1962 JAGUAR E-TYPE SERIES I FIXED HEAD COUPE Registration N...

Hammer

£77,000

1962 JAGUAR E-TYPE SERIES I FIXED HEAD COUPE

Registration Number: 696 VC
Chassis Number: 860911
Recorded Mileage: 55,500

Desirable early model
UK delivered from new, to current specification 
Matching numbers chassis, engine and gearbox

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.

The core appeal of the E-Type lies with the Series I models, and this early RHD 3.8 Litre Fixed Head Coupe is no exception. Despatched from Brown’s Lane on 16th October 1962, 860911 found its first owner via St. Helier Garages in Jersey, residing on the island until returning to the UK mainland in the mid-1970s. The E-Type was in the care of a further 4 owners before our vendor acquired the car in recent years. In the intervening time much care and attention has been lavished on this example, demonstrated by a thick file of invoices approaching £50,000 in value, covering mechanical, paint and trim works over a period of several years.

The comprehensive history file that accompanies the car includes a large number of MoT test certificates dating back to 1979, suggesting the current mileage reading of c. 55,500 to be genuine. The E-Type is supplied with its original Coventry registration number ‘696 VC’, current UK V5C registration document and copies of older logbooks. Finished in its original shade of Old English White with a Pale Blue leather interior, this is a well cared for example which will benefit from further minor detail improvements as and when time permits. 

With the E-type now celebrating its 60th birthday, interest in early examples is higher than ever. This genuine low owner, low mileage, original RHD, matching numbers example must surely merit closer attention.