One to Buy: RHD Coupe #1 1961 Jaguar E-type 3.8 FHC
Even beyond the world of motoring, Jaguar’s E-type needs no introduction.
Thanks to its beautiful coachwork, state-of-the-art specification and impressive performance, the E-type came to be regarded as one of the 20th century’s most iconic automobiles.
Under the skin was a D-type-inspired steel monocoque into which Jaguar dropped their revered 3.8-litre 265bhp dual overhead cam straight six. Unlike many of its rivals, the E-type also featured fully independent suspension and disc brakes to all four wheels.
Following its public launch at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961, Jaguar were inundated with orders from around the world. However, to help with Britain’s balance of payments (the country had built up a large deficit fighting World War 2), the E-type was initially introduced for export only which meant domestic buyers had to wait until July 1961 to get their hands on what was the hottest automotive property around.
On September 1st Gooding & Company will be auctioning the first right-hand drive E-type produced in FHC trim.
Chassis 860001 was completed on July 10th 1961 and configured in the handsome colour scheme of Opalescent Dark Blue with a Red leather interior. It was dispatched to Jaguar main dealer Henlys Group PLC where it served for many months as the company’s demonstrator.
Acquired by the consignor in 1998, chassis 860001 was subsequently put through a show quality restoration to its original specification, after which the car was re-united with its original and extremely valuable registration, VHP 1.
Reprinted below is Gooding & Company’s description for this most significant E-type:
Estimate: £1m - £1.4m
Chassis: 860001
Engine: R1264-9
The First Right-Hand-Drive E-Type Coupe Built, Chassis Number One
Retains Original Engine per JDHT Certificate
Registered on Its Original Plate No. “1 VHP”
Restored to Show Standards in Its Stunning Original Colors
Among the Most Important and Historically Significant Road-Going Jaguars in Existence
Drawing from experience gained by the development and success of the legendary D-Type race car, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three years running, Jaguar developed the E-Type as its civilized first cousin. It became an icon in its own right, with a sub-seven-second 0–60 time and staggeringly good looks. While the price of admission was considerable, the E-Type offered more horsepower and cutting-edge features than some of its higher-priced competition. The model was an unbridled success.
Early in the development process, Sir William Lyons authorized the addition of a coupe version, which was later chosen to be the debut car at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 1961. These pre-production examples were built on an accelerated schedule to be completed in time for the show, and the first few coupes were hand built from roadster bodies. History records the E-Type as the runaway hit of the Geneva show, and an additional E-Type was summoned, followed by a legendary all-night drive, to give rides to the beguiled automotive press outside the showground. In the months following the event, Jaguar completed the tooling for the coupe’s body panels while production of the roadster was already underway.
It is well known in collecting circles that the most coveted E-Types are the flat-floor, welded-louver, outside-bonnet-latch cars of 1961. Hundreds of roadsters were built in this configuration and command a substantial premium over cars built after the bonnet-latch handles were relocated inside the passenger compartment, but 20 left-hand-drive and just four right-hand-drive examples of the Coupe were built with the early, outside latches.
This Fixed Head Coupe, chassis 860001, was the first right-hand-drive coupe to be built. It was finished on July 10, 1961, in opalescent dark blue with a red leather interior, and though the first owner of the car is not recorded, 860001 was dispatched to the well-known Jaguar distributor, Henlys Group PLC, in late August, and for many months it served as their demonstrator.
In the 1970s, 860001 was owned and shown around the UK by its owner David Hamer, and it appeared in various publications covering the shows. During this time, the Coupe was registered no. 480 HYT, and in 1977, it was purchased by Jaguar author and historian Philip Porter. Recognizing its extreme historic significance, he maintained ownership for over 20 years before it was acquired by the consignor. The current owner, a collector of the rarest and most significant sports cars, with a particular affinity for British marques, added 860001 to his collection in 1998. A restoration soon commenced with the intent to return the Coupe to its as-delivered specification and appearance. Receipts on file document the details of the multiyear restoration in its original colors, and its re-registration on its original plate no. 1 VHP, as written in Jaguar factory records.
Not one to restore cars to become museum pieces, but rather to run as designed, the owner took part in the commemorative run of Norman Dewis’ 17-hour drive from Coventry to Geneva, in 860001 in both 2011 and 2021. He also welcomed Octane magazine to produce a road-test feature article on the E-Type for its 150th issue in December 2015, wherein the car achieved a top speed of 146.49 mph before having to yield to slower traffic. In 2011, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the E-Type, Jaguar commissioned a limited-edition book of just 399 copies. Chassis 860001 features significantly within its pages, with commentary by legendary Jaguar designer Ian Callum, as he explains the design influences of the Coupe.
It is important to note that the consignor has stated that the first left-hand-drive coupe and roadster, and indeed the first right-hand-drive roadster, no longer exist, leaving 860001 as the only surviving six-cylinder production E-Type that is truly the first of its kind. Copies of its feature articles, archival photographs, copies of factory records, its Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate – which documents the Coupe’s retention of its original engine – as well as details of its restoration and subsequent maintenance, are included with the offering. As an undeniable icon of 20th-century motoring, the importance of 860001 cannot be overstated. Obviously impossible to duplicate, this very special E-Type will make a crowning addition to its next caretaker’s automotive stable.
