1964 JAGUAR E-TYPE SERIES 1 FIXED HEAD COUPE Chassis Number...

Estimate

£90,000 - £110,000

1964 JAGUAR E-TYPE SERIES 1 FIXED HEAD COUPE

Chassis Number: 861674
Registration Number: ACM 288B
Recorded Mileage: 6,242 miles (unwarranted)

- UK delivered from new with matching numbers 
- Formerly the demonstrator for Peco exhausts 
- Restored in the 1990s and well maintained since

It is remarkable to think of the effect the E-Type had on the world when launched in 1961. At a time when 70 mph was considered perfectly rapid enough for a family car, here was a British-built sports car which could hit a claimed 150mph! The top speed figure was possibly a little optimistic but the public didn’t object - with a list price of just over £2,000 it was half the price and just as striking as its more exotic rivals from Italy. 

The Jaguar E-Type is without doubt one of the most important and prettiest sports cars of all time, at its Geneva Auto Saloon launch in 1961 Enzo Ferrari famously referred to the E-Type as the most beautiful car in the world, and he surely was someone who should know. Clearly the E-Type was strongly influenced by the famous Le Mans-winning D-Type racer of the late 1950s. Less famous but no less relevant was the lesser known E1A prototype of 1957; smaller and less powerful than the final production E-Type but showcasing the new independent rear suspension design that went on to be a hallmark of Jaguar models for four decades. The E-Type’s performance did not disappoint; it weighed around 500lb less than the preceding XK150 and sported one of the most elegant and efficient shapes ever to grace a motor car.

This genuine UK, matching numbers, RHD example was delivered new to Veco Products, maker of the Peco Exhaust System which was popular in the 1960s. Originally Opalescent Green with a Suede Green leather interior, our E-Type was the factory demonstrator for Peco’s exhaust system, even featuring in the June 1968 edition of Hot Car Magazine wearing a rather dashing set of four tailpipes (a copy of which is in the file).

In the 1990s the E-Type was subject to a comprehensive restoration, and pleasingly has been well maintained since. The suspension was rebuilt in 2011, and in 2016 the car benefitted from some further recommissioning works. The E-Type is very clean inside, outside and underneath, with clean lines and even panel gaps. The car is said to drive very well, aided no doubt by recent improvements such as a new clutch and master cylinder, air box and filter, fan belt & tensioner. The interior trim has been smarted further with a new headlining and soft trim around the rear hatch. 

Finished in a striking shade of Carmen Red with a biscuit leather interior, and supplied with a detailed history file from new, various receipts, older MoT certificates, service and operating manuals, and a complete tool roll, this well maintained E-Type is ready to take to the open road once more!