After Jaguar’s utter dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans throughout the 1950s, the engineers at Coventry were tasked with developing a production version of their champion race cars. The new car would borrow heavily from the venerated D-Type, winner of Le Mans a stunning three consecutive times from 1955–1957.

It was the jaw-dropping body design from Malcom Sayer, however, that cemented the E-Type’s legacy with a generation of car enthusiasts. A decorated aerospace engineer, Sayer worked alongside master sheet metal craftsman to develop the E-Type’s stunningly long bonnet, covered headlights, and rear wheel haunches. Performance matched those cherished lines. Road tests of the period found the E-Type capable of rocketing to 60 mph in under seven seconds on its way to a 150-mph top speed.

This 1962 example of Jaguar’s automotive masterpiece is said to have been the recipient of a recent concours-level restoration. Believed to have been purchased new by the consignor’s grandfather, the car was raced in period at Lime Rock and Bridgehampton, where it placed first in quarter-mile acceleration. The consignor’s grandfather, Horace Schaffer, was also featured in period advertisements for Simoniz car wax describing the meticulous care he gave his E-Type, copies of which are included in the sale.

The car retains its numbers-matching engine and cylinder head as confirmed by the accompanying Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate, and it is finished in its factory shade of Opalescent Dark Blue. While originally trimmed in red leather, its interior is now handsomely appointed in biscuit leather.

The car shows many of the desirable hallmarks of early E-Types including flat cabin floors, high-back bucket seats, and aluminum trimmed dash while also sporting several tasteful performance enhancements of upgraded, polished individual air filters and widened 72-spoke wire wheels shod in Pirelli P4000 tires.

Featuring documented history when new, retaining its numbers-matching engine and cylinder head, and finished in a concours-quality restoration, this fixed head coupe checks all the right boxes for the prospective E-Type curator.