LONDON.- The H&H Classics sale at the Imperial War Museum Duxford on October 12th features an E-Type barnfind set to return to life. The car is offered from a deceased estate. The late owner bought it in the 1970 for his wife and since the mid 70’s it has been stored and unused for years.
The car is offered with its original hand book, warranty card and service book containing eight entries up to the 20,000-mile service in November 1965 at 20,207 miles and also five old MOT certificates, the last dated 1973/74 at 50,000 miles.
The E-Type was supplied new by Byatts of Fenton, Jaguar distributor for Stoke on Trent (hence its ‘RF’ Staffordshire issued number plate). It has had three private keepers from new. First - F Fradley Ltd of Hanley, Staffordshire; second – Arthur Henry Brooks of Leek, Staffordshire; and third – the deceased vendor of Staffordshire who then moved to Cheshire in the late 70’s. The car’s odometer displays a credible 52,738 miles.
The family of the owner were on hand to witness the car being towed from its storage barn by H&H technicians. Not surprisingly it was an emotional occasion says Damian Jones, Head of Sales at H&H Classics. The car is estimated to sell for £35,000 to £45,000 at Duxford next month.
Damian Jones says: “Considering the perennial popularity of the immortal E-Type Jaguar, it's extraordinary how many have been confined to barns over the years and are only now resurfacing to the delight of new would-be owners. So, if you missed the last one for some reason, take due heed of 'PRF 935B', a delightfully unmolested late 3.8-litre Coupe that's just been exposed to the full light of day for the first time in c.40 years and not even been started for c.15.
Finished in Red matched to a Grey interior, it was apparently supplied new by Byatts of Fenton (then the Jaguar dealer for the Stoke-On-Trent area) to F. Fradley Ltd of Hanley, Staffs, since when it has had just two private keepers - namely Arthur Henry Brooks of Leek, Staffs, and the deceased husband of the vendor, who purchased it for his wife in 1970. At the time they too were Staffordshire based, but moved to Cheshire in the late '70s; so it's fair to surmise that most of the E-Type's miles have been accrued in and around the Staffordshire area and it's pleasing to note it retains its original Staffs registration number.
It's fair to say 'PRF 935B' will take a lot of restoration work at a not inconsiderable cost, but the opportunity to acquire an apparently complete and unmolested right-hand drive 3.8 Coupe, of which only 1,798 were made, will doubtless set many a pulse racing.
A 1959 XK150 SE 3.4 Litre Drophead Coupe, estimated to sell for £135000 – 165000.
This highly desirable 'home market' special equipment model pleasingly retains matching chassis and engine numbers. It has covered less than 200 miles since emerging from a meticulous, show quality restoration by marque specialists XK Engineering.
Damian Jones says: It is the nicest example we have encountered and uprated with a later four-speed manual plus overdrive gearbox.
The final iteration of the XK sportscar line and the last Jaguar to carry a separate chassis, the XK150 was introduced in May 1957. While its use of independent torsion-bar front suspension, a 'live' leaf-sprung rear axle and rack-and-pinion steering mirrored the practice of its XK140 predecessor, the new model benefited from the option of all-round Dunlop disc brakes (though, in practice very few - if any - cars were delivered with drum brakes). Stylistically, the newcomer was brought up-to-date with less ostentatious curves and a larger, wrap-around single piece windscreen. The dashboard too was altered eschewing wood trim for padded leather. With the E-type still very much under development, Jaguar was keen to sustain the sporting reputation that a remarkable five Le Mans victories (1951, 1953, 1955, 1956 and 1957) had earned it.
Initially powered by a 3442cc derivative of the marque's race-proven DOHC straight-six engine, the XK150 could be had in Fixed-Head Coupe, Open Two-Seater (Roadster) or Drophead Coupe guises. More expensive than the other bodystyles, the soft-top coupe boasted occasional rear seats and a fully lined hood. Ticking the 'Special Equipment' box on the order form resulted in the following upgrades: B-type cylinder head, overdrive, twin-exhaust system and wire wheels. With a claimed 210hp on tap, the 'SE' 3.4 Litre cars were reputedly capable of 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds and 124mph. Total right-hand drive XK150 Drophead Coupe production is thought to have amounted to just 663 cars (for both 3.4 litre and 3.8 litre variants). Unsurprisingly, survivors are highly prized by collectors.
