1966 Jaguar E-Type Series 1

As well as boasting only two owners from new, this Series 1 4.2 OTS has recently come out of a sympathetic restoration that has returned it to exceptional condition while maintaining an impressive level of originality. Built at the Browns Lane factory on 14 January 1966, chassis number 1E 1446 was dispatched on 9 February to Jaguar Distributors Ltd in Roseville Road, Leeds. Its registration number – EUG 518D, which it still wears to this day – was issued in the city. Its first owner was a JC Sowray, who lived in Huntington on the northern outskirts of York. The original sales invoice is part of the E-type’s history file and shows that Mr Sowray specified the car with chrome-plated wire wheels (£51 7s 10d), a Motorola radio with twin speakers (£42) that was modified ‘to accept a tape recorder’, a steering lock (£9 10s), and twin Marchal long-range fog lamps (£17 10s). Not only does the invoice survive, but so too does the Owner’s Service Policy, which shows that the E-type was delivered to Mr Sowray on 1 March. It also shows that the car has retained its original 4.2-litre straight-six engine (7E 7702-9). Amazingly, Mr Sowray kept hold of his treasured E-type for more than 40 years, until it passed to a new owner in the Netherlands in 2012. More recently, the car was treated to a full restoration by award-winning marque specialist Avelingen Restoration, which is based in the town of Gorinchem. That process was completed in April 2023 and while the E-type now presents beautifully in its original colour of Opalescent Silver Blue, the decision was made to not touch the wonderfully original Dark Blue seats. Now wearing an irreplaceable patina, they’re an indication of the care and consideration with which the restoration was carried out. Now being offered for sale at The Classic Motor Hub, this UK-market right-hand-drive Jaguar E-type Series 1 has been coveted by its two owners and retains its matching-numbers status. Various improvements made to the 4.2-litre cars make them, in the view of many enthusiasts, more comfortable and useable than the earlier 3.8 while retaining the purity of its looks – and this car perfectly embodies all of those qualities.