Being part of a private collection for over 20 years has resulted in this 1973 E-type Series 3 having a low mileage and a largely original condition. We take a look at the history of this unique car before driving it
THIS BRITISH Racing Green E-type Series 3 open two-seater, chassis numb, 1524093, started life as an ordinary and wholly unremarkable example. Built on 16 November 1973, it was no differ., from the 3,165 other V12 convertibles produced that year or the 1,985 that were exported to the United States. Dispatched on 18 January 1974 from British Leyland's New York distributor, its first owner was Donald Koll of The Koll Company, a successful Orange County real estate developer who kept the car for over 20 years.
The moment it stopped being just another E-type came in 1994 when the car was sold to the Astor Classics Museum of Anaheim, California. This 100k-square-foot private museum was built up by A, Astor, a successful broadcasting entrepreneur, and consisted of a huge collection of vintage radios, toys, slot machines, jukeboxes plus 275 classic cars. Although these were largely American, there was a handful of British models including all generations of the classic XK and E-type families (including at least two ,her Series 3s) plus several import., vintage Rolls-Royces.
"My first papa, was in 1960, a 1959 XK 150," said Astor about where his passion for the marque came from during a 2006 episode of the Vintage Vehicle Show in the States. "I was an ordinary guy but I was distinguished by my automobile. When I would go to a restaurant, they'd automatically park it at the front of the parking I,. One day I said, 'Would you mind parking this so it's not crushed in the back lot?' And he said, 'This qualifies, no problem'. So I knew right then, a distinguished automobile gets you a good parking place, a lot of friends, a lot of thumbs up and a lot of winks from the girls.
"The majority of Astor's collection was auctioned in 2008 for $15m, but he kept a handful of cars he felt so passionate about that he just couldn't sell. Known as the Devotion Collection, the green E-type was one of two European models, the other being a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL.
Following Astor's death in December 2016, the cars were auctioned the following August and the E-type was bought by a Missouri-based deal, the St. Louis Car Museum, who carried out some light recommissioning. This included a thorough service, new drivebelts, clutch slave cylinder, brake hoses, fuel sender unit, a replacement hood and door seals.
After being bought for $57,750,42,735) in 2018 when it had just 37,208 miles on the clock, the E-type was repatriated back to the UK. It was checked over by a leading Jaguar specialist who reported the car to be in 'exceptional structural condition'. A new set of wire wheels and a stainless-steel exhaust were fitted at this time.
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