1961 Jaguar E Type Series I

‘Project ZP’

Like prairie fire ripping through the country. That’s how the storied Jaguar test-driver Norman Dewis described the public response to the £2,000 150mph E-type when it was introduced at Geneva in 1961. By the time the doors had shut on the world’s premiere motor show, Jaguar had secured a staggering 500 orders. But the marque’s astute founder Sir William Lyons knew better than to rest on any laurels.

To capitalise on the early wind in the E-type’s sails, at a time when demand was far outstripping supply, early cars were allocated to customers who Lyons knew would fan the publicity flames. And the easiest way to achieve that in the 1960s? You went racing, of course!

These specific E-type Roadsters, just seven in total, were specially prepared for competition and are today known as the ‘Project ZP’ cars. With the Ferrari 250 GT ‘SWB’ and the Aston Martin DB4GT firmly in its sight, Jaguar’s chief designer Claude Baily made a small number of effective changes to the E-type, including adding a close-ratio gearbox, a competition clutch and a lightweight flywheel. The engine underwent perhaps the greatest changes: an experimental ‘gas-flowed’ cylinder head, competition internals, a higher compression ratio and trumpets beside the carburettors. Who doesn’t love trumpets?

“To capitalise on the early wind in the E-type’s sails, at a time when demand was far outstripping supply, early cars were allocated to customers who Lyons knew would fan the publicity flames. And the easiest way to achieve that in the 1960s? You went racing, of course!”

This was genesis. Suffice to say, the E-type forged an incredibly strong record on the racetracks of the world, scoring its first domestic victory a mere month after ‘Project ZP’ was introduced and racking up 24 international podium finishes in total.

Chassis no. 876176 – A tale of two halves

The story of this fabulous 1961 Jaguar E-type 3.8 Roadster is a tale of two halves. The influential East Coast distributor Max Hoffman imported chassis no. 876176 to the United States in November of 1961, finished in Carmen Red over a Black interior. And the car remained happily on the other side of the Atlantic for 50 years, returning to England for the first time in 2011.

Enter DK Engineering. It was then that the renowned British historic-car specialist, which famously forged its reputation with Jaguars rather than the Ferraris for which it’s most closely associated today, encountered chassis 876176. Satisfied with its remarkable originality, DK undertook a comprehensive restoration, opting to prepare the Jaguar to the aforementioned ‘Project ZP’ specification for use in various historic motorsport events.

The brief from the outset was clear: to build a competitive and versatile historic competition car that could contest – and realistically win – on both the racetrack and on road rallies such as the Tour Auto and Modena Cento Ore. The latter required retaining a level of real-world useability on the road.

Upon completion of the exhaustive restoration, this E-type was given the registration ‘492 YUF’ and campaigned by DK Engineering over several years in the fiercely popular Pre ’63 GT series by Motor Racing Legends, Peter Auto’s Fifties’ Legends championship. And with great success, we might add – in fact, in DK’s hands chassis number 876176 never finished outside the top five. 

Most pertinently, this E-type contested the Kinrara Trophy at the world-famous Goodwood Revival on a number of occasions. And won it, not once but twice. The ‘most beautiful race in the world’ is for pre-1962 GT cars and is, like every grid at Goodwood, fiercely competitive. That this Jaguar has triumphed twice is proof of its raw pace and a testament to the technicians who restored and prepared it.

Chassis number 876176’s penultimate owner, a keen historic racing driver with a remarkable collection of significant cars, campaigned the car on a small number of occasions, adding two further victories to its competition résumé at Paul Ricard and Vallelunga. The car’s current FIA Historic Technical Passport is valid until 2031.

Whether you’re a veteran historic racing driver looking to add to your cabinet full of winners’ trophies or looking to stud your calendar with unforgettable historic road rallies, this incredibly versatile competition-specification 1961 Jaguar E-type 3.8 Roadster is the perfect car with which to do so. With its proven track record, this is undoubtedly among historic motorsport’s most successful pre-1963 Jaguar E-types.