Jaguar E-Type achieves record auction price

A record price for production Jaguar E-Types was achieved after a 1961 Series I 3.8 Roadster sold for £911,250 (R21.8m) in the UK last week.

The model was the first E-Type ever sold, and the fourth right-hand drive E-Type Roadster built, according to Gooding & Co, which held the auction at London’s Hampton Court Palace on September 1. The car was also the personal car of Le Mans team manager and Jaguar director Frank “Lofty” England. 

Restored to concours condition by renowned Jaguar specialists Classic Motor Cars, the 62-year-old Jaguar is powered by a 3.8l in-line, six-cylinder engine with an output of 200kW, powering the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox.

Introduced in early 1961, the influence of the E-Type on the motoring public is difficult to overstate. It was a road-going version of Jaguar’s Le Mans-dominating D-Type, capable of 240km/h straight out of the box, and one of the most beautiful cars ever put into production.

Last week’s auction realised more than £9.8m in sales, with star vehicles from Ferrari, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz leading the sale. 

Another highlight was a Ferrari 166 MM/53 Spider which achieved the top price of the day at £2.5m. This competition model, sporting Vignale bodywork (the luxury sub-brand of Ford), was offered directly from 63 years of continuous, enthusiast ownership, and came to auction for the first time at Gooding & Co’s London sale.