2024-10-02 18:22:18 | pauls writes:

Car offered at:

www.classicdriver.com/en/car/jaguar/e-type-si/1961/1024155

Seller's description:

Chassis no. 876176 – A tale of two halves

The story of this fabulous 1961 Jaguar E-type 3.8 Roadster is a tale of two halves. The influential East Coast distributor Max Hoffman imported chassis no. 876176 to the United States in November of 1961, finished in Carmen Red over a Black interior. And the car remained happily on the other side of the Atlantic for 50 years, returning to England for the first time in 2011.

Enter DK Engineering. It was then that the renowned British historic-car specialist, which famously forged its reputation with Jaguars rather than the Ferraris for which it’s most closely associated today, encountered chassis 876176. Satisfied with its remarkable originality, DK undertook a comprehensive restoration, opting to prepare the Jaguar to the aforementioned ‘Project ZP’ specification for use in various historic motorsport events.

The brief from the outset was clear: to build a competitive and versatile historic competition car that could contest – and realistically win – on both the racetrack and on road rallies such as the Tour Auto and Modena Cento Ore. The latter required retaining a level of real-world useability on the road.

Upon completion of the exhaustive restoration, this E-type was given the registration ‘492 YUF’ and campaigned by DK Engineering over several years in the fiercely popular Pre ’63 GT series by Motor Racing Legends, Peter Auto’s Fifties’ Legends championship. And with great success, we might add – in fact, in DK’s hands chassis number 876176 never finished outside the top five.

Most pertinently, this E-type contested the Kinrara Trophy at the world-famous Goodwood Revival on a number of occasions. And won it, not once but twice. The ‘most beautiful race in the world’ is for pre-1962 GT cars and is, like every grid at Goodwood, fiercely competitive. That this Jaguar has triumphed twice is proof of its raw pace and a testament to the technicians who restored and prepared it.

Chassis number 876176’s penultimate owner, a keen historic racing driver with a remarkable collection of significant cars, campaigned the car on a small number of occasions, adding two further victories to its competition résumé at Paul Ricard and Vallelunga. The car’s current FIA Historic Technical Passport is valid until 2031.

Whether you’re a veteran historic racing driver looking to add to your cabinet full of winners’ trophies or looking to stud your calendar with unforgettable historic road rallies, this incredibly versatile competition-specification 1961 Jaguar E-type 3.8 Roadster is the perfect car with which to do so. With its proven track record, this is undoubtedly among historic motorsport’s most successful pre-1963 Jaguar E-types.

Price: 295,000 (GBP)