Jaguar E-Type S3 V12 Coupe

Launched in 1971, the Series 3 V12 was the last and most luxurious of the E-Type range with a wider track, longer wheelbase, bigger tyres, revised suspension and a more spacious cockpit. Much better proportioned than the earlier 2+2 E-Types, it had a beautifully muscular form and was easily a match for anything that the Italians had to offer and is still surprisingly undervalued by comparison.

Weighing just a few pounds more than the smaller XK 4.2 engine it replaced, the alloy blocked 5.3-litre V12 produced only slightly more power (272 instead of 265bhp) but vastly more torque (349 instead of 283lb/ft). This results in a quite different driving experience: gone is the XK snarl, replaced by quiet thunder and a sense of huge momentum in place of raw acceleration. Despite its size and complexity, the V12 has also got an enviable reputation for unburstable reliability. In manual form, the 0 - 60mph benchmark is dispatched in just 6.3 seconds and 145mph is only a squeeze of the right foot away – even today, it is hard to imagine a more desirable car in which to cross a continent.

As its accompanying Heritage Certificate confirms, this particular V12 Coupe Automatic was manufactured in December 1971 and was first registered in July 1972. It is not clear who owned the car for the first four years of its life but there is some suggestion in the history file that it may have been well known 1970s glamour model, Fiona Richmond (hence the FCR number plate).

While this cannot be substantiated, what is clear is that it has had just five owners since 1976, the first owning it for eight years, the second (a dealer) for three months and the third for six years. The fourth kept the car for 12 years but as he lived in Japan the car was kept in storage for most of this time, getting only light use when he returned to England for his holidays, although it was MOTd every year. In 2001 he sold it to the current registered keeper, the owner of the storage facility where it had been kept, and he also used it only very sparingly.

The car remains in outstandingly original condition throughout and the current indicated mileage of 36,120 is believed to be genuine although there is insufficient history to warrant this. The general condition of the car appears to bear out the low mileage as do various letters, bills and old MOTs on file which show that it has only covered some 7,000 miles since 1985 when it had a new torque converter fitted. The underside of the car is as good as the top side with no evidence of any previous welding. 

The car certainly performed beautifully when we were treated to a lengthy test drive on the occasion of our visit to take these photographs, driving as you would expect from such a low indicated mileage. It was treated to a major service less than 500 miles ago which cost some £2,880. It comes with a large history file, the original owner’s handbook and wallet and is currently MOTd until October 2011. Altogether a most well-preserved and unmolested car that would be a worthy addition to any collection.