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885005

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 885005 6 March 1961
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SwitzerlandZH17564

Jaguar E-Type photo

23 more photos below

Record Creation: Entered on 1 March 2019.

Database Updates: Show dataplate edits

 

Heritage Notes

This was the 1961 Geneva Motor Show Car. JDHT

Photos of 885005

Click slide for larger image. This car has 24 photos. (Dates are when image was uploaded.)

Exterior Photos (14)

Uploaded March 2019:

2019-03-01
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2019-03-01
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2019-03-01
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2019-03-01
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Uploaded April 2012:

2012-04-04
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Uploaded March 2009:

2009-03-09
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2009-03-09
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2009-03-09
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Uploaded March 2005:

2005-03-13
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2005-03-13
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Uploaded June 2004:

2004-06-29
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Interior Photos (1)

Uploaded March 2005:

2005-03-13
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Action Photos (4)

Uploaded March 2019:

2019-03-01
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2019-03-01
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Uploaded March 2009:

2009-03-09
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2009-03-09
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Details Photos: Exterior (3)

Uploaded March 2019:

2019-03-01
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2019-03-01
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2019-03-01
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Detail Photos: Interior (1)

Uploaded March 2019:

2019-03-01
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Detail Photos: Engine (1)

Uploaded March 2019:

2019-03-01
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Comments

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2003-11-27 05:41:10 | Lofty writes:

11/27/03

Car reported to be presently under restoration at GB Dönni Cars in Switzerland info@jaguarclassic.ch

2004-01-11 13:03:51 | pauls writes:

An article, written in German, about the restoration of this car being restored in Switzerland is on line at

www.jaguarclassic.ch/pdf/Jaguar-Tribune-885005.pdf

2004-03-11 09:44:37 | Paul Spurlock writes:

This car is mentioned in "The Jaguar E-Type" by Paul Skilleter. It was taken to Geneva as a demonstrator for the E-type's debute in 1961. Its believed that this is the very car that was on the showrrom floor. Its sister car 885002 was taken to Geneva as the press demonstrator.

2004-11-09 10:29:03 | pauls writes:

A reference to this car was found on the JDC website, partial text as follows:

December 2000 Restoration of 77 RW Begins [not 885005]
On immediate return from our annual autumnal slow-road trip to Geneva - this time with our E Type Register Chairman John Burton and Fred Lodge in tow, in order that JB could meet Pierre Pittet at his home in Vaud and closely examine Pierre's famous '61 Salon launch fixed-head (885005) - we were soon off up to Martin Robey's fine factory in Nuneaton. A large area of which is being taken to strip completely the first roadster (850003), registered 77 RW.

2005-03-13 11:32:47 | pauls writes:

Car was on display at the Geneve Motor Show 3/12/05. It was observed that some gaps were not fettled properly as well as should have been, the car was nice but not perfect.

2006-01-02 11:18:55 | Lofty writes:

Car was on display at the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne for severals months during 2005. In December, the car was shown together with the brand new xk convertible and coupe at Jaguar Switzerland in Safenwil to invited guests.

2007-09-19 15:50:20 | Pekka T. writes:

I saw this car at Villa d'Este in 2006 and I thought it was VERY WELL restored, and not overrestored. It shows the imperfections created by Jaguar at the early stages of production. After all these were really prototypes, but they were given regular chassis numbers like Jaguar did and even sold to the public just like this one. This car had the bonnet safety catch broken (bent, twisted) already at the Geneva stand. The owner had a nice picture from 1961 with Sir William (& Lofty?) standing next to the car with the bonnet open and you could see the damaged catch. The thing that still puzzles me a bit is the ext. colour, I thought the coupés at the Geneva launch were Opal. Gunmetal and 77RW OTS British Racing Green (although very many early E-types, and even later S1 cars were in fact Opal. Dark Green that most people just THINK is BRG) but this one looks more like Opal. Silver Grey. Of course these are difficult in photos, just take a look at the different Opal. Dark Greens on this wonderful website. Does someone KNOW what colour this car is (and was in 1961)?

2007-09-20 15:38:31 | pauls writes:

Pekka,
I agree it does look like op silver gray. You've posed the question, maybe we'll get a confirmation eventually.

2008-04-08 23:57:15 | pauls writes:

There is a several page article about this car, its history and restoration in "Jaguar E-Type" Jaguar World Monthly magazine, a collection of previous articles printed in book form. ISBN 1-873098-74-X

2009-03-09 09:05:57 | Pekka T. writes:

Seen at Concourse Villa d'Este in April 2006 where it received an honorary prize.

2010-02-06 10:19:15 | Pete v writes:

The German oldtimer magazine Motor-Klassik has a multi-page article regarding the restoration in it's 02/2010 issue starting on pg 122. Source: www.motor-klassik.de/

2011-01-21 04:50:25 | Pekka T. writes:

another great article in German can be found at:

www.jaguarclassic.ch/pdf/Jaguar-Tribune-885005.pdf

Fantastic pictures showing the prototype/pre-production body details, also pictures of the car when new in Geneva

2014-04-17 19:40:48 | pauls writes:

A great new document, in English, apparently prepared by its current owner presents virtually all known history.
www.jaguarclassic.ch/pdf/E-Type_885005_Beschreibung_englisch_Nov11.pdf

2018-11-05 12:53:00 | pauls writes:

Georg, (Donni) mentions restoring the car at his shop in Switzerland in the November 2018 edition of the XK Gazette.

2019-03-01 09:33:09 | pauls writes:

Car offered at:

pendine.com/portfolio/1961-jaguar-e-type-series-i-fixed-head-coupe-the-geneva-la ...

Seller's description:

The first ever Jaguar E-Type seen in public, unveiled to the press and VIP guests at the Parc des Eaux Vives

One of the three E-Type’s at Geneva in 1961, and the car used on the Geneva show stand, wowing the general public

Possibly the most important non-competition Jaguar in the world.

One of the very first hand built, pre-production prototype E-Types

Two E-type Coupés were used by Jaguar in its unveiling in Geneva in 1961. The venue on Wednesday, 15 March was Le Gastronomic du Parc des Eaux Vives ,a restaurant on the south-western shore of Lake Geneva. It was after the launch that journalists were given demonstration runs and photography sessions in one of them, perhaps the most recognisable of the two, registered as 9600 HP (chassis 885002). This was not, though, the launch car, the very first E-Type ever to be seen in public.

That accolade fell to the other car, chassis 885005.

This Coupe was actually inside the restaurant, hidden inside a giant plywood packing case whose sides fell away to reveal the car. Its reception by the world’s press is well documented. It was after this great unveiling that the reporters then trouped outside to admire 9600 HP. Back in the dining room, meanwhile, Jaguar staff were hurriedly removing both car and packing case to take it to the Salon de l’Automobile for its public unveiling – with similar theatre – the very next day.

Car 885005 wasn’t meant to be a coupé. It was Sir William Lyons insistence that the launch E-type should be the three-door fastback that saw, at short notice, a roadster chassis purloined from the Experimental Department at Browns Lane and modified into a doppelganger for the Geneva demo car.

After the show debut, the E-type was registered for Swiss road use on 15 May, and the following day was sold to the CAP Assurances insurance company, whose chief executive was Georges Filippinetti. He was also founder of the privateer race team Scuderia Filippinetti, and it’s safe to presume that 885005 was for his personal use and certainly not a company pool car!

Little of its subsequent history is known until the car thankfully returned to the historic E-type orbit in 1999 when it was acquired by Pierre Pittet, an administrator of the University of Lausanne. In 2002 Pittet sold the car to Georg Doenni of GB Classic Cars of Roggliswil, Switzerland, and it then transferred to the Jenny Collection. Only then was an extensive but very careful restoration begun. Many body parts were carefully corrected back to how they had been when leaving Coventry in March 1961, at the same time as identifying and cherishing the quirks of what had once been a hard-working development vehicle.

The launch of the E-Type at Geneva is one of the most important milestones in the history of Jaguar. It is also a seminal moment in the history of the automobile. This is a hugely important automobile and one of the most important non-racing Jaguar’s ever to be offered for sale.

2019-03-02 04:22:07 | Anonymous writes:

Cannot believe this car is for sale. Hopefully Mr. Jenny is doing well.


I wish I had the money. How much this ever is supposed to be.

2019-04-11 08:48:53 | pauls writes:

Christian is doing well, the sale is a planned downsize for all the right reasons. There is a multi-page interview with him in the April 2019 edition of the XK Gazette.

2019-08-26 05:02:44 | Anonymous writes:

Someone is selling 88501 on Ebay (Kleinanzeigen) in Düsseldorf Germany

can this be true?



2019-09-16 12:20:24 | Michael SCOTT writes:

I would guess that the history of this car is well-known in view of the extensive comments above but there is a very interesting article in Jaguar Driver magazine, July 2000 page 63/4 detailing a visit that was made to the garage restoring the car for Pierre Pittet. He had bought the car not knowing its importance. It is stated that the car was black at that time and was fitted with a 4.2 engine and synchro gearbox. Much detail is given about the car's possibly unique features and there are two photographs of the car under restoration. The car was said to have been owned by two brothers and had been stored in a barn for 20+ years and was last registered to a M. Grindoz in 1978.

2020-11-16 05:46:51 | Michael Scott writes:

Further to my comments above, having recently read an article in Jaguar Driver January 2001, it was not correct to have stated in my earlier comments that the car was fitted with a 4.2 engine.

The 2001 article gives much detail of the various unique features on the car and there are numerous photographs, one of which shows the engine R-1001.

2020-11-16 05:51:46 | Michael Scott writes:

Sorry, the engine photo shown is from 77RW, but there are 5 photos of 005 with the article.

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