Footnotes

Few self respecting car connoisseurs could ever ignore that iconic 20th Century classic, the E-Type Jaguar. From its sensational launch with 3.8-litre 6-cylinder 'XK' series engine in 1961 to its final expression as the 5.3-litre V12-engined Series III model twenty years later, Coventry's finest was not only an aspirational supercar of its era, but also a generally attainable one – always offering would-be owners tremendous value for money.

George Daniels was a most perceptive and discriminating enthusiast, whose attraction to fine engineering is exemplified throughout his car collection as offered here. He could not possibly have ignored the E-Type line, and here we offer his V12 Series III roadster, this car still retaining its original power unit, with – as a genuine "driver's car" – manual gearbox.

It was in 1971 that Jaguar introduced the Series III with the Walter Hassan/Harry Mundy-developed 5.3-litre two-cam V12 engine which became an industry standard for its combination of smoothly unobtrusive silence, torque and power. The new V12 model was standardized upon the 105-inch longer-wheelbase floor pan of the 2-plus-2 variant, and only roadster and 2-plus-2 models were produced, Jaguar's preceding short-wheelbase Fixed-Head Coupe bodystyle being discontinued.

With the large cross-slatted radiator grille – described by 'Motor Sport' magazine as "a decorative birdcage" – flared wheel arches accommodating wider track and bigger tyres, plus V12 tail badge these Series III cars continued all the American Federal Regulations features of the preceding Series II models while also adopting uprated brakes and power steering as standard. From the new Series' launch in 1971 to the end of production in 1975, some 15,200 were manufactured. Upon launch, the catalogue price of £3,123 for the Roadster and £3,369 for the closed car "offered a ton of motor car for your money..." as one American pundit put it.

A V12 Roadster model, finished in red with black hardtop, was road tested by 'Motor' magazine in November 1971, proving itself to be the quickest Jaguar model up to 100mph that the magazine had ever tested – taking 15.4secs from rest. The car's 0-60mph time was only 6.4secs while it could cover the standing-start quarter-mile in 14.2secs, 0.8sec faster than the original highly-tuned 6-cylinder E-Type road test car of 1961. 'Autocar' magazine declared that the new V12 engine was just "superb, smooth power with virtually no mechanical noise at all (rare for a V12) and with little exhaust noise – from 70mph to 140mph wind noise is by far the loudest sound and even that is by no means excessive". The Series III V12's "natural cruising speed" proved to be around 125mph, and that influential American market publication 'Road & Track' extolled the fact that "...the E-Type is an easy car to drive and is most at home when driven fast...a very predictable car with excellent balance between ride and handling. The ride is soft but very well controlled and even at high speeds there is no tendency towards front end lift or wander. On rough roads most of the squeaks and rattles we've noted on previous E-Types have been eliminated, all the more remarkable when one remembers this is a convertible and not a more rigid coupe....characteristics are forgiving to the inexperienced driver but useful to the more skillful during fast motoring". Most significantly, the American road tesrters added: "The engine is a sheer delight, by itself almost worth the price of admission...The V12 is a lovely piece of machinery, lovely to listen to and behold...The idle is smooth and quiet with none of the busyness one normally experiences from the likes of a Ferrari or Lamborghini V12. And the smoothness lingers throughout the rpm range...".

No surprise then, that the Series III V12 Roadster should appeal to such a lifelong dedicated motorist as George Daniels, the connoisseur with the eye of an artist and the intellect of a precision engineer.

Having sold his 4.2-litre E-Type Series II 2+2 Coupe, Mr Daniels acquired this particular example from a friend in the late 1980s and it is offered here with some 52,300 miles recorded, which is believed to be genuine. It was the one 'classic' that George Daniels used most frequently, commuting between Hereford and the Isle of Man on numerous occasions. A sporting motor car that could cover great distances with the minimum of fuss.

The car features the desirable option of chrome wire wheels and it is offered in quite original order with generally good condition interior furnishing and trim, displaying minor wear, particularly to the driver's seat. The car's red paintwork requires some attention, with evidence of touch-in around some areas plus micro-blistering. Some small dents are evident on the bumpers but nothing is evident that could not be corrected quite economically. Above all, this is not just 'a' Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 Roadster. This is 'the' George Daniels Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 Roadster – a truly iconic classic of the 1970s offering just that little extra cachet.