・Matching-numbers example
・Recently restored
・Beautiful interior and fabulous bodywork
・Excellent runner, ready for adventure

When it comes to British icons, few are as desirable and as indelibly marked upon the annals of posterity as the Jaguar E-Type. Whether it’s the simplicity of the early 3.8s or the muscle of the later V12s, the elegance of the roadster or the GT creds of the coupe, there’s an E-Type on pretty much everybody’s wish-list.
The legendary model was revolutionary for two key reasons. Firstly, it was relatively inexpensive for a sports car – at launch in 1961 it cost £2,160, whereas its rivals at Aston Martin were selling for double that. Secondly, it looked simply astonishing. Enzo Ferrari famously called it ‘the most beautiful car ever made,’ and he should know a thing or two. With these key attributes in its favour, status as an icon was assured.

The E-Type’s genesis lay in the successful D-Type racer, with its monocoque chassis and disc brakes, and the D-Type based E1A and E2A prototypes informed the production E-Type. The model history in a nutshell runs like this: the Series 1, built from 1961-64, had a 3.8-litre straight-six and was available as a two-seater roadster or coupe; the 4.2-litre engine was offered from 1964-68, while the tricky Moss gearbox was replaced with a more amenable all-synchro unit. A 2+2 four-seater was offered from 1966, and 1968’s ‘Series 1.5’ soft-launched a few changes before the full-blown Series 2 came in for 1969 – higher bumpers, relocated headlights, splayed exhausts and a wider mouth are all S2 telltales. And finally there’s the version we have here – the Series 3, produced from 1971-74. This had a hedonistic 5.3-litre V12, along with revised suspension and braking, and represented a wonderful swansong for the ever-desirable classic.

A colourful life is something every E-Type deserves, and the thick history file here keenly demonstrates what a lot of fun this venerable Jaguar has been over the years. The Heritage certificate is present, which tells us that the car was manufactured on June 9th 1973, and supplied by Ernest W Hatfield of Sheffield, Yorkshire on June 26th. It was originally finished in Heather paint with Antelope trim; the car has recently been restored, and the full repaint in red suits the sumptuous body lines extremely well. It’s also clear from the paperwork that this car has been cherished and pampered, with a great deal of time and expenditure invested in ensuring that this is a truly attractive and thoroughly usable example.

The Jaguar comes with a sizeable file of documentation, including the aforementioned Heritage certificate along with the correct V5. This is a matching-numbers car, and all of the servicing and maintenance has been carefully documented – the file even includes detailed handwritten servicing invoices from the 1980s. We can see receipts for re-chroming work to the tune of £3,600 in 2016, a new Mota-Lita steering wheel and a brake master cylinder around the same time. New mats from Aldridge Trimming arrived in 2008 (there are various samples on file), and the Surrey Jag Centre carried out some bodywork repairs to the rear along with a partial repaint. Both sills were replaced in 2006, as were the shocks and springs, and over £5,000 was spent on an engine overhaul and assorted other works. There’s a lot of history covered in this file, and it’s clear that the money has been spent in the right places.

The interior of an E-Type is an evocative place to be, and the fun part is that it has an entirely different character depending on whether you’ve got the roof up or down. With the roof raised, you’re hunkered down inside, cocooned in simple elegance and ready to power across continents; lower the hood and suddenly life becomes light and airy, with endless reserves of fresh air to artfully rearrange your hair.

The interior of this E-Type is in very good condition indeed; the seats are as supportive as they should be and tilt forward correctly to allow access to the rear storage. The leather is good with no rips, holes or excessive wear, just a gentle patina that wholly befits its age. The carpets and overmats are in good condition, and so are the door cards. The dash-top is free from cracks, and the dash is tidy – the gauges and switchgear are all present and correct and appear to be fully functional. The Mota-Lita steering wheel is a period-appropriate touch, and the only modern addition is a Pioneer CD head unit.

Inside the boot it’s dry and clean, with a decent carpet. Underneath the boot floor we find a correct spare wire wheel, along with the mallet for the knock-off spinners.

The fresh red paint suits the E-Type superbly, and it’s all in lovely condition here with no scuffs, scratches, chips or marks. The brightwork has been re-chromed and gleams very pleasingly, and the car is fitted with a set of wire wheels in excellent condition, with Cooper whitewall radial tyres. All of the correct trim and badges are in place, the light lenses are all in good condition, and so is the windscreen. The roof is excellent, with no rips or leaks and no milkiness to the windowpane; it raises, secures and lowers as it should. Panel fit is good throughout, and we see no evidence of corrosion to the exterior. It’s a very well presented and extremely tidy E-Type.

There are few driving experiences more pleasing than cruising around London in a V12 Jag, and this E-Type is very happy to oblige. Starting from cold (very cold in fact, it had previously been snowing), it fired up without issue and settled into a steady idle, the gauges swiftly registering the correct pressures and temperatures. The engine pulls strongly and feels like it’s nicely in balance without any histrionics from the carbs, and the automatic transmission shifts smoothly. This car is equipped with the optional factory power-steering, which is working well.

The brakes are reassuringly strong and pull the car up in a straight line, while the suspension feels planted and allows the Jag to handle with the trademark E-Type smoothness without any untoward noises or misbehaviour. The history file shows how fastidiously the Jaguar has been maintained, and that’s all in evidence here: a truly lovely thing to drive.

Driving a V12 E-Type is a thoroughly evocative and multi-sensory endeavour. The pleasantly trimmed cabin is so cocooning, and that 5.3-litre engine just has so much heart. And of course the principal lure of the sylph-like Jag is the way it looks – slinky and curvaceous, it’s arguably at its very best in a vivid shade of lipstick red. And when you find an example that’s beautifully finished and champing at the bit to be enjoyed, how can you possibly resist? The body looks glorious, the interior is an extremely joyful place to be, the mechanicals are all in fine fettle – if you’ve ever dreamed of owning a V12 E-Type, this could well be the car with which those dreams come true.