1961 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Roadster
- Colour
- Carmen Red with black convertible top
Chassis 875272 is an early-production 1961 Jaguar E-Type roadster, built on 21 July 1961 and finished in Carmen Red over black. It belongs to the sought-after group of approximately 385 cars retaining outside bonnet latches, flat floors, and welded louvres. Delivered new through Jaguar Cars of New York to a buyer in San Jose, California, it spent its entire life on the US West Coast and underwent a comprehensive nut-and-bolt restoration completed in 2014 at a cost approaching $160,000. Numbers-matching throughout, it is accompanied by a Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust certificate.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$257,600
- 1961 →Factory deliveryOriginal San Jose, California customerpartial documentation
First registered owner, took delivery in San Jose, California after import through Jaguar Cars of New York.
- → 1984Private saleSecond San Jose, California residentpartial documentation
Also based in San Jose; held the car for roughly two decades before sending it for restoration at a Bay Area specialist.
- Date unknownPrivate saleMark Millerpartial documentation
Jaguar collector based in California; acquired the car mid-restoration after the original restoring garage closed, then placed the vehicle in long-term storage.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownOwner who commissioned 1998 bodywork restorationpartial documentation
Had the body and paintwork restored at Images Auto Body in Campbell, California starting October 1998; preliminary work finished 1999, with a full nut-and-bolt restoration completed in 2014 at a cost approaching $160,000.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1984RestorationEuropean Motorsports Ltd
Restoration work commenced at European Motorsports Ltd, a Jaguar specialist in the San Francisco Bay Area; the garage subsequently closed and the partially restored car was relocated to a workshop in Los Gatos, California.
Restoration was incomplete when the original workshop closed; work did not resume under the same owner.
- 1998BodyworkImages Auto Body
Body and paintwork restoration initiated by the new owner, carried out by Dave Ferguson at Images Auto Body in Campbell, California; preliminary work documented by photographs included in the sale.
Preliminary phase of what would become a full restoration; completed to an interim stage in 1999 before the car returned to storage.
- 2014RestorationImages Auto Body
Full nut-and-bolt restoration completed by Images Auto Body, returning the car to its original specification of Carmen Red over black interior and black convertible top; total cost approximately $160,000.
Restoration preserved the numbers-matching chassis, engine, and bodywork, as confirmed by the accompanying Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust certificate.
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