Vehicle Description
On March 15th, 1961, the world was introduced to Jaguar's latest
creation, the E-Type. On its debut, the car made an enormous
impression on the fortunate 200 media members who witnessed its
unveiling. The striking appearance of the E-Type was the main
catalyst for the initial excitement, but the looks weren't the only
things going exceptionally well for the E-Type. Its performance
figures were stout and it had an equally refreshing price to boot.
Jaguar's newest masterpiece released 265 horsepower to the rear
wheels, propelling it to a top speed of 150 miles per hour. In
1961, numbers like these usually meant spending upwards of $10,000,
but to a great surprise, the E-Type was only $5,500. Undoubtedly,
Jaguar's E-Type was one of the best performance buys in all of
Europe. Even though the car itself was completely new, the heart of
the beast was the same 3.8 liter 6-cylinder power plant used in the
previous Jaguar XK150S. The 3.8 was wonderful in the XK150S, and
worked even better in the state-of-the-art E-Type chassis in thanks
to the sleek body and 150 pound weight loss from the XK150. One of
the many reasons why the E-Type turned out and performed to such a
high standard was due to Jaguar's racing program. Jaguar won the 24
Hour of LeMans 5 times between 1951 and 1957, and after the 1957
victory, Jaguar was in need of producing a new sports car to keep
the company moving forward. The need for a new car led to the
assembly of two prototypes in the late 1950's, the E1A and E2A. E1A
was heavily tested by Jaguar while E2A was turned into a race car
in 1960 where the car was lent to Briggs Cunningham and raced by
Dan Gurney, Jack Brabham, and Bruce McLaren. Between E1A and E2A,
Jaguar used the best features from both cars to formulate the
perfect platform for their new machine. This is one of the finest E
Types we've seen. Dispatched from Coventry on January 8, 1963,
chassis 878834 has undergone a complete ground up nut & bolt
restoration, by a Pebble Beach multiple award winning restoration
shop.� This was not a car done for a customer, this was a car built
for the owner of the shop for his own personal use, and as such it
is simply stunning. Originally finished in cream over red leather,
the restorer wanted the car to stand out from the myriad of E Types
out there, and chose to restore the car in one Jaguar's prettiest,
correct, but seldom seen combination of Opalescent Dark Blue with
grey leather.� The build is set off by wide whitewall tires, as
often fitted to early E Types when new, but rarely seen today.� The
interior is fabulous, and the level of detail continues, down to
the correct shift knob and original radio.� The Stayfast top has
never been lowered. Of course the car retains its original matching
number engine, which is detailed to better than new standards.� The
boot contains the proper jack and original tool set, and included
with the sale is the Jaguar Heritage Trust certificate. The quality
to which this car was restored unquestionably shows the level of
detail and finesse a Pebble Beach restorer would put into any one
of their builds.� This car is exquisite in every way and is ready
to shown or driven.