JAGUAR E-TYPE I
WITH THE rise and rise of E-types in the international auction world over the last couple of years, provenance has become an increasingly big part of the equation. Yes, they are one of the most beautiful cars ever made, and yes they are still a very engaging (if not hugely sophisticated) drive today. But the fact is investmentlevel money is being thrown at them – particularly early cars.
Which is why this one got our attention. It claims to be a rare ‘flat floor’ from the first year of production and to have had just two private owners (which means we’re leaving dealers out of it) since new. Assuming that’s right, it’s quite a record. While the prototypes date back as far as 1957, the production cars appeared from 1961. When you think back to that time, the specs were pretty special. Independent suspension all round, disc brakes and an unusual construction that saw the engine bolted to the bulkhead of the monocoque body via a steel trellis framework.
Jaguar claimed at the time