A rare 1961 Jaguar E-Type ‘Flat Floor' Roadster which has sadly been sitting in a garage for more than 30 years has just been found in the UK. Praise the car gods!
This Jaguar E-Type was the number #60 to leave the production line and is one of the earliest 3.8-liter right hand drive E-Type roadsters out there. This particular model has remained un-restored and only has 65,000 miles original miles. These early E-Types were labelled ‘flat floor’ due to the lack of a dropped floor area that increased the leg room and was added in subsequent cars. (Probably would have been better to keep a flat floor in my opinion.)
The Jaguar E-Type was estimated to auction for £20-30,000 British pounds at Bonhams’ RAF (Royal Air Force) Museum sale on April 29th. This Jaguar actually fetched £110,000, which is roughly $171,000 US dollars and more than three times the highest pre-sale estimate.
The restoration will be undertaken by Classic Motor Cars of Bridgnorth (CMC). “Chassis No. 60 will be undergoing a full nut and bolt CMC restoration. We will restore every detail of the car to bring it back to the original specification. Once finished, it will be just as it left the factory.” said Nick Goldthorp, Managing Director of CMC. He also added that, “The amazing about this E-Type is that every original part is there, although in a very rusty and corroded condition.”
Recently Jaguar unveiled the grandchild sot-to-speak of the E-Type, the Jaguar F-Type. To celebrate the new sports car Jaguar made a movie short film starring the Jaguar F-Type, Damian Lewis, Shannyn Sossamon, and Jordi Molla.
CMC is famous for having restored some of the most historic Jaguar E-Type models, which include Lofty England’s Chassis No. 4, the Lindner-Nocker Lightweight and 1VHP, and the first right hand drive Jaguar E-Type off the production line.
Pretty sweet Barn Find! While an Jaguar E-Type is pretty cool, do you remember the Lee Hartung Collection? Wish I could stumble upon something that is sweet as that.
Sir,
Not too long ago I sold RHD FHC #005 after an exhaustive, nut-and-bolt restoration. Been kicking myself ever since. Will this vehicle be available for sale?
Best,
Rich
That’s cool you restored a Jaguar E-Type Rich. How long did it take you? What did you sell your E-Tyep for once you had it restored?
Not sure if this E-Type will be available for sale but I assume Classic Motor Cars will sell this right hand drive “Flat Floor” Jaguar E-Type. It will probably go for a lot of money too.
Wish I had the skills and knowledge to do a restoration. I really like the predecessor to the E-Types, the Jaguar XK series. Especially the Jaguar XK120! 🙂