1961 Jaguar E-Type Semi-Lightweight
edited by David Barth, 14 December 2008.
Courtesy "The Auto Collections" showroom at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las, Vegas, Nevada, USA. Photos were
taken 5 November 2007.
Chassis number: S875027
Engine number: R-1063-9
This chassis is the third of the "Cunningham Three," the other two being 875015 and 875026. The three chassis were
delivered as a group. This car was built as a standard, steel production car on 24 April 1961 and was originally
registered 9023 DU in the UK. Jaguar factory records indicate it as a "demo."
The car was heavily modified towards light-weight E specifications. It was fitted with a D-type wide-angle cylinder head,
and many body panels were aluminum, including the hood, hardtop, and trunk lid.
It was reportedly fitted with the following:
- Iron block
- Wide-angle head
- Weber carburetors
- Aluminum headlamp covers
- Thick, lower windshield chrome strip
- Jaguar competition wire wheels
- Auxiliary gas tank over the rear axle
- Brake vent under the rear license plate
- Radiator blind
- Mk IX front brakes
In 1973 the car was for sale in Colorado. Around 1974 it was returned to the UK where
it was sold to an owner who had it for about 15 years. Between 1988 and 1993, it changed hands at least three
times, but apparently remained in the UK. In 1993 this car was described by Paul Skilleter as "surely one of the
most original early-sixties racing cars." The car has been reported as having extensive racing history during the
1962-1963 periods, including Daytona in February 1962 and, possibly, run in the 1962 Le Mans test day.
At the time these photos were taken, the price was $3,500,000.
