• Year of manufacture 
    1966
  • Chassis number 
    1E13987
  • Engine number 
    7E9177-9
  • Lot number 
    250
  • Drive 
    LHD
  • Condition 
    Used
  • Number of seats 
    2
  • Location
    United Kingdom
  • Exterior colour 
    Other
  • Drivetrain 
    2wd
  • Fuel type 
    Petrol

Description

Formerly the property of Byron Lee
1966 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2-Litre Roadster
Registration no. YTA 469E
Chassis no. 1E13987
Engine no. 7E9177-9

'If Les Vingt Quatre Heures du Mans has been responsible for the new E-Type Jaguar, then that Homeric contest on the Sarthe circuit will have been abundantly justified. Here we have one of the quietest and most flexible cars on the market, capable of whispering along in top gear at 10mph or leaping into its 150mph stride on the brief depression of a pedal. A practical touring car, this, with its wide doors and capacious luggage space, yet it has a sheer beauty of line which easily beats the Italians at their own particular game.'

There have been few better summaries of the E-Type's manifest virtues than the forgoing, penned by the inimitable John Bolster for Autosport shortly after the car's debut. Conceived and developed as an open sportscar, the Jaguar E-Type debuted at the Geneva Salon in March 1961 in Coupé form. The car caused a sensation - spontaneous applause breaking out at the unveiling - with its instantly classic lines and a 140mph-plus top speed. The design owed much to that of the racing D-Type, a monocoque tub forming the main structure while a tubular spaceframe extended forwards to support the engine. The latter was the 3.8-litre, triple-carburettor, 'S' unit first offered as an option on the preceding XK150. Aerodynamically, the Coupé was superior to the Roadster and the better Grand Tourer, enjoying as it did a marginally higher top speed and the considerable convenience of a generously sized luggage platform accessed via the side-hinged rear door.

Its engine aside, only in terms of its transmission did the E-Type represent no significant advance over the XK150, whose durable four-speed Moss gearbox it retained. The latter was replaced when the 4.2-litre engine was introduced on the Series 1 in October 1964, a more user-friendly all-synchromesh gearbox and superior Lockheed brake servo forming part of the improved specification together with the bigger, torquier engine. Apart from '4.2' badging, the car's external appearance was unchanged, but under the skin there were numerous detail improvements, chiefly to the electrical and cooling systems, and to the seating arrangements. Top speed remained unchanged at around 150mph, the main performance gain resulting from the larger engine being improved flexibility.

This superb left-hand drive E-Type roadster was sold new to Richard A Becker of Cincinnati, Ohio and subsequently owned - it is believed - by Byron Lee, the influential Jamaican musician, record producer and entrepreneur. As leader of The Dragonaires, one of Jamaica's top show bands since the early 1960s, Lee helped further the careers of dozens of up-and-coming performers including Jimmy Cliff, The Maytals and The Blues Busters. He was instrumental in raising the profile of ska and later established Dynamic Sounds, then the Caribbean's best-equipped recording facility. Dynamic played host to Bob Marley, The Melodians, Junior Byles and countless other Jamaican greats as well as Paul Simon, Roberta Flack and The Rolling Stones, who recorded 'Angie' there.

This E-Type is a matching numbers example retaining its original engine, gearbox and body tag. Jaguar E-type specialists Lanes Cars completed its rebuild in May 2014 and the car has covered a 300-mile road test since completion. It has had new floors, inner and outer sills, new boot floor and other fabrication, ‎all undertaken by Lanes including painting the exterior in dark metallic blue. A complete new wiring loom has been fitted. The engine has been rebuilt with new pistons/rings and shell bearings, while the cylinder head has been reworked for unleaded fuel. The gearbox and differential have been refurbished. Upgrades include Gaz platform shock absorbers, stainless steel brake hoses, large-core radiator, slim-line electric fan and chromed wire wheels. A full photographic record of the entire restoration process, amounting to 500 images on a CD-ROM, is included in the sale. Presented in commensurately excellent condition, the car is currently taxed/MoT'd and comes with Heritage Certificate and V5C registration document.


Bonhams 1793
101 New Bond Street
London
W1S 1SR
United Kingdom
Contact Person Kontaktperson
First name 
Bonhams Collectors’ Car department

Phone 
+44-2074685801
Fax 
+44-2074477401