Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Roadster, Silver Blue

Jaguar revealed the E-Type in March 1961, and at first it was sold for export only. Malcolm Sayer shaped the body, and under the long bonnet went the 3.8-litre XK straight six on three SU carburettors, rated at 265 bhp. Jaguar claimed 150 mph, though the test cars that reached it ran on racing tyres. The roadster, or open two-seater, was built alongside a fixed-head coupé, and in October 1964 the engine grew to 4.2 litres, with the same claimed power and about 18 per cent more torque. Two details on this model mark it as a Series 1: the glass covers over the headlamps, used until 1967, and the small mouth at the front.

It is painted a pale silver blue metallic, with the hood stowed under a dark blue cover behind the seats. Chrome frames the windscreen and runs along the slim bumpers and their overriders, and the wire wheels carry eared knock-off spinners. At the back the small tail lamps sit above the bumper, with twin exhausts in the centre. The car is shown on a black gloss plinth, raised on posts, and is built at 1:18.