Sold
(including buyers premium)
Registration No: LFD 525L
Chassis No: 1S1516
MOT: Exempt
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.' (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 wheel arches, re-profiled wings and larger grille, the model also boasted vented disc brakes and a restyled interior.
According to its accompanying Jaguar Heritage Trust Certificate, chassis 1S1516 was completed to ‘home market’, manual transmission specification and despatched to P.J. Evans on 26th October 1972. Originally finished in the gorgeous combination of Light Blue with Dark Blue upholstery, the E-Type’s early years are a mystery. The first MOT certificate on file was issued during 1984 at an indicated 51,795 miles. Known to have belonged to M. Charles of Walton-on-Thames in 1986, the two-seater then belonged to G. Thomas of Shenfield for twenty-one years before entering the current ownership during 2018. Fastidious about the cars in his collection, the vendor has had JC Specialists fettle the Jaguar’s suspension, braking system, cooling system, fuelling system and ignition system. He has also subjected the E-Type to a bare metal respray (documented via 400 photos). Believed, but not warranted, to have covered some 83,900 miles from new, ‘LFD 525L’ started readily and ran well on its uprated SU carburettors during our recent photography session. Refurbished at some stage, the interior trim remains smart and indeed the seller considers the whole car to be in ‘very good overall’ condition. Riding on gleaming wire wheels and sporting a wood-rimmed Moto Lita steering wheel, this highly appealing Series III V12 Roadster is only being offered for sale in an attempt to downsize.
For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430
Auction: Imperial War Museum | Duxford, Cambridgeshire, 9th Oct, 2024
An auction of classic, collector and performance motorcars to be held at the iconic and visually stunning Imperial War Museum, Duxford. Venue Details
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