Beschreibung:

1962 JAGUAR E-TYPE SERIES I 3.8 ROADSTER Chassis No. 876593 Engine No. R3449-9 Dark blue with tan leather interior Engine: six cylinder, in-line, twin overhead camshafts, triple carburetors, 3,781cc, 265bhp at 5,500rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual with overdrive; Suspension: independent front with double wishbones and torsion bars, rear independent by trailing and transverse links with coil spring/damper units; Brakes: four wheel disc. Left hand drive. Everything Jaguar had learned about sports cars during its legendary five victories at Le Mans in the 1950s went into the E-Type. While the new E-Type had understandably received rave reviews at the Geneva Motor Show, the arrival of the new models in the US was no doubt dreaded by the American manufacturers while Jaguar Cars Inc. geared up for another public relations coup. The New York International Auto Show was held in April 1961 and to say that the two models shown, the roadster and fastback coupe, were the show sensations is an understatement. The E-Type was an immediate hit. Six were sold within thirty minutes of the New York Show's opening. This launch of the car was accompanied by all the pomp and circumstance Jaguar and the auto show management could muster, an acknowledgement of the importance of the US market to Jaguar. Owing to a lack of supply, it was some months before journalists were allowed to drive the E-Type and early testing happened in the UK. The first Road & Track road test appeared in the September 1961 issue and the Americans referred to the cars as the Jaguar XK-E. Their introduction under the header 'Sensational is the word for this Coventry Cat' reads as follows, 'If a new car ever created greater excitement around our office than the new Jaguar XK-E, we can't remember it. And to sum up this car in the third sentence of a report may be unusual for us, but it is easy to do. The car comes up to, and exceeds, all our great expectations.' By 1963, one-third of Jaguar's cars were being sold to American customers. The E-Type is also one of the few cars that has reached the status of owning spots in both the Smithsonian Institution and New York's Museum of Modern Art. Handsomely presented in the attractive yet contrasting combination of dark blue with tan interior, this Series I example with the aluminum dashboard and covered headlights is reputed to be a matching numbers E-Type. An ideal driving candidate, this is an older restoration that has been recently refreshed to a very high standard both externally and internally - even the gas tank has been refinished and it sports period correct Michelin XZX tires on its wire wheels. The engine bay in particular is spectacularly detailed and the interior is phenomenal, trimmed in a caramel-toned tan leather, and also boasts a period-correct radio. Panel fit is very good, as is the brightwork and having been treated to a recent, thorough service it is reported to drive particularly well and the infamous 'Moss' gearbox shifts smoothly. Freshly repainted to show standards, this is a wonderful early example of one of motoring's archetypal steeds.