1963 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 3.8-Litre Roadster
Registration no. APB 45A
Chassis no. 850651
Engine no. RA1024-9

"When one of the finest engine designs of the present time, in its most highly developed production form, is installed in a fully independently sprung chassis which has been evolved well beyond the final development of a series of Le Mans winning cars, the result should be something of a landmark in sports car progress." – The Motor.

The Motor got it right, the E-Type was indeed a landmark design, there being no volume-produced sports car anywhere that could come close it its class-leading combination of passenger comfort, high performance, and exceptional value for money.

Conceived and developed as an open sports car, the Jaguar E-Type debuted at the Geneva Salon in March 1961 in Coupé form. The car caused a sensation when it appeared - spontaneous applause breaking out at the unveiling - with instantly classic lines and a 140mph-plus top speed. The E-Type's design owed much to that of the racing D-Type, a monocoque tub forming the main structure, while a tubular spaceframe extended forwards to support the engine. The latter was the same 3.8-litre, triple-carburettor, 'S' unit first offered as an option on the preceding XK150. An optimistic 265bhp was claimed, but whatever the installed horsepower, the E-Type's performance did not disappoint; firstly, because it weighed considerably less than the XK150 and secondly because aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer used experience gained with the D-Type to create one of the most elegant and efficient shapes ever to grace a motor car.

Today, the E-Type's graceful lines live on in modern Jaguar sports cars, and there can be little doubt that William Lyons' sublime creation would feature in any knowledgeable enthusiast's 'Top Ten' of the world's most beautiful cars of all time. Indeed, even Enzo Ferrari felt obliged to concede that the E-type was 'the most beautiful car ever made'. One of the finest E-Types we have ever been privileged to offer for sale, this superb example benefits from a total restoration undertaken by Jaguar specialists Mill Lane Engineering in 1988, its still immaculate condition some 34 years later reflecting both the quality of the original work and subsequent careful ownership. Indeed, the car would appear to have enjoyed minimal use since completion.

The E-Type was purchased at Bonhams' Goodwood Festival of Speed sale in June 2001. At that time it was understood that further work had been undertaken in December 1999 by DK Engineering and that the car had had circa £45,000 spent on it in total, the bulk of this expenditure being in 1989. Naturally, Mr de Savary has continued to maintain the E-Type in excellent condition, the car benefiting from work recently carried out by marque specialists Twyford Moors. Finished in red with black interior, and presented in beautiful condition throughout, this gorgeous E-Type Roadster is offered with a Jaguar service manual, V5C document, and a photographic record of its restoration plus all relevant invoices.