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Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 Coupe

Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 Coupe

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Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 Coupe
Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 Coupe
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Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 Coupe
Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 Coupe
Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 CoupeJaguar E-Type S1 3.8 Coupe
Lot number 113
Hammer value £108,000
Description Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 Coupe
Registration KEC 30
Year 1962
Colour Carmen Red
Engine size 3,781 cc
Chassis No. 860617
Engine No. R2986
Documents V5C; Heritage Certificate; 30 old MOTs; handbooks; service records etc.

Even though we have now had over 50 years to get used to it, there is something so right and so perfect about the shape of the original E-Type Jaguar that its power to stop the world in its tracks has not diminished.

With a top speed of almost 150mph and at least as good as any contemporary Aston or Ferrari, it's only because Jaguar sold so many of them that mere mortals like you and I can realistically think of owning one today.

The best looking and most desirable of all the E-Type variants is the Series 1, 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, the engine on early cars was mated to a four-speed EB-type gearbox with synchromesh on the top three ratios.

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 Coupes are also surprisingly rare, with just 860 made in total between March 1961 and October 1964 (chassis numbers 860001 – 860860).

This particular car is number 617 of the run and is perhaps one of the most remarkable surviving E-Types. It has had just two owners from new and the odometer is showing only 31,300 miles which is almost certainly genuine and is backed up by a good history file extending right back to 1969. As the Heritage Certificate and numerous other documents confirm, KEC 30 was bought new by Mr RF Oxley of Ulverston, Lancashire, from dealers Windermere Engineering of Bowness in June 1962.

Director of Oxley Developments, a firm specialising in producing electronic components for the Ministry of Defence, Oxley was to keep the car right up until 2005, having it maintained by his firm’s own in-house mechanics with some 22 detailed worksheets charting jobs carried out between 1969 and 1981 (23,089 miles to 28,900 miles). Some 30 old MOTs from July 1976 to August 2014 also show the mileage gently rising from 28,069 to 31,216 during this 38-year period.

Very early in its life the car was fitted with a replacement engine (number R2986 in place of the original R5752), an email from the Jaguar Heritage Trust Archive confirming that this is an original E-Type S1 3.8 engine. Other than the early engine swap and an upgraded brake servo, the car appears to be in remarkably original condition throughout, even retaining the original number plates, Lucas PL headlamps, Britax seatbelts, Radiomobile radio, chromed steel fuel cap plus numerous other detail items normally lost or replaced over the years. Oxley was a pioneer of LED lighting and an interesting addition to the car are a pair of curious little lights fitted on either side of the bonnet which were presumably installed for test purposes.

The chassis number is still clearly stamped on the original front cross member of the ‘picture frame’ and the factory spot weld dimples above the rear number plate are still undisturbed (invariably lost on restored cars). Most unusually the car also retains its original 3-piece fitted luggage set, a rarely specified option and now a valuable collector’s item in its own right. The fitted car cover is also thought to be original and the car retains much period literature including the factory guarantee card, a detailed maintenance chart, the original service book, still in its Jaguar wallet, plus an original sales brochure and much else besides.

Still in excellent running order and looking magnificent as we chased it down the lanes on the occasion of our visit to examine the car and take these photos, this stunning E-Type must surely be one of the best-preserved survivors in existence.

With just two owners, almost certainly very low mileage, and a rarely found package of period documentation, accessories and spares, KEC 30 ticks all the right boxes, adding up to a stunning Sixties time capsule that is sure to set pulses racing among serious Jaguar collectors. An opportunity not to be missed!

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