The turbine-like smoothness with which the engine provides a sustained shove in the back is almost uncanny, the more so when one accelerates hard in top gear without even a gearchange to interrupt one's headlong dash into the distance' - Autocar, July 5, 1973

By 1971, the E-Type had been in production for a decade and new emissions legislation in the all-important American market was threatening to strangle the big cat's performance. Jaguar responded by giving its revered sports car fresh claws in the shape of a 5343cc V12 engine developed from the stillborn XJ13. With some 272bhp and 304 lb ft of torque on tap, the E-Type once again had 150mph in its sights. A revised wheelbase yielded better cabin space and, together with wider tracks front and rear, new anti-dive front suspension geometry and fatter tyres gave improved road holding. Imbued with a more muscular stance thanks to its flared wheelarches, re-profiled wings and larger grille, it also benefited from vented disc brakes and a restyled interior.

This handsome Roadster hails from 1973 and is finished in the strident combination of Red bodywork and Black leather interior. An original righthand drive example, it has evidently benefited from an earlier restoration and repaint, and has covered just 6,000 miles in the last decade. It has been in the current ownership for four years, during which all maintenance work has been carried out by well-known Jaguar specialist and JEC technical Director Ken Jenkins. The E-Type boasts a range of desirable upgrades, including: five-speed gearbox, Powerlock differential, high torque starter, Gaz adjustable dampers, and halogen headlights. A new windscreen was fitted in 2014. The vendor presently views the bodywork, paintwork, interior trim, 5.3-litre engine and manual gearbox as all 'very good' and is including 11 old MOTs and a current MOT into September.

PLEASE NOTE: All estimates are subject to a buyer's premium of 15% incl. VAT (@ 20%)