1962 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Roadster
Desirable 'home market' example

Registration No: 745 HPX
Chassis No: 850617
MOT: June 2026

• Highly desirable ‘home market’ 3.8 Roadster which was manufactured in 1962 and first registered in January, 1963
• Extensively renovated in 2013, including a full engine overhaul to 'fast road' specification
• Sensibly uprated for drivability utilising a five-speed manual gearbox
• Benefitting from a front seat re-trim and new Black mohair hood in 2018
• Offered with a history file and presented excellently throughout!

Launched on 15th March, 1961, at the Parc des Eaux Vives during the Geneva Motor Show, the new Jaguar E-Type was nothing short of a revelation. Having been driven there flat out by ex-racer and Jaguar PR man Bob Berry, he arrived in ‘9600 HP’ with 20 minutes to spare, much to the consternation of Sir William Lyons. Test drives proved so popular that the services of Norman Dewis were called upon to rush over from the factory with an additional roadster to ease the load. He completed the journey in just 11 hours, averaging some 68 mph. Thus, with its heady blend of supercar performance, breathtaking styling and low price tag, the newcomer left rivals reeling and customers clamouring. The launch was a total success and the canny Sir William had even managed to have the event paid for by the Society Of Motor Manufacturers & Traders! Some 500 orders were taken – double the number Jaguar thought total production might amount to in just one week.

Early sports car racing successes in the hands of Graham Hill and Roy Salvadori, plus the Briggs Cunningham-Roy Salvadori drive to a strong fourth overall in the 1962 Le Mans 24 Hours, helped cement its reputation. Built as a monocoque with a front subframe to cradle the engine, the model's combination of all-round independent suspension (torsion-bar at the front and a coil-sprung rear) rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes gave it excellent roadholding and handling capabilities. Fed by triple SU HD8 carburettors and topped with a 'straight port' DOHC cylinder head, its indomitable 3,781cc straight-six engine was quoted as developing some 265bhp and 260lb ft of torque. Allied with a four-speed Moss gearbox (with synchromesh on second, third and fourth), it reputedly enabled the E-type to sprint from 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds and on to 150mph. Achingly beautiful yet capable of being viciously quick on the open road or docile around town, the E-type remains for many the ultimate production Jaguar.

A desirable 'home market' example, being registered new in January 1963 (manufactured 1962), the modern history of this outstanding E-type is known back to 1984, when it entered the long-term enthusiast ownership of Mr. David McLeod, and latterly his daughter. Mr. McLeod thoughtfully wrote a brief account of the car’s earlier life: “Our story of E-Type ‘745 HPX’ starts when around 1984 our gardener told of a red E-type which one of our mutual friends had for sale. On going to view the car at the premises of Norman Abram of Hannay, the waste paper merchants of East Kilbride, I was surprised to find that the car was in fact silver, and Maureen and I fell in love with it immediately. Norman told us that the car had been bought by his son from Straight Six in Edgware Road, London, and as far as he knew, had been rebuilt by a Greek gentleman in the shipping industry and had won many prizes. His son soon needed to sell the car and Norman had owned it for about a year but had scarcely driven it.”

When Mr. McLeod acquired it, he immediately presented it to XK Engineering in Nuneaton for a check-over, and after nothing more than a service, it was delivered back to Glasgow, with the gentleman from XK declaring it “one of the nicest-driving E-types he had ever driven.” It was then enjoyed very extensively in the ownership of the McLeods, including for tours of northern Scotland and the Lake District, and various outings with the Royal Scottish Automobile Club. On its first RSAC rally, it was entered into a concours at Ayr and was crowned the winner. When not in use, Mr. McLeod always kept the Jaguar in a dehumidified garage and serviced it at regular intervals, but he was never happier than when he was behind the wheel – “I can assure you,” he wrote, “I have not often been passed on the road!”

Circa 1990, Mr. McLeod opted to have the Jaguar’s engine overhauled and a five-speed gearbox installed – presumably the Borg-Warner T5 which remains in the car at present – before deciding to let his daughter take possession of it in 1992. Afterwards, it led something of a quieter existence before it was sold in 2005 to the great Jaguar enthusiast who has cared for it ever since, who also owns the superb 1967 E-type 4.2 Coupé ‘PHH 125E’ which is being offered separately in this sale. Following his acquisition, the Roadster started to become quite a well-known car, and was even in demand with media companies. It was used in the BBC television series Castles in the Country, and also starred in the November, 2012, issue of GQ magazine. In 2010, the E-type won another concours d’élégance in the Argyll Classic Tour of the Trossachs, and in 2011 it had the honour of appearing in the 60th anniversary parade of E-Types at Silverstone.

Subsequently, it was presented to the highly-respected, Carlisle-based E-type specialist Stuart Oliver in the spring of 2013 to be substantially renovated and brought up to an even higher state of tune. This involved the engine being stripped and reassembled with a host of new parts. The crank was polished and fitted with Vandervell big-end and main bearings, +0.020in Malha pistons, new cam bearings and a new timing chain tensioner, while the cylinder head, engine block and flywheel were all refaced. Various upgraded ancillaries were fitted, including a high-torque starter motor, a 17 ACR alternator with a conversion to negative earth, a 123 electronic distributor and a two-inch, six-branch stainless-steel manifold and exhaust system. Other recent modifications include larger ventilated disc brakes with four-pot callipers, GAZ adjustable suspension units and six-inch competition wire wheels. Some recent work saw all the anti-roll bar and suspension bushes replaced.

Quite a vast amount of further maintenance has been completed since 2018, when the front seats were retrimmed and a new hood was made up in Black mohair for a total of £1,560. In July, 2021, the car received some extensive bodywork repairs alongside one of its regular services. The sills were repaired on both sides and repairs were also effected to some of the inner panels and a small area on the offside front of the bonnet. The lower part of the car was finished with a healthy coating of stone-chip and liquid metal sealant, with the whole underside being generously Waxoyled. The programme of works also included a repair to the choke mechanism, the replacement of various coolant hoses, and a thorough clean of the carburettors, suspension and engine compartment, bringing the work to a total cost of £2,510. The most recent major service was carried out in May, 2024, with additional works including the fitment of a new water pump and a new header tank, a carburettor rebuild with new floats and gaskets, installation of a new clutch slave cylinder, and adjustments to the driver’s door plus renewal of its rubber seals.

Further evidence of the vendor’s attentiveness to the car’s health can be seen in its extraordinary MOT record. The Jaguar has been tested every year in his ownership (except for 2020, when covid restrictions were in place), even after exemption was granted for historic vehicles. What is more, it is sailed through all those tests without ever picking up a single advisory, save for “slight play in the offside tie rod” in 2011. The records reveal that the Jaguar has covered around 13,000 miles in the vendor’s ownership (from 44,045 miles in May, 2006, to 56,920 miles at its latest test, which remains valid until 27th June, 2026.

Considering all the care and attention this car has received in the last 41 years, it is perhaps not surprising that it still presents so well, even though it is believed never to have undergone a full restoration. The paint appears in excellent order, the chrome is very good and the cockpit, having been refurbished not long ago, is a really beautiful place in which to sit and enjoy the sensation of the growling straight-six propelling you along the King’s Highway. It even boasts a period radio. The boot has been kept nice and clean and a spare wheel in good condition is present under the floor, along with a hammer for the knock-off hub caps. With the engine and suspension having been given a thorough clean in 2021, they naturally present very well, although a light patina is in evidence, which just goes to show that this E-type has been used and enjoyed. It has proven itself on many occasions to be an excellent touring car, and, in our eyes, it remains so. From the north coast of Scotland to the southern tip of Italy, a long drive in this early E-type is surely motoring heaven.

As would be expected from a car which has been so meticulously maintained over more than 40 years, it is sold with a large history file containing the current V5C, numerous MOT certificates and invoices, period sales literature and an original operating, maintenance and service handbook. A black hood cover is also provided.

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