Jaguar E-Type S1 4.2 Roadster

The world looked on open mouthed as William Lyons unveiled his new E-Type Jaguar at the 1961 Geneva show. He must have had an inkling that he had created something quite special, but the rapturous reception that the car received surpassed all expectations (and has probably never been equalled since). It was not just the looks that made everyone sit up though. Autocar and Motor tested an early E-Type at 149mph – a truly extraordinary achievement for a road car in 1961. 

The first cars used the 3.8 litre engine from the XK 150S in a new chassis which carried torsion bar front suspension with an independent coil set up at the rear. It was also one of the first cars to use discs brakes all round which was entirely necessary given its remarkable performance. The Series 1 was upgraded to 4.2 litres in 1964, with the same quoted power output of 265bhp but somewhat more torque and an all-synchromesh gearbox. It was replaced by the slightly less stylish Series 2 in 1969.

This particular left-hand drive Series 1 4.2 Roadster was first registered in America in March 1965 and has always been Opalescent Grey as the accompanying Heritage Certificate confirms. The vendor has managed to trace the car back to Connecticut in the USA where the previous owner bought the car as a restoration project in 1978.

The car was stripped to bare metal with any defects or rust being replaced with new metalwork and panels. He then set about rebuilding the engine and added many high performance parts including uprated valves and pistons and an unleaded head. The engine was fully polished and balanced at a cost of £7000. This restoration unfortunately ground to a halt as the then owner married and had children.

Restoration resumed in 1990 with all suspect parts either being replaced or refurbished and with no expense spared. Some 500 hours, $40,000 and twenty years on, the owner regrettably decided that the car should be sold to someone who had the time and funds to complete the project. With all of the hard work accomplished, the car was shipped to its new UK owner in 2010 where the car was 95% completed by an avid Jaguar enthusiast.

Health problems then intervened and the car next passed to a Jaguar specialist who carried out a thorough shakedown and inspection (in excess of 100 hours) and finally completed this 30 year restoration. The red leather interior has been fully retrimmed and a new mohair hood fitted by renowned trimmers BAS at a cost of some £4,500.

The car is now said to be in superb condition throughout and has recently earned £2,000 in appearance fees from photo and TV shoots. With an MOT until September 2012, this wonderful and sensibly uprated sports car, in perhaps the best colour combination, is now ready for a new owner to enjoy and could easily be converted to right-hand drive if desired.