1963 Jaguar E-Type 'Series 1' 3.8-Litre Roadster
Registration no. 66 NMH
Chassis no. 850657

"If Les Vingt Quatre Heures du Mans has been responsible for the new E-Type Jaguar, then that Homeric contest on the Sarthe circuit will have been abundantly justified. Here we have one of the quietest and most flexible cars on the market, capable of whispering along in top gear at 10mph or leaping into its 150mph stride on the brief depression of a pedal. A practical touring car, this, with its wide doors and capacious luggage space, yet it has a sheer beauty of line which easily beats the Italians at their own particular game." - John Bolster, Autosport.

Introduced in 3.8-litre form in 1961, the Jaguar E-Type caused a sensation when it appeared, with instantly classic lines and 150mph top speed. Its 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 3.8-litre, triple-carburettor, 'S' unit first offered as an option on the XK150. An optimistic 265bhp was claimed, but whatever the installed horsepower, the E-Type's performance did not disappoint; firstly, because it weighed around 500lb (227kg) 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. Its engine aside, only in terms of its transmission did the E-Type represent no significant advance over the XK150, whose durable four-speed Moss gearbox it retained.

Today, the E-Types 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'.

Originally supplied by Ritchies of Glasgow, and dispatched on 4th March 1963, this matching-numbers Series 1 E-Type Roadster benefited from considerable expenditure while in the previous ownership (of 15 years) to make it better suited to UK and Continental touring. Upgrades include a five-speed manual gearbox; electric power steering; aluminium radiator; improved brakes; and additional cooling fans. The current vendor purchased the E-Type in 2020, since when the oil and spark plugs have been changed. Used mainly for pleasurable weekend trips, this highly desirable early E-Type is offered with an old-style green logbook and a V5C document.