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Jaguar XK-E Roadster - The chef and the king

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Created on April 13, 2022

Reading time 4min

Written by:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Bonhams

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Bonhams

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Aus dem Erstbesitz von Steve McQueen

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Steve McQueen schenkte diesen Wagen dem Schweizer Fredy Zurbrügg

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Steve McQueen schenkte diesen Wagen dem Schweizer Fredy Zurbrügg, der ihn 52 Jahre lang behielt

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Lackiert in der Farbe "Silver Grey Metallic"

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Bei diesem Erstbesitzer stört auch das weniger filigrane Heck der Serie 2 nicht

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Obwohl in US-Ausführung, wurde der Jaguar zunächst in England zugelassen

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Aus dem Erstbesitz von Steve McQueen

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Steve McQueen fuhr mit diesem Wagen während der Drehpausen zu "Le Mans" schnelle Runden auf der Strecke

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Nach 52 Jahren zeigt der unrestaurierte Jaguar kleine Macken und Kratzer im Lack

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Auch der Innenraum präsentiert sich bis auf das Radio im Originalzustand

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Die schwarze Lederausstattung ist noch die erste

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Interessant ist der farblich abweichende Meilen-Tachometer mit oranger Skalierung

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – An diesem Lenkrad drehten in 52 Jahren nur Steve McQueen und Fredy Zurbrügg

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – In gedrosselter US-Version leistet der 4,2-Liter-Sechszylinder nach DIN-Norm nur noch 170 PS

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Schwarzer Ventildeckel und silberne Rippen als Merkmal der Serie 2

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Chassis 1R13134 trägt noch den ersten Motor unter der Haube

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Typenschild mit jeder Menge Öl-Spezifikationen und der Fahrgestellnummer 1R13134

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Jaguar XK-E Roadster (1970) – Der McQueen-Wagen 1970 am Set von "Le Mans"

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Summary

There is something to be said for boredom. Sometimes a car that has remained with the same owner for half a century can be more exciting than a four-wheeled challenge cup. This is the story of an English sports car that belonged to an American who came to France to make a movie about German and Italian racing cars and ended up giving his car to a Swiss man.

This article contains the following chapters

The unpopular series two
An American at Le Mans
An exclusive gift
Separation after 52 years

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The special thing about this car is that there is actually hardly anything to say about it. It didn't have a very exciting life, wasn't involved in any scandals or crooked deals and didn't have a famous movie appearance. He even spent the last 52 years with the same owner. But what happened in the five months before that still makes it one of the most sought-after cars of its type today. The second series of the Jaguar E-Type is not necessarily the most popular among enthusiasts. In 1968, the Jaguar had become too comfortable, too bulky, after it had appeared in 1961 as a filigree and ascetic sports car. But those Englishmen who were more likely to close their wax jacket than the convertible top in a sudden downpour have always made up only a negligible proportion of E-Type customers. At 84 percent, Jaguar sold by far the largest share of production in the USA. No wonder that they increasingly adapted the sports car known there as the "XK-E" to American requirements.

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