Description
Kelham Hall | Newark, Nottinghamshire
Viewing: Tues 22nd September 2026 from 12pm
Auction: Weds 23rd September 2026 12pm
Location: Kelham Hall Main Street, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG23 5QX
Registration No: VGN 32M
Chassis No: 1S2577
MOT: Exempt
Single ownership from new (albeit showing one former keeper on the V5C due to previously being registered to the gentleman’s business)
Just 33, 000 recorded miles
Boasting matching chassis and engine numbers and believed to retain all its factory panelwork
Supplied with history file including the stamped service book displaying 32 stamps
1 of just 1, 872 right-hand drive V12 Roadsters, and equipped with the all important manual gearbox
By 1971, Jaguar’s jaw-dropping E-Type had been in production for a decade. Despite continual improvements, new emissions legislation in the all-important American market threatened to strangle the big cat’s performance. Jaguar responded by giving it fresh claws in the shape of a 5, 343cc V12 developed from the stillborn XJ13 Le Mans project car. The new engine was both effortlessly powerful and eerily refined. “The turbine-like smoothness with which the engine provides a sustained shove in the back is almost uncanny, the more so when one accelerates hard in top gear without even a gear change to interrupt one’s headlong dash into the distance,” is what Autocar reckoned on July 5th, 1973. With some 272 bhp and 304lb. ft. of torque on tap, the Series III E-Type once again had 150mph in its sights. A revised wheelbase yielded better cabin space and, in conjunction with wider front and rear tracks, new anti-dive front suspension geometry and fatter tyres, gave improved roadholding. Imbued with a more muscular stance thanks to its flared wheel arches, re-profiled wings and larger grille, the model also boasted vented disc brakes and a restyled interior. Only 1, 872 right-hand drive E-Type V12 Roadsters are thought to have been made.
Finished in the rare colour of Lavender Blue and equipped with the desirable manual gearbox, this notably original and correct V12 E-type would make an excellent showpiece, having been cherished in single ownership from new. The V5C refers to one previous registered keeper, but that is only because the owner registered it in the name of his business up to 1976. The vendor, who has lately taken custody of the car, has been extremely impressed by its state of preservation, observing, “The body appears to be exceptionally original and, to the best of my knowledge, retains its original factory panels, including the sills. I have found no evidence to suggest that any of the panels have been replaced. The panel fit and alignment are very much in keeping with the factory fit, further supporting the impression of a remarkably original and unmolested body.”
The E-Type shows a mileage of 33, 000, which is believed to be the genuine reading from new, and exhibits matching chassis and engine numbers. It has evidently been cared for extremely well across its life, with the service book displaying a total of 32 stamps. The extraordinary sense of originality is further enhanced by the set of five Dunlop SP Sport tyres, which are in accordance with factory specification, and are described by the vendor as having “nearly new tread.” The complete original tool roll is present with the “correct, factory-supplied” tools, and the original spare key is still secured to the bulkhead, in the manner in which it was supplied by the factory.
The vendor’s overall appraisal of the car is that the bodywork, paintwork and interior are “excellent” and the engine, electrics and transmission are “very good.” Such a survivor as this is worthy of a spot in some of the best Jaguar collections.
** Bidding will take place live at the venue, online via our H&H website, by telephone and commission - T&Cs apply**
Catalogues can be purchased for £20 (admits 2 people)
