Rare E-type Jags to go up for auction

WHAT have been described as two of “the most incredible very early 1961 E-type Jaguars you could ever get to own” are to go under the hammer at the end of the month.

A Fixed Head Coupe and a Roadster, both manufactured at the Jaguar Browns Lane plant in

Coventry, will feature at the Silverstone Classic Live Online Auction taking place between July 31 and August 2.

Forming part of The SA-30 Collection, the Coupe and Roadster are both extremely desirable early E-types retaining all their original features and have been part of two significant private collections for 20 years.

Nick Whale, Silverstone Auctions managing director, said: “These two E-types are just the best you could possibly ask for.

“To have the opportunity to own two of the earliest cars in this condition is an extremely rare opportunity.

“Both of these cars have been cherished by the two previous owners, who knew the importance of these cars.

“To own two with the same colour bodywork and interior is quite rare and Silverstone Auctions are extremely honoured to have been asked to sell them for our client, a well respected collector.”

For both the E-type enthusiast and the dedicated collector, the desire to obtain the first of the breed and in its most original condition will always be the ‘Holy Grail.’

However, a serious stumbling block is the fact the early cars had serious flaws and were renowned for succumbing to rust.

Even Jaguar advised people to buy the new and improved model rather than repair an older model.

The United States became Jaguar’s primary market and this is where almost 90 per cent of E-types produced in Coventry ended up.

However, it was here that the incredibly difficult search to source a totally original first supply suffix chassis number roadster staring ‘875,’ was to start. An 875 would be the ultimate vintage for any serious collector.

In the mid-1990s, Paul Webb, a passionate collector who has specialised in dealing with E-types since the early 1970s, began the search to find the Holy Grail.

He was ideally placed and in the perfect hunting ground spending many decades of wintering in California and sourcing many E-types.

He struck lucky when he discovered 885249. This E-type was the 249th Fixed Head Coupe produced.

Built on November 30, 1961, at Browns Lane, it was supplied new to Abbey-scherer Co, El Monte, California, on December 14 that year.

It was allegedly still with its first owner, having resided in the ultimate climate to preserve this highly sought-after Jaguar.

This E-type Coupe had covered just 49,000 miles from new. It had been laid up off the road since 1985 - with that Californian dated registration plate still fitted and it even still retained the original brake master cylinders with their correct dated tags.

Paul immediately snapped up the car. Literally everything was correct; the early ‘small ellipse’ nose still undamaged and correct separate spot welded louvre panel bonnet, which also retained the original factory stamped numbers almost never seen these days.

This was perhaps the ultimate surviving original 1961 E-type Coupe to exist.

In 1997, Paul imported the car to the UK, to take pride of place within his own private museum, where he commissioned respected experts Suffolk and Turley to retrim the seats in their original colour of beige as the leather had totally dried out in the Californian heat.

It then formed part of Paul’s private Jaguar collection.

Paul’s search did not stop there. The desire to own a matching pair was just too much to resist and he continued his search which he widened to include Arizona.

In the early 2000s, Paul struck lucky again and discovered his matching car - the complete twin to his Coupe, right down to the interior colour.

This roadster was manufactured on September 25, 1961 - the first month an E-type would be released to any public buyers in the UK and was supplied new to an R Condon in Phoenix, Arizona - as confirmed by the Jaguar Heritage build sheet and dispatched there on October 12 that year.

This car too retained all its original features