COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

A Jaguar described as a collector's dream which went missing for decades could fetch up to £100,000 at auction.



The E-Type car was the 40th right-hand drive coupe to roll off the Jaguar production line in Coventry in 1961.

Chris Routledge from Coys auction house in Ascot, Berkshire, said there had been "international interest" in the car, which was recently found at a derelict farm in France.

"The first 100 Jaguars to be made are very highly sought after," he said.

The car - described as being in good condition - was bought in 1969 by an Anglo-French family and taken to France in 1974, Mr Routledge said.

It is believed to have laid undisturbed in dry storage in "dusty, derelict farm" in Le Mans until it was found last month.

Mr Routledge said: "They're sort of a mythical beasts for enthusiasts, at the time they were all handmade on special order so Jaguar collectors look at the first 100 cars in a different way.

"This particular one - number 40 - was missing for years so it's really set the Jaguar world alight.

"We estimate it to be worth between £20,000 and £40,000 but our feedback from collectors and interest worldwide suggests it could sell for between £80,000 and £100,000."

The auction takes place at Ascot Racecourse at 15:00 BST.

Rare 1961 E-Type Jaguar sells for £88,000



A rare E-Type Jaguar which went missing for decades has sold at auction for more than £88,000.

The car was the 40th right-hand drive coupe to roll off the Jaguar production line in Coventry in 1961.

An anonymous buyer from the south of England bought the car on Saturday afternoon for a total of £88,040, the Ascot-based Coys auction house said.

Estimates put the car's value at £20,000 to £40,000 but auctioneers had said it could go for up to £100,000.

The auction house said the buyer had bought the car for his own private collection but did not know yet whether he would restore it.

A Coys spokesman said there had been international interest in the Jaguar, which had been stored in a "dusty, derelict" farm in Le Mans, France, until it was found last month.

Auctioneers said the car, bought in 1969 and taken to France in 1974, was in need of some restoration but was mainly in good condition.