The most successful sportscars more often than not combine three vital characteristics: good looks, eye-opening performance, and relative affordability. The Jaguar E-Type was in many ways a pioneer of all three, boasting an achingly beautiful body sculpted by Malcolm Sayer, a true top speed of 150 mph thanks to its XK-derived 3.8-litre straight-six, and a price tag of just £2,098, significantly undercutting almost all of its rivals. The car was a box office hit from the moment it was revealed to the public at the 1961 Geneva International Motor Show, and its stock has only risen since. An icon of design, it’s difficult to think of a machine more celebrated by both laymen and enthusiasts.

Like many great designs, the E-Type was perfected in the months and years after its launch via several revisions introduced to make the car more user friendly. Among the earliest changes was the move away from flat floors to increase legroom, but the biggest departure came later in the Series 1’s life with the introduction of a 4.2-litre variant of the famed straight-six engine along with an all-synchromesh four-speed manual gearbox.

While the earliest ‘flat-floor’ E-Types are the most celebrated, the Series 2 is without doubt the most refined. Stylistic changes amounted to a larger mouth, open headlamps, larger rear light clusters and wrap-around bumpers, though more significant for the enthusiast was the addition of reclining seats, optional power steering, and even air conditioning for left-hand-drive markets.

Chassis 1R1364 is a wonderful example of the Series 2, specified in desirable Roadster layout and configured in right-hand drive. According to an accompanying Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT) certificate, the car was completed at the firm’s Browns Lane works on 11 September 1969. Finished in Cream with a contrasting Black interior and soft-top and fitted with a desirable four-speed manual gearbox, the E-Type was despatched on 7 October, making the relatively short 95-mile journey from Coventry to distributing dealer Ernest W. Hatfield in Sheffield.

This sharp and well specified E-Type later joined The Factory Fresh Collection. Today, the car is smartly finished in black with a matching soft-top and red leather interior, while it retains its matching-numbers chassis and engine.