1966 Series 1 4.2 Coupe

Highly original following a lifetime in California with just three owners from new (one of whom for 47 years!) and with beautifully preserved interior trim.

Charles H. Hornburg Jr is credited for almost single-handedly introducing North America to Jaguar Cars and, through the attention he drew in supplying Clark Gable his XK120 and employing Phil Hill to race his C-Type, became the go-to guy for Jaguars in Los Angeles.

But you didn’t have to be a celebrity to be a client of Hornburg’s, although it would have almost certainly helped jump the consistently oversubscribed order book he enjoyed. Retailed from Charles’s Beverly Hills showroom, a prime plot at 9334 Wilshire Boulevard, this E-Type Coupe was handed over to its first owner on 3rd November 1966 as indicated by the original and dealer-stamped warranty certificate on file.

Richard A. Hostin was the lucky buyer and his patience was no doubt rewarded on that November day; having been built on the 19th August, the near three-month wait for his Cream Coupe must have been agony.

From his home, the recently completed and very modern Franklin Towers condominium complex, Hostin would have enjoyed unrivalled views of Hollywood Boulevard in its heyday, but the best way of seeing town would have been from behind the wheel of the E-Type kept in the underground garage.

Diligently maintained the E-Type returned to Hornburg’s for servicing and the first five services in the original maintenance book are stamped with the company’s insignia, with a sixth carried out at Brentwood Motors (Hornburg’s other facility in LA, at 1601 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica).

After 5-years with Hostin the E-Type was sold to its second owner in 1971, but relocated just half an hour east of Hollywood. And it was here, with Hugh Davis in South Pasadena, that the E-Type would remain for the next 47 years. Used and enjoyed, yet clearly well looked after, the E-Type has never suffered from being mothballed. The beautiful original interior trim has been retained, as have the matching numbers engine and original Jaguar-factory paint finishes in the engine bay, door shuts, boot floor etc.

Repatriated to the UK in 2018, after 52 years spent in The Golden State, this soulful 4.2-litre Coupe has had just one further owner and is now poised to be your entry ticket to all of the best E-Type 60th Anniversary events in 2021.