1972 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 Roadster

Details

The Swallow Sidecar Company was founded in 1922 by William Lyons and William Walmsley. In 1934 Lyons formed SS Cars Limited to effectively take over the operation from Walmsley. The SS brand was quite successful; though they had a reputation for having ‘more show than go’. The Jaguar name first appeared as a model name on an SS 2½ Litre Sports Saloon introduced in 1936. For political reasons, Lyons changed the name of his company to Jaguar Cars in 1945.

Whilst the SS100 is indeed a fabulous car, it was the launch of the legendary Jaguar XK120 at the London Motor Show in 1948 that really put Jaguar on the map. The car caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production. The XK120 morphed into the XK140 and ultimately the XK150 and in total, just over 30,000 cars were built over 15 years of production.

In 1961 at the Geneva Motor Show Jaguar introduced the E-Type, which like the XK120 all those years ago, took the motoring world by storm. The body styling was simply gorgeous and technologically the E-Type was an engineering masterpiece and it set new standards in all areas.

Whilst automotive styling is somewhat subjective the E-Type is often ranked atop lists of ‘the most beautiful cars’ and in fact it has been described by Enzo Ferrari as ‘the most beautiful car ever made’. And it’s not just about the looks as the E-Type is often at the top of other lists such as ‘The best sports car ever built’ or ‘The most significant cars’. It is truly a motoring icon.

As a testament to the success of the E-Type, production evolved through three series from 1961 until 1974 during which time circa 70,000 cars were built.

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a factory right hand drive 1972 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 Roadster. The Jaguar Heritage Certificate confirms this factory RHD example was manufactured on the 25^th January 1972 with a date of despatch of 14^th February 1972. The original distributor is noted as Rossleigh from Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK and the original dealer is noted as Blue Star Garages. The car’s original colour scheme was white with a black interior. The first owner is not noted, however, the car was originally registered as GTN 584 K which was issued in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The car’s early history is not known, however, it is understood to have come to Australia very early in its life. The earliest documentation on file is a valuation by Terry Gilltrap from the Gold Coast dated 26^th October 1989. The car was sold at Shannons’ February 2004 Sydney auction and headed back to the Gold Coast and its new owner. It changed hands again in 2009 and headed to Melbourne. In October 2009 the owner spent in excess of $13,000 on various mechanical works at Intermarque Automotive in Collingwood. At that time the odometer was noted as 15,301miles. The current owner acquired this big cat in 2014 and the car has continued to be used sparingly. Today the odometer reads 17,643 miles confirming that the car has travelled just over 2,300 miles in the last ten years.

In preparation for sale the car has a new set of BF Goodrich tyres fitted, been tuned and had some electrical issues addressed to ensure the V12 runs as it should.

Today this Jaguar E-Type presents really well with just the right amount of patina. As with all E-Types you need full choke from cold . . . prime the carbs, pump the throttle a few times and turn the key . . . then she fires with that typical Jaguar growl. Warm the engine and it’s all systems go.

The Series 3 V12 E-Type is more refined than its older siblings, yet it still has that ‘edge’ when pushed. This car runs and drives well. The power steering is light yet direct and the car handles and stops when asked to do so by its driver. This car has the desirable manual gearbox which changes up and down the box cleanly with a positive feel. The big V12 revs willingly through the range and this car gives you a progressive yet firm push in the back when you drive it with some gusto!

Inside the cabin everything looks to be very original. The seats are showing some wear, with the odd small split in the leather and discoloration evident, but the patina is kind of charming. The door cards, dash, instruments and controls are all in good condition.

The car carries an older repaint really well. The bright red paint has a high gloss and good depth of colour. On closer inspection there are some imperfections, blemishes and stone chips evident . . . but the whole package presents really well.  The exterior trim, chrome, glass, lenses and the wire wheels are in good condition to compliment the overall presentation of the car.

A feature of this E-Type is that it has the rare and desirable factory hard top which is in very good condition. The soft top has aged well and it is also in a reasonable condition with the odd small imperfection evident. There is a small tear on the driver side and the chrome strip on the passenger side is missing.

A previous owner must have contemplated re-trimming the seats and soft top as a roll of leather and canvas fabric will accompany the car. There is also a tool kit and jack.

Highlights:

–      a well-presented factory right hand drive Series 3 V12 E-Type.

–      desirable factory manual gearbox.

–      comes with a Jaguar Heritage Certificate.

–      this car retains its original ‘matching numbers’ engine.

–      rare factory hard top.

–      finished in a traditional and fabulous colour scheme.