2016-02-23 12:31:18 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction
www.coys.co.uk/cars/1963-jaguar-e-type-series-1-fixed-head-coupe

Auction description;
2016 Spring Classics
Lot Number 113
Reg. Number UK Registered
Chassis Number 861107
Year 1963
Make Jaguar
Model E-Type Series 1

This is a fantastically rare " Barn Find" of this iconic marque and model, presented in carmen red with tan interior and is showing only 44,870 miles on the clock which is believed to be genuine and commensurate with 6 years use in the 1960s.

The last tax disc is still showing on the windscreen which expired November 1969. The story of this remarkable find can be read below! The car's first owner in May 1963 was Ivor Arbiter. Ivor owned Drum City and Sound City in London and was at the centre of the 60s music scene, he was of course the designer of the "drop - T" logo for The Beatles. Epstein requested that the band's name appear on the bass drum so Arbiter sketched the "drop-T" logo on a scrap of paper with the capital B and dropped T to emphasize the word 'beat'. Drum City was paid £5 for the design and it was hand painted by local sign writer, Eddie Stokes, who painted bass-drum heads for the store during his lunch hour. The Beatles logo is now recognised as one of the most significant and widely reproduced logos in history, and the fact that it was designed by the first owner of this E-Type is not insignificant.

In November 1965 the car passed to SB Cain of Greenford. He then solid it to garage owner Howard H Measham who used it for a short period. Howard now 85, remembers the car well, he described it a "phenomenal sports car" having booted it on the A40 near Northolt only to be overtaken by the rear end!

Then, in December 1967 the car moved to its last owner Frank Riches. Frank was a keen motorsport enthusiast and raced both the E-Type and his MGTF at Oulton Park, Brands Hatch and Blackbushe between 1967 and 1969. Frank would drive the E-type to the circuit with the MG behind and would then race both cars and drive home!

There are several photographs of this on file. The best photo shows 815 FYK in action at Blackbushe in 1968, with its lightweight extra wide rear wheels (the vendor has them but not on the car), otherwise the configuration is as it is today. Frank's brother remembers getting the car to 150mph on the ever popular A40! A speed which would probably be penalised by imprisonment today!

Frank was unusual in that he kept anything that he took off the car, so the vendor has retained the original centre console, ash tray, blanking plate and Jaguar radiator bar. He has put the console back in the car as you can see. At some time Frank fitted an upgraded brake servo which necessitated the removal of the air cleaner and manifolds, these are with the car and are the early type (without the ribs). He also fitted a US style grille bar to the radiator opening, we believe this was to mount lights given the number of badge bar clamps still on it.

The centre bar was then removed to fit the spot lamp. We also believe the high tension lead tube is an original fitting but may have only been used for a short period.

Unfortunately (or perhaps not) Frank burnt out the clutch and instead of getting it fixed he put the car into storage in a lock up until the 1980s (he bought a Series 1 Land Rover to tow the MG), he then moved it to his garden where is remained under a tarpaulin until the present vendor rescued it in 2015 (photo on file showing this location)

This wonderful "Barn Find" car is in original condition, with matching numbers and has never been restored. It retains all the features it carried in 1969 and is possibly one of the most original examples remaining today. The interior could be restored given it has all the original switches, gauges and tooled aluminium panels along with the original steering wheel etc. The seats have a lovely patina and should be saved. Obviously the car needs a total restoration but it has all the ingredients to make a superb example - this is a true rarity!

This fantastic E Type comes with its original brown log book, V5 and V5C, its last MOT certificate dated November 1968, the sales invoice to Frank Riches for £855 along with the Heritage Certificate confirming all the important details. It also has its original "Operating Maintenance & Service Handbook", "Service Manual" and "Spare Parts Catalogue" and the original jack.

2016-03-09 22:16:49 | pauls writes:

Sold to a British buyer for £62,000

2017-11-05 15:43:07 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 11/17
online.handh.co.uk/m/lot-details/index/catalog/8/lot/14148/

Auction description:
The Imperial War Museum Duxford Motor Car Auction 15/11/2017
Lot 99
1963 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Coupe

- 1 of 1,799 made and supplied new to Ivor Arbiter who designed the 'drop - T' logo for The Beatles
- Off the road from 1969 to 2017 and thus believed to have covered just 45,000 miles from new
- Matching numbers and exquisitely restored to concours award winning standard by Warren Classics

'815 FYK' was hailed as the 'barn find of the year' when it came to auction in 2016. Headline friendly, the Jaguar had been supplied new via Broadway Autos of Cricklewood to J & I Arbiter Ltd. The owner of Drum City and Sound City, Ivor Arbiter was an important part of London's music scene during the Swinging Sixties and famously designed the 'drop - T' logo for The Beatles (for which he was paid £5!). Mr Arbiter kept the E-Type until November 1965. Thereafter, it passed to S.B. Cain, Howard H Measham and Frank Riches. Period photos show the latter racing the Fixed Head Coupe at Oulton Park, Brands Hatch and Blackbushe from late 1967 until 1969 when its clutch failed. Never returned to the road by Mr Riches, '815 FYK' spent the next forty-six years being stored in a lock-up or under a tarpaulin in his back garden. Attracted by the Jaguar's provenance, undoubted originality and low odometer reading of 44,870 miles (a highly credible figure given its lengthy period of inactivity), Warren Classics paid some £57,900 to acquire it.

No stranger to the Jaguar marque, Warren Classics counts several ex-Fullbridge Restoration Company employees among its staff. Stripped to component form, the past year has seen the E-Type exquisitely refurbished to concours award winning condition. Rid of any corrosion, its bodyshell had new metal let-in as appropriate before being carefully, filled, primed and painted. The interior was re-trimmed throughout with the seats receiving new foam inserts as well as new hides. Re-wired, the Fixed Head Coupe also had its steering, suspension and brakes refurbished. Particular attention was paid to the car's panel gaps and its brightwork was rejuvenated. The original 'matching numbers' engine was comprehensively overhauled including a re-bore (0.5mm oversize), cylinder head skim, new water pump, uprated oil pump, fresh 9.1:1 pistons, polished / ported inlets and exhausts, new timing chains and replacement valves / guides / seats / springs etc. Further benefiting from a new in-tank fuel pump, rejuvenated triple SU carburettors and the addition of electronic ignition, the Jaguar has also had its gearbox and back axle overhauled. The instruments were restored and new wire wheels / tyres fitted. Resplendent in its original livery of Carmen Red with Beige leather upholstery, '815 FYK' is described by the vendor as 'surely one of the very best examples anywhere in the world'. Need we say more?