This E-TYPE is one of only 20 produced and one of 11 still in existence.
Monterey Car Week is about to start. The annual event is a gearhead’s paradise, full of car shows, concourse events, road trips, and auctions. There will be droves of beautiful classic cars at this year’s festivities, but not all of them will be for sale. Although this 1961 Jaguar E-TYPE Fixed Head Coupe (FHC) will be there, it probably won’t be staying on the coast for long. The highest bidder will be taking it home.
There are few cars as beautiful as the graceful and curvaceous Jaguar E-TYPE. This particular car is one of the rarest of an already rare breed. In its auction listing, RM Sotheby’s states, “According to Dr. Michael Mueller, co-author with Dr. Thomas F. Haddock, of the Jaguar E-TYPE 6-Cylinder Originality Guide, of the first 500 Jaguars produced with outside bonnet latches in 1961, 385 were left-hand-drive roadsters and just 20 were fixed head coupes.” Only 18 of those made their ways out of the factory; one was destroyed by Jaguar and another burned up. Over the years, seven of those 18 special cars fell off the grid, leaving only 11 survivors. This car is one of those 11 (#10, to be exact).
To bring this classic cat back to its former glory, a shop in California gave it a complete restoration. It came in in relatively good shape; its body, doors, hood, engine block, gearbox, and even radiator were factory original. Although the cylinder head was not a period-correct part, the restoration team tracked down one with the right date code and installed it. They also added NOS parts where necessary.
This early model has a few unique parts that cars later in the E-TYPE’s production run don’t have, such as its differently sized taillights and smaller gas cap door. Even the rear hinges are different; this E-TYPE features hinges hand-made out of steel whereas later cars have cast aluminum pieces.
It’s a rare machine whose timeless beauty can’t be quantified. However, the desire for it can be. RM Sotheby’s estimates the winning bid will be for an amount ranging from $500,000 to $700,000.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
