1962 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Coupé
Home-market, matching numbers, and exhaustively restored

Registration No: 509 TOD
Chassis No: 860906
MOT: Exempt

• Highly desirable home-market example, having been supplied new viâ dealer H. Thorne of Dewsbury
• 1 of just 1,799 RHD 3.8 Fixed Head Coupés manufactured
• Exhaustively restored across 18 months to a ‘concours’ standard by ASM Classics Ltd. of Brands Hatch
• Pleasingly boasting ‘matching numbers’
• Finished in its factory colour combination of Opalescent Dark Blue paintwork with Red leather interior upholstery
• Accompanied by a Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust certificate
• Said to be 'a truly excellent example in every respect!'

One of the great motoring icons of the last century, Jaguar’s E-Type is a car that has always inspired loyalty and devotion. Born out of the fabulous D-type racer, the newcomer soon acquired a strong competition heritage of its own (as witnessed by Briggs Cunningham and Roy Salvadori’s strong drive to fourth overall in the 1962 Le Mans 24 Hours). Faster and more glamorous than virtually all its production rivals, it put many so-called ‘sports cars’ to shame at its 1961 Geneva Motor Show launch. Certainly, few could live with its reputed 150mph top speed or the savage acceleration that allowed it to touch 60mph in less than seven seconds. In an age when a decent family saloon could call upon its engine for 65bhp, the E-Type’s 3,781cc, DOHC, straight six claimed an additional 200bhp. While Ferrari`s lauded 250GT SWB and 250 GTO made do with live rear axles, the E-Type utilised a sophisticated independent rear set-up with inboard rear disc brakes. Rack and pinion steering enabled the driver to make the most of the monocoque chassis’ excellent road holding and handling, putting it light years ahead of American designs like the Corvette.

We are always pleased to welcome an E-type into one of our auctions, but especially so when that E-type has been painstakingly restored in its original colours. Even if this car had not benefited from a restoration by a marque specialist, it would still be highly desirable as it is one of the 1,799 Series I 3.8-litre Coupés built to right-hand drive specification. Manufactured on September 20th, 1962, it was originally finished in the rare combination of Opalescent Dark Blue with Red interior trim, and despatched on October 3rd, 1962, by way of Jaguar Distributors of Leeds to the dealership of H. Thorne in Dewsbury, Yorkshire. Records reveal that it originally carried the West Riding of Yorkshire registration number ‘417 CWW’ and was sold new to one J. N. Kaye.

What happened presumably after Kaye’s ownership is quite extraordinary. Bear in mind that the E-type’s universally acknowledged status as one of the greatest cars of its generation led to early examples being subject to full restorations as early as in the 1970s; enthusiasts of a certain age may well remember that a Series I Coupé starred on the front cover of the December, 1975, issue of Thoroughbred & Classic Cars magazine, alongside a Ferrari 166 Inter—a prelude to the story “Buy a second-hand E-type.” Our example, however, did not fall into the hands of quite the same type of enthusiast.

From the records available, we see that Kaye owned it until 1975. We suspect it was the second owner who customised it in the best ’70s fashion... It was painted Red and fitted with extra-wide wheel arches; the bumpers were removed, non-standard rear lights were fitted, and the standard exhaust pipes were rerouted to the sides and exited through the rear panel. It also assumed a new identity, with the Devon registration ‘509 TOD.’ In 1989, it was sold to its third owner, who proceeded to park it in a leaking garage in Liverpool where he forgot about it, until it resurfaced on eBay in 2014. The steering wheel had been replaced by a 1960s or ’70s aftermarket, small-diameter piece. The reason for its abandonment appears to have been some failure in the engine, which had been left with the cylinder head removed and the bonnet up, allowing water to ingress into the cylinders. It was, in short, a fine old mess. Nevertheless, it attracted plenty of bidders and even became a news story for the Norwegian television channel TV 2!

For whatever reason, the winning bidder only held onto the Jaguar for a year before selling it to the present owner, who fortunately was of a mind to restore it, and to restore it properly. He took the car to ASM Classics Ltd., a well-known classic Ford and Jaguar restoration specialist in Kent, near Brands Hatch. We are privileged to have another ASM restoration in this sale, the 1980 Ford Escort RS2000, but whereas that was restored to factory-correct specification, this E-type went down the bespoke tailoring route.

During the course of the eighteen-month labour of love, all the accumulated boy-racerisms were stripped away, the body shell was reduced to bare metal, and was then pleasingly pieced together again with correct replacement parts as necessary and finished in the original colour scheme. On a mechanical level, the engine was thoroughly overhauled, the suspension was renewed, brand new brake components were fitted throughout, and the electrics were completely rewired. Despite its abuses in the 1970s, the E-type had fortunately managed to hold onto its original, matching-numbers engine. The interior looks beautiful after its comprehensive retrim, and is far, far better off for the reinstatement of the factory-specification wood-rimmed steering wheel. The only readily discernible concession to modernity is the RetroSound Motor 6 radio with D.A.B. and Bluetooth, which has been so seamlessly integrated into the centre console that even the most unflinching of purists would be hard-pressed to object to it. The other upgrades include stainless steel six-inch wire wheels, electronic ignition, a high-torque starter, a dynamator charging system, an uprated cooling system and uprated brakes.

The restoration is about as fresh as they come, with the car having only covered five miles since it was completed, so it will obviously be up to the new owner to take care of the running-in.

Judged by its condition alone, this E-type is deemed a potential concours star, but we think it goes without saying that the various mechanical upgrades were all incorporated with the intention that it should be driven. With all the work it has received, we assume that it will prove to be a reliable and very rewarding machine on the road, and we are only sorry that we are not in a position ourselves to take it on a test run down to the Massif de l’Esterel and the Corniche d’Or. That pleasure will be reserved for the new owner, and if they need any encouragement, the Jaguar Drivers’ Club and the Enthusiasts’ Club offer no shortage of European excursions to enjoy during the season when the skies are blue and the ribbons of road are at their most inviting. Until such a time, of course, it will be just as delightful to use for Sunday lunch outings or British car shows on the village green. It is provided with the current V5C and a history file which makes for interesting reading, containing as it does a D.V.L.A. print-out of past owners, a Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust certificate, and a photographic record of the restoration.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452