Jaguar E-Type S3 V12 Coupe

Launched in 1971, the Series 3 E-Type was a quite different animal to the cars that had gone before, being much more of a luxury Grand Tourer than an out-and-out sportscar.

Wider, heavier and much more roomy inside than previous models, it more than made up for its extra bulk with its fabulous new V12 engine. Weighing only 80lb more than the cast-iron-block 4.2-litre XK six, the new all-alloy 5.3-litre V12 produced 272bhp, an output good enough for a top speed in excess of 140mph. Further good news was that the 0-100mph time of around 16 seconds made the V12 the fastest-accelerating E-Type ever, the power being delivered with turbine-like smoothness.

Beneath the skin, ventilated front discs improved braking power and the front suspension gained anti-dive geometry. Lucas transistorised ignition and Adwest power-assisted steering were now standard as was an impressive quad exhaust that gave the car huge road presence as it rocketed past lesser machines. It remained in production until 1974 with 22,584 sold in total, just 7,990 of them Coupes and only 2,115 of these in right-hand drive.

First registered in July 1974, this original UK market Coupe comes with the desirable manual gearbox and is said to be in lovely condition all round following a recent bout of cosmetic fettling including a full respray and a thorough clean of the interior. The indicated mileage of around 62,000 is believed to be genuine and is backed up by many old MOTs and invoices in the large history file. These include bills for a body restoration and bare metal repaint in 1989 and an interior retrim in 1996.

Said to drive well with an MOT until June 2014 it certainly appears to be an unusually eye-catching example in the photographs. The engine fitted is original to the car making this a 'matching numbers' machine.