“I want that car, and I want it now.” – Frank Sinatra

While Enzo Ferrari famously characterized Jaguar’s E-Type as “the most beautiful car ever made,” it was Ol’ Blue Eyes who accurately described what anyone with a pulse feels upon encountering an E-Type. Indeed, Jaguar’s magnum opus is one of just nine cars on permanent display by New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, who rightfully refer to it as a “sculpture” credited to Sir William Lyons, Malcolm Sayer, and William M. Heynes. The E-Type is, quite simply, one of the most famous and instantly recognizable mechanical shapes ever created.

The E-Type Series 1 4.2-Liter Roadster offered here is documented by the Jaguar Heritage Trust as having been delivered new through Jaguar Cars of New York to Oceana Aerial Surveys of San Marino, California, on 23 December 1965. The famously car-friendly California climate can be credited to the excellent state of preservation in which this reportedly Jaguar spent its first four-and-a-half decades.

Following its sale in the late 2000s, the E-Type was brought to the Jaguar specialists at Classic Showcase of Oceanside, California where its level of preservation provided a perfect candidate for a comprehensive rotisserie restoration. Note that although it retains its numbers-matching body and cylinder head, according to the accompanying Jaguar Heritage Trust certificate, the engine block is a replacement unit numbered 7E1713-9.

Upon completion, the car was shown in three separate Jaguar Club of North America-sanctioned events, achieving a 100-point score every time, and recognized as a JCNA National Champion. It was also a First in Class winner at the Dana Point Concours and the Desert Classic. Most prominently, it was invited by Jaguar to be part of its corporate display on Peter Hay Hill at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was the E-Type selected to share space with a C-Type, D-Type, and the new F-Type—elite company, indeed. It is accompanied by a set of California “black plates,” tools, manuals, and DVDs documenting its restoration.

Few E-Types have ever been restored to this standard, and perhaps none have been so all-conquering on the field. This is not just another E-Type; it is a world-class Jaguar with attention to detail as striking as its very shape.