One to Buy: Same Family Owned for 59 years 1963 Jaguar E-type 3.8 Series 1 OTS Roadster
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Whatever order you put them in, it is commonly regarded that the BMC Mini, Porsche 911, Volkswagen Beetle and Jaguar E-type were the most iconic automotive designs of the 20th century.
Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961, the E-type replaced Jaguar’s enormously successful XK120 / 140 / 150 line that had, since the late 1940s, made 120mph performance accessible at a price point hitherto unseen. The outgoing XK line had also been blessed with extremely elegant styling and served as the basis for the Le Mans-winning C-type. Remarkably though, Jaguar managed to create something even more special with the cultural phenomenon that was the E-type.
And the new car wasn’t just a pretty face. The E-type saw Jaguar veer away from conventional construction techniques to instead adopt a state-of-art monocoque tub inspired by the enormously successful D-type to which fully independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes were attached. At the time, the likes of Ferrari, Maserati and Aston Martin could only dream of such a specification.
Of the myriad E-types produced between 1961 and ‘74, arguably the most sought after remains the first generation 3.8-litre Series 1 manufactured until 1964. Currently on offer at the Autosport Designs showroom in Long Island is surely among the best of these to exist.
Purchased new in 1963 by a police officer from Oceanside, California, the car remained in the same family until 2022 – a remarkable 59 years!
Having passed to the original owner’s daughter, in 2018 she commissioned California-based Jaguar specialists Classic Showcase to restore the car back to concours condition.
In 2022, the stunning matching numbers Opalescent Silve Blue over Dark Blue car was acquired by its current custodian who is only selling owing to relocation to Europe. It is being offered with a fabulous history file complete with the original book pack and tool kit.
