1974 Jaguar E-Type V12 Roadster

Registration No: VMR889M
Chassis No: UE1S25868

• Recently repainted in its original shade of Regency Red
• Converted to RHD and fitted with an uprated power steering rack
• 74,000 recorded miles and manual transmission

By 1971, Jaguar's jaw-dropping E-Type had been in production for a decade. Despite continual improvements, new emissions legislation in the all-important American market threatened to strangle the big cat's performance. Jaguar responded by giving its revered sportscar fresh claws in the shape of a 5343cc V12 developed from the stillborn XJ13 Le Mans project car. The new engine was both effortlessly powerful and eerily refined. "The turbine-like smoothness with which the engine provides a sustained shove in the back is almost uncanny, the more so when one accelerates hard in top gear without even a gearchange to interrupt one's headlong dash into the distance" (Autocar 5th July 1973). With some 272bhp and 304lbft of torque on tap, the Series III E-Type once again had 150mph in its sights. A revised wheelbase yielded better cabin space and in conjunction with wider front / rear tracks, new anti-dive front suspension geometry and fatter tyres gave improved road holding. Imbued with a more muscular stance thanks to its flared wheelarches, re-profiled wings and larger grille, the model also boasted vented disc brakes and a restyled interior.

Dispatched to British Leyland, New York in July 1974, this smart looking example displays 74,000 miles and is equipped with manual transmission plus is matching numbers. Having recently been repainted in its original shade of Regency Red, converted to RHD and fitted with an uprated power steering rack ‘VMR 889M’ is offered with Heritage certificate and V5c document.