A 1975 Jaguar E-type heralded as the fastest example in existence has been put up for sale.
The V12-powered car was prepared by Rob Breere and campaigned by Malcolm Hamilton from 1988 to 2001, after having been transformed from a standard road car to near-Group C specification. Its 7.3-litre V12 engine is rated at more than 750bhp, while an equally impressive torque figure of 680lb ft and 1275kg kerb weight ensure it is the quickest E-type on the planet.
A staple of the Aston Martin Owners’ Club Intermarque series for a number of years, the E-type diced with great success against Astons, Porches and Ferrari F40s, as well as a series of notable scraps with the Jaguar XJ220 of Win Percy.
Hamilton’s E-type was campaigned under the race number 88: “We figured the car was twice as good as the Bob Tulles Group 44 car racing in the US and the year was 1988, so we chose 88 as the race number. From then on the number on the door of the car was always the year we were racing in.”
More than 20 different engine configurations were tried throughout the car’s 13-year race history, ranging from 5.3-litre to 9-litre units. Eventually, the 7.3-litre engine was settled on as the best compromise between power, torque and reliability. It’s estimated that the Jaguar could reach 150mph from a standing start in little more than eight seconds, and on to a top speed in excess of 180mph.
