1974 | Jaguar E-Type V12

• Original first-hand car from a Hamburg entrepreneur with a verifiable mileage of just over 26,000 km
• Colour scheme in dark blue with leather and soft-top in black
• Exhibited in the museum for the first 20 years
• Extensive technical overhaul in the mid-1990s, various works and new paintwork required‘Matching numbers’ engine
• First interior, chrome spoke rims with centre locking
• Last series of the British icon with V12 engine

This Jaguar E-Type Roadster Series 3 is one of the last examples built in the 1974 model year and was delivered in Hamburg in May 1975 to a young – and later internationally renowned – architect who still owns the car today. The original paintwork was red, but after a short time he had the car painted dark blue. However, he did not drive the car for long as he did not have the time to enjoy it. However, as he did not want to part with the sports car, the Jaguar was then placed in a small private classic car museum in Hamburg, where it served as an exhibit for around 20 years. After this time in the museum, the first owner took the car to the authorised Ferrari and Jaguar dealership Rothe in Hamburg in the mid-1990s. There, the technology was comprehensively overhauled after the long period of disuse in order to enable reliable and safe use. It was subsequently re-registered in 1995, but the owner only drove the car occasionally. As a result, the original mileage to date is only around 26,600 kilometres. During this time, the open E-Type was regularly serviced at a specialised workshop for British vehicles in Hamburg. The most recent invoices are available. Optically, the last 30 years have resulted in an authentic patina and also some weaknesses in the paintwork, so that various works and a new paint are required. The original interior, on the other hand, is in a great state of preservation. Thanks to the very low mileage and the complete history from known first ownership, this sports car scores points with its special history. The chance to acquire such an example is probably extremely rare.

The Jaguar E-Type was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961 and was considered a sensation at the time. Both the design by Malcom Sayer and the engine met with a very positive response – especially in comparison to significantly more expensive sports cars from Aston Martin and Ferrari. Accordingly, the E-Type was also a great success for Jaguar in terms of sales. In terms of drive technology, the E-Type had the motorsport genes of the successful Jaguar D-Type racing car. The six-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 3.8 litres produced a whopping 269 hp and gave it to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox. The possible top speed of about 240 km/h was a top value at the time. By construction the E-Type had a tubular steel frame that carried the engine and front wheel suspension. This was bolted to the self-supporting steel body at the bulkhead. A novelty for the rather conservative British car industry was the rear double wishbone wheel suspension on a separate subframe with a trailing arm and two spring-damper units. This construction provided very good handling and high ride comfort and was used in this form until 1996. In the course of time, the E-Type was permanently refined with various modifications and variants (Series I with 4.2 litre engine, Series 1½ and Series II). In 1971, the so-called Series III was presented as a more extensive evolution. The body was only slightly modified (coupé and roadster) with a longer wheelbase. But the newly developed 5.3-litre V12-cylinder engine with 276 hp was a particular highlight. It was the first large-series twelve-cylinder with a light-alloy block. With power steering and an optional automatic gearbox, this E-Type was considerably more comfortable but also less purist than its predecessors. A good 15,000 Series III vehicles with V12 engines were produced until 1974, thereof 7,990 cars as a roadster.