1962 Jaguar E-Type XKE Roadster

Bought new by Robert Talbot from a dealer in San Francisco, Talbot drove this car and used it for many promotional ads for his line of ladies' clothing. After sitting idle for many years, it was sold to a gentleman outside of Chicago, who undertook a complete disassembly of the car and set about a four-year concours restoration. When completed, he sold the car to a gentleman in South Carolina, where it was shown for two years. He then decided to sell it and consigned it to RM in 2007, where the current owner purchased the car.

The current owner (C. Loper) fell in love with these cars as a kid when his father brought a white one home in 1961 from his British Leyland dealership on Long Island. It was one of the first cars to come to the United States, and the owner's father told him it was sold to one of the drivers from Indianapolis and he was arranging the delivery. Loper was four years old at the time, but many years later he went to the RM Auction at Amelia Island in 2007 to look at a 37 Cord 812 that was for sale. The Cord was a disappointment, but sitting there was this grey E-Type Roadster. He walked around it for quite a while looking it over and remembering the day his dad brought home the white one. He stayed for the auction and was the successful bidder.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2010