Lot details
Registration No: 815 FYK
Chassis No: 861107
Mot Expiry: Sept 2018

- 1 of 1,799 made and supplied new to Ivor Arbiter who designed the 'drop - T' logo for The Beatles

- Off the road from 1969 to 2017 and thus believed to have covered just 45,000 miles from new

- Matching numbers and exquisitely restored to concours award winning standard by Warren Classics

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 claiming 4th overall at the 1962 Le Mans 24-hours). Faster and more glamorous than virtually every production rival, its 1961 Geneva Salon launch generated newspaper copy worldwide. In an age when a decent family saloon could call upon its engine for 65bhp, the E-type`s 3781cc, DOHC, straight-six claimed an additional 200bhp. Reputedly capable of 0-60mph in under 7 seconds and 150mph, the Jaguar also possessed excellent roadholding and handling capabilities. While Ferrari`s lauded 250GT SWB and 250 GTO made do with live rear axles and steering boxes, the E-type utilised a sophisticated independent rear set-up with inboard disc brakes and rack and pinion steering. Total right-hand drive, 3.8 litre Fixed Head Coupe production amounted to just 1,799 cars.

'815 FYK' was hailed as the 'barn find of the year' when it came to auction in 2016. Headline friendly, the Jaguar had been supplied new via Broadway Autos of Cricklewood to J & I Arbiter Ltd. The owner of Drum City and Sound City, Ivor Arbiter was an important part of London's music scene during the Swinging Sixties and famously designed the 'drop - T' logo for The Beatles (for which he was paid £5!). Mr Arbiter kept the E-Type until November 1965. Thereafter, it passed to S.B. Cain, Howard H Measham and Frank Riches. Period photos show the latter racing the Fixed Head Coupe at Oulton Park, Brands Hatch and Blackbushe from late 1967 until 1969 when its clutch failed. Never returned to the road by Mr Riches, '815 FYK' spent the next forty-six years being stored in a lock-up or under a tarpaulin in his back garden. Attracted by the Jaguar's provenance, undoubted originality and low odometer reading of 44,870 miles (a highly credible figure given its lengthy period of inactivity), Warren Classics paid some £57,900 to acquire it.

No stranger to the Jaguar marque, Warren Classics counts several ex-Fullbridge Restoration Company employees among its staff. Stripped to component form, the past year has seen the E-Type exquisitely refurbished to concours award winning condition. Rid of any corrosion, its bodyshell had new metal let-in as appropriate before being carefully, filled, primed and painted. The interior was re-trimmed throughout with the seats receiving new foam inserts as well as new hides. Re-wired, the Fixed Head Coupe also had its steering, suspension and brakes refurbished. Particular attention was paid to the car's panel gaps and its brightwork was rejuvenated. The original 'matching numbers' engine was comprehensively overhauled including a re-bore (0.5mm oversize), cylinder head skim, new water pump, uprated oil pump, fresh 9.1:1 pistons, polished / ported inlets and exhausts, new timing chains and replacement valves / guides / seats / springs etc. Further benefiting from a new in-tank fuel pump, rejuvenated triple SU carburettors and the addition of electronic ignition, the Jaguar has also had its gearbox and back axle overhauled. The instruments were restored and new wire wheels / tyres fitted. Resplendent in its original livery of Carmen Red with Beige leather upholstery, '815 FYK' is described by the vendor as 'surely one of the very best examples anywhere in the world'. Need we say more?