Launched at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, the Jaguar E-Type was nothing short of a revelation. With its heady blend of supercar performance, breathtaking styling and low price tag, the newcomer left rivals reeling and customers clamouring. Early sportscar racing success at the hands of Graham Hill and Roy Salvadori amongst others helped cement its reputation. Built as a monocoque with a front sub-frame to cradle the engine, the model's combination of all-round independent suspension, rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes gave it excellent road holding and handling capabilities. The Jaguar E-Type 2+2 was designed to be a more practical version of the legendary E-Type, with a longer wheelbase and additional interior space. it featured the wonderful 4.2 litre inline-six 'XK' engine that produced 265bhp.

This example is presented in the fetching shade of Primrose Yellow and quite remarkably, has a history file going right back to the early 1970's. Virtually every MoT certificate from 2006 back to the very first in 1973 is present, which appears to verify the mileage at around 108,000. Most notably, a huge amount of work was carried out on the car between Mr Drury's purchase in 1997 and the mid 2000's, in which time the car was fitted with a Getrag five-speed gearbox, new flywheel and clutch and was also treated to a top end engine rebuild in 2007. The car only appears to have covered around 10,000 miles since Mr Drury's purchase in 1997 and the engine sounded particularly sweet on our visit to the car. In 1998, the car was fully stripped down for some cosmetic restoration and a respray, with photos showing the work carried out. As the car stands now, it has a nice patina but would benefit from some cosmetic attention to bring it to the next level, though this car would really be an ideal useable example which seems to have had plenty of money lavished on it over the long tenure of Mr Drury, with little mileage covered since. The interior appears to be original, though there is a bill for some new carpets fitted in the early 2000's, around the time the five-speed gearbox was fitted. Supplied to auction with a V5C registration document, old MoT's and parts catalogues, as well as a wonderful history file containing seemingly every invoice the car has ever had! Consigned by Fraser Smith

Lot details
Year: 1970
Make: Jaguar
Model: E-Type Series II 2+2
Registration: HWC 2H
Chassis No: P1R35784BW
Odometer: 8,497

* Excellent history file going back to the mid 1970's
* Many MoT certificate's going back to 1973
* Getrag five-speed gearbox and top end engine rebuild less than 10,000 miles ago