A classic 1963 Jaguar was recently sold at Bonhams Scottsdale in the United States for a fuel-injected US$7,37 million (HK$57 million). The new owner – an anonymous telephone buyer – set the record for the most valuable post-1960 Jaguar ever to be sold at auction. It was the highlight of the annual Arizona Auction Week – which saw an overall auction value of US$36 million.
The car, a Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Competition, was also the most valuable E-Type ever sold and a previous Australia GT Championship winner, no less. This particular version, with the chassis number S850667, is renowned for its design and the fact that it’s one of the most original factory Lightweight E-types in the world. As the 10th of 12 models built, it’s an extremely desirable automobile.
The hefty price tag may in part be down to the car’s peachy condition. The previous owner described it as having “never been disassembled or rebuilt in a significant manner.” A Bonhams Group Motoring director, James Knight, was also clearly delighted: “We were applauded by the market for assembling one of the finest selections of cars ever seen at Scottsdale,” he said. Aside from the Jaguar’s impressive sale, the overall auction also achieved an 82 percent sell-through rate – testament to the passion of the discerning motor-heads who attended the upscale car sale.