDY 1’ (the rear plate is still attached), it is thought to have resided from new in Leicestershire, and has remarkably been in the ownership of just two families from new. Following the first owner’s death in the mid-1980s, his widow continued to maintain the Jaguar until 1990, at which point it was placed into dry storage and did not emerge until it was sold to the vendor in 2008 viâ E-Type UK. Despite his best intentions, the new owner never found time to attend to it himself and it remained in his garage all the while, hence it is now for sale with the hope that somebody will return it to its former glory.
We are of the understanding that the E-type is complete with matching-numbers assemblies and has never even been taken apart to any significant degree. The MOT records testify that the mileage reading of 74, 698 miles is genuine, the interior looks especially original, and the factory-supplied toolkit and jack are present. As it is, it represents an excellent restoration opportunity which would be ideal for an experienced amateur or even an enthusiastic first-timer. It will obviously require both mechanical and bodywork repairs, but the interior appears so well-preserved that the philosophy of conservation over restoration may perhaps be favoured. Paperwork includes the current V5C and several MOT certificates and maintenance invoices up to 1990.
** Bidding will take place live at the venue, online via our H&H website, by telephone and commission - T&Cs apply**
Parking and entry into the auction is free for auction attendees with a catalogue, available at the door.
Catalogues can be purchased for £20 (admits 2 people).
