Beschreibung:

From the SOLAR Productions compound during the filming of 'Le Mans' 1970 Jaguar E-Type Series II 4.2 litre Roadster Chassis no. 1R13134• Known as the car gifted to the vendor by Steve McQueen while filming 'Le Mans' described in the book 'Our Le Mans' as having been gifted by Steve Mc Queen on the set of the film in recognition to his cook! • Present ownership for 52 years • Original and un-restored • Fewer than 46,000 miles from new • Swiss registered FootnotesThe story of this US-specification Jaguar E-Type Series 2 Roadster is recorded in a chapter of the book 'Our Le Mans, The Film, The Friendship, The Facts', by Hans Hamer and substantiated by our vendor Alfred 'Fredy' Zurbrügg. The car is commonly known as the Jaguar that was gifted to its current owner, Alfred 'Fredy' Zurbrügg, by none other than Hollywood superstar Steve McQueen in recognition of the former's culinary talents in the SOLAR productions' village. Swiss-born Fredy was working as a chef on the set of Le Mans, Steve's pet project that was being made by his company, Solar Productions, when McQueen offered him the pick of the fleet of cars purchased for the production. "Choose one," said McQueen. "I haven't got a driving licence," Fredy replied. "That's a gap in your education," McQueen declared, in German. Fredy Zurbrügg had been approached by the movie's production manager, Hubert Fröhlich, to work on the production of the sixth Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, filmed partly in Switzerland. Fröhlich was very pleased with Fredy and approached him to work on his next production, Le Mans, filmed in the eponymous town where the crew established its own compound known as 'Solar Village'. Fredy brought his own kitchen from St. Gallen, which was soon catering for 800 cast and crew members, including leading man Steve McQueen for whom he invented a special dish, the 'Steve Steak'. The troubled making of Le Mans has passed into movie legend. McQueen was an avid motorcycle and motor racing enthusiast; whenever he had the opportunity to drive in a movie, he would perform as many of his own stunts as the studio would allow. With a series of major box-office successes under his belt, including Bullitt (1968) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), McQueen was Hollywood's highest paid star; Warner Brothers didn't hesitate when it came to bankrolling his new project. Unfortunately, things began to unravel as soon as filming began. McQueen's obsession with authenticity, not to mention the absence of a script, led to costs spiralling out of control. Original director John Sturges quit and the studio fired McQueen as producer, cancelling his share of the profits. Experienced Hollywood screenwriter Harry Kleiner came up with a script and the film was duly completed by director Lee Katzin. McQueen refused to attend the premiere and the movie bombed at the box office. Paradoxically, Le Mans is now recognised as the best film ever made about motor racing. When interviewed for the 2017 book Our Le Mans (as well as that year's documentary DVD Remember Le Mans), which offers personal insights into the filming by supporting actor Siegfried Rauch and other members of cast and crew, Fredy states in a dedicated chapter on the E-Type's story that his encounters with the leading actor were "always friendly". Faced with an array of mouth-watering cars that also included a Porsche 911 and a Mercedes-Benz 280SL 'Pagoda', Fredy decided on the silver Jaguar E-Type, a 'Series 2' roadster with only 600 miles on the odometer. Although supplied and first registered in the UK, the E-Type was a US version because it was supposed to be shipped back to America. Then 27 years old, Fredy duly obtained his driving licence in Le Mans "on my second attempt on 17th October 1970". Fredy took his new sports car back to Switzerland, telling the customs officer at the border that "I had the Jaguar and two crates of cognac to declare". What Fredy had acquired was the latest 'Series 2' version of Jaguar's