1961 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Roadster (early LHD, flat-floor)

875274roadUnited Kingdom

Engine: 3.8L inline-six, matching-numbers
Colour: Opalescent green metallic

Chassis 875274 is the 274th left-hand-drive Jaguar E-Type roadster produced, making it one of only 385 early examples featuring external hood latches, welded louvers, and flat floors — characteristics now highly sought by collectors. Dispatched from the factory in August 1961 in Carmen Red, the car was comprehensively restored in the early 1990s by JK Restorations in Illinois, receiving an Opalescent Green Metallic repaint, biscuit leather interior, and a Tremec five-speed gearbox (original Moss four-speed retained). It retains its matching-numbers engine and body panels and holds a JDHT certificate.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Sold US$156,800
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1961-08-01 →Factory delivery
Unknown first owner
partial documentation
Car dispatched from the factory in early August 1961, originally finished in Carmen Red with black interior and soft top.
2013 →Acquisition unknown
Current consignor
partial documentation
Had the car freshened at Classic Showcase in California and later sent to XKS Motorsport around 2016 for mechanical improvements; exhibited at local concours and Jaguar gatherings.
Date unknown
Pre-restoration owner(s)
none documentation

Competition

—
Local concours events
Consignor displayed the car at regional concours and Jaguar-themed events, where it consistently received favorable recognition.

Maintenance & restoration

2016Mechanical
XKS Motorsport
Further mechanical upgrades and performance tuning aimed at restoring much of the car's original 1961 driving character.
Work undertaken around 2016 at the direction of the current owner.
—Restoration
JK Restorations
Comprehensive restoration carried out in the early 1990s encompassing a bare-metal repaint in Opalescent Green Metallic, new biscuit leather interior trim, installation of a modern cooling system, and replacement of the original Moss four-speed gearbox with a Tremec five-speed unit. Original gearbox and bell housing retained.
Workshop is located in Illinois. The original four-speed Moss gearbox and bell housing were kept with the car, making the transmission swap fully reversible.
—Mechanical
Classic Showcase
Post-2013 freshening that included new shock absorbers and suspension bushings, a replacement exhaust system, and ceramic-coated exhaust manifolds.
Workshop located in Oceanside, California. Work carried out after the current owner acquired the car in 2013.

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