1961 Jaguar E-Type Roadster
- Engine
- 3.8L inline-six
- Colour
- Opalescent Bronze
Chassis 875101 is an early outside bonnet-latch E-Type roadster produced in June 1961, finished in Opalescent Bronze over Suede Green. Dispatched to California via Jaguar Cars New York, it was used regularly on public roads until the original engine suffered a connecting-rod failure, after which it was disassembled for a restoration that never materialised. Following roughly five decades off the road, the car was acquired as a project, imported to Germany, and comprehensively restored over two years by a Göttingen marque specialist, retaining the original cylinder head and gearbox.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate £220,000 – £270,000
- 1961-06-01 →Factory deliveryCalifornia-based original ownerpartial documentation
Car was dispatched from Jaguar in New York on 22 June 1961 and delivered new to a California owner, who used it regularly for approximately the first decade before the original engine suffered a connecting rod failure and the car was taken off the road and partly disassembled for a restoration that never occurred.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownCurrent consignorfull documentation
Purchased the car as a non-running restoration project after roughly five decades off the road, then imported it to Germany where a marque specialist in Göttingen carried out a comprehensive two-year restoration; the work is supported by extensive photographic documentation and invoices.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Maintenance
Car was taken off the road following an engine rod failure and partially disassembled in preparation for a restoration that was never completed; it remained in this disassembled state for roughly fifty years.
Occurred approximately during the first decade of the car's life, likely around the early 1970s, but no precise date is given.
- —RestorationMarque specialist, Göttingen
Full restoration lasting just over two years carried out in Germany, using original components wherever possible. The original cylinder head and gearbox were retained; a 3.8-litre engine block dated February 1961 was sourced and re-stamped to correspond with the original head. The car was returned to its factory Opalescent Bronze over Suede Green specification.
Restoration is supported by several hundred photographs and a comprehensive set of invoices. Commissioned by the current consignor after importing the car from the United States.
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