1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8-Litre Roadster
- Engine
- 3.8L inline-six
- Colour
- Opalescent Dark Green
A very early flat-floor Series I E-Type Roadster, reportedly the 58th such car built with internal bonnet latches yet retaining several features typical of the preceding outside-latch cars, including welded louvres. Completed at the factory on 31 August 1961 in Opalescent Dark Green for the North American market, it received a warranty engine replacement within its first months. After decades of California ownership — including a long period in storage — the car underwent two successive restorations before arriving in the UK, where a two-year, £45,000 bare-metal restoration by Derbyshire specialists Butlin & Sons returned it to its confirmed original colour.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate £180,000 – £210,000
- 1961 →Acquisition unknownUnknown first owner, believed to be on the U.S. West Coastpartial documentation
Received the car after dispatch to Jaguar Cars of New York in September 1961; identity and precise tenure unknown. Engine and gearbox replaced under warranty during this period.
- 1968 → 1995Private saleNick Wilsonpartial documentation
Resident of Redondo Beach, California; purchased upon returning from Vietnam. Drove the car regularly until a water pump failure in 1979 led to it being stored; later relocated with the car to Solvang, California, where it remained dormant.
- 1995 → 2015Private saleKevin Deightonpartial documentation
Close friend of Wilson; based in Long Beach. Undertook a self-performed restoration over 17 years, repainting the car in Maroon with biscuit interior before completing around 3,000 miles post-restoration.
- 2015 →Private saleCurrent consignorfull documentation
Had the car shipped to the UK and commissioned a comprehensive bare-metal repaint and restoration by Butlin & Sons Classic Cars in Derbyshire, costing approximately £45,000, restoring the original Opalescent Dark Green colour as confirmed by the Jaguar Heritage Trust.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1961Engine rebuild
Engine and likely gearbox replaced under factory warranty shortly after delivery; the replacement engine block and head carry matching serial numbers (R-3175-9) and October 1961 date stamps.
Work carried out prior to the car's first documented private purchase in 1968.
- —Restoration
Owner-performed full restoration by Kevin Deighton, a skilled engineer, repainting the car in Maroon with a biscuit interior — colours he believed to be original but which were later found to differ from the factory specification.
Work began after the 1995 purchase and took approximately 17 years to complete; roughly 3,000 miles were driven following completion.
- —RestorationButlin & Sons Classic Cars
Comprehensive two-year bare-metal restoration carried out by E-Type specialists Butlin & Sons Classic Cars in Derbyshire, including a repaint in the confirmed original factory colour of Opalescent Dark Green; total cost approximately £45,000.
Original colour confirmed by the Jaguar Heritage Trust. Documentation includes a DVD of invoices and photographs from the restoration process.
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