2012-01-02 21:53:41 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 2/12
www.bonhams.com/usa/auction/19680/lot/316/
Note, body # tag auction photo shows R2771, data plate shows R2749

Auction description:
Sale 19680 - The Scottsdale Sale, 19 Jan 2012
Arizona, Scottsdale
Lot No: 316
Recently discovered after 35 years of storage, Early flat floor welded louvered example
1962 Jaguar E Type 3.8 Liter Roadster
Chassis no. 876432
Engine no. R3294-9
*3.8 liter straight six
*Matched numbers
*Rare early XKE
*Welded louvers
*Flat floor roadster
*Stored since 1976

This Jaguar XKE was manufactured at the start of 1962 and features the distinctive features of the original iconic design including welded louver panels, factory flat floors, round brake and clutch fluid reservoirs as well as many other unique and highly desirable early production details that rarely survive on 50 year old E types.

The reason that it has remained in such intact and correct order is that it has literally just been removed from thirty five years of storage within single ownership. An un-tampered matching numbers example the car still retains its 1976 windshield registration sticker and shows just over 63,000 miles on the odometer and 1976 title.

To judge from its condition today, it would seem that it was painted and trimmed in the early 1970s, but was otherwise left unmolested. Despite its long term hibernation, the engine turns freely. Bonhams has received a Jaguar Heritage for the car, which confirms that it was built on December 22, 1961 and was sold new through Jaguar Cars New York, with a delivery date of February 27, 1962 to 'Norwood Laundry,' Brooklyn. Its original color was was Opalescent Bronze with Black interior and top, a desirable scheme that it could be returned to.

Last year's 50th Anniversary celebrations for the E Type drew even more focus to this legendary model. For collectors it has always been the earliest derivatives, which are closest to the original design that have been the most prized and so to find a car such as this flat floors roadster with matched numbers represents a genuinely rare opportunity.

Estimate: US$40,000 - 50,000

2012-01-03 14:32:23 | barrie writes:

I owned 885293 and the body number from Jaguars heritage list was V1362 whereas the body carried V1374 - this must have been done on the production line as the numbers are too close.Perhaps one body was damaged and the other was the next in the line of that colour ?

2012-02-19 21:49:17 | pauls writes:

Sold for US$64,350 inclusive of Buyer's Premium

2019-11-22 06:26:49 | Hans-Martin Schneeberger writes:

Barrie, in this case I believe it is simply a mix up of pictures with the body tags and that the body tag picture here belongs to an all together different car. I learned that quite often it happend that the body tag does not match the build sheet and the VIN plate as you mentioned in your case with 885293, see also the different books by Tom Haddock. In the case here, the color itself as seen on the pictures with the body tag and also the quality of the paint and the lack of the old and dirty condition of the body tag is in sharp contrast with all the other pictures. I have quite many pictures of the car from early 2012, the car was in need of restauration. Outside the color as a very light silver with a brownish tone, hard to say if it was repainted or actually shaded down to such an extend. If it was repainted then the job was only done on the outside but not inside or under the bonnet as you also see from looking at the picture with the chassis number as an example.