Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 Roadster

When even the great Enzo Ferrari is moved to declare your rival product “the most beautiful car in the world” you know you’ve got something pretty special. And although we have now had 50 years to get used to it, there is still something so pure about the shape of the original E-Type Jaguar that its power to stop the world in its tracks remains undiminished. With a top speed of 150mph and at least as good as any contemporary Aston or Ferrari, it's only because Jaguar made so many of them that non-hedge fund managers like you and I can realistically think of owning one today – although prices have been on a steady upwards march for several years now.

The best looking and most desirable of all the E-Type variants is the Series 1 Roadster, as here. Like all the earliest cars it is fitted with the legendary 3.8-litre XK straight-six which provides a much sportier feel than the later, softer 4.2-litre engine. Quoted as developing some 265bhp and 260lb/ft of torque in standard tune, it is usually mated to a four-speed Moss gearbox with synchromesh on the top three ratios.

The interior of the earliest cars is also the most sporting and attractive of all the E-Type range with lightweight bucket seats and that wonderful aluminium cockpit trim which could have come straight from a WW2 fighter. Quite apart from their sheer beauty, these are genuinely quick cars even by today’s standards, yet remain easy to live with and maintain (unlike Italian exotica) with all parts readily available and a whole army of specialists to service them. Right-hand drive 3.8 Roadsters are also surprisingly rare, with just 943 examples made in total between March 1961 and August 1964 (chassis numbers 850001 – 850943).

This particular car is number 598 of the run and, as its accompanying Heritage Certificate confirms, it was delivered to dealer KDM & Cherrington of London W1 in October 1962 and first registered to a Mr R Hayman of Northants on 5th February 1963.

Not much is known of the subsequent history of the car but an old green log book from 1976 shows that the car was then owned by an Edward Rees of Llanelli from whom the current vendor acquired it in 1979 (in partnership with a friend in whose name it remained until early last year). When acquired the car had only some 50,000 miles on the clock which was believed genuine at the time, although there is insufficient history to verify this.

The vendor and his partner had the car restored in the early 1980s (including fitting an all-synchro gearbox) after which it was put into storage where it was to remain until about a year ago. Since then it has been fully recommissioned with all new brake pipes, new wheel bearings and a cylinder head overhaul. It is now said to drive beautifully – on the occasion of our visit to take these photos we were treated to a short test drive and can confirm that it went very well indeed with excellent ride and handling, a notably sweet and punchy engine and a very smooth and quiet gearbox. A new hood was due to be fitted by CMC of Bridgnorth shortly after we took these photos and this should be in place by the time of the sale.

Now with some 54,800 miles on the clock, the car is MOTd and taxed until June 2012 and is ready for immediate use. Altogether a really good example of Jaguar’s finest car, with matching engine and chassis numbers, at a very realistic guide price.