1973 Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 'Manual' Roadster

Motivating the Series 3 was the first new Jaguar engine since 1948 in the form of an all-aluminium 60-degree V12 developed by Harry Mundy and Walter Hassan. Displacing 5.3-litres, with single overhead camshafts per bank and developing a hefty 272bhp - along with a massive 303lb/ft of torque - the new engine restored much of the performance lost to emissions controls in earlier models.

The E-Type frame was redesigned to accommodate the larger engine with an extended wheelbase, wheelarches expanded to take bigger 15-inch wheels and a larger air intake at the front to feed air into the four Zenith-Stromberg carburettors. Inside, the Jaguar cabin was typically well appointed with full instrumentation, rocker switches and comfortable bucket seats. With a top speed approaching 250km/h and 0-100km/h times of less then 6.5 seconds, the brakes - ventilated discs at the front and solid inboard discs at the rear - were fortunately more than capable of keeping all that potential speed in check.

One of the sexiest sports cars ever built and certainly amongst the most desirable Jaguars of all, the E-Type Roadster still turns heads like few other cars can while the sound of the silky smooth V12 engine from the quad tail pipes is hard to beat and as an investment it remains rock solid.