Series 1 Roadster

Note the small grille opening, covered headlights, slender bumpers, and tail lights still perched above the rear bumpers, all indicative of the Series 1 cars and making it one of the prettiest of all.
The biscuit leather buckets invite you to come in and stay a while, and with the 1965 upgrades, they became more comfortable for longer trips. The 4-speed manual gearbox is almost as silky as the bodywork. Toggle switches control all the secondary functions, and big, round Smiths gauges are a right British way to monitor the engine. That Moto-Lita steering wheel is real wood, and sumptuous carpets give it a plush, luxurious feeling inside. This car also includes a rare Blaupunkt AM/FM radio. There's not a lot of trunk space, but enough for a weekend getaway, and the black convertible top fits snugly when you need it in an emergency. It comes with an original hardtop, unrestored but nice.

The Series 1 cars got a nice bump in performance thanks to a revised 4.2 liter DOHC inline-six. Still silky smooth and willing to howl to redline in every gear. Polished cam covers and a gold spark plug valley easily identifies this as an early car, not a SII, and all the wonderful Jaguar details are still there, like a trio of side-draft SU's (SII cars dropped to only two carbs). It's equipped with SS exhaust manifolds and fires easily with a racy growl from the twin tailpipes, and pulls with the ferocity of a much bigger engine. You'll be pleased to note the chassis is beautifully detailed but it has been driven, so you aren't erasing perfection, and it wears whitewall radials on gorgeous chrome wire wheels.

It is as fast as it is beautiful, and thanks to a high-quality restoration, this E-Type roadster can be driven and shown anywhere with confidence.