1961 Jaguar Kougar Roadster

In the mid-1970s, Englishman Rick Stevens decided to build his own sports car using the power train and chassis parts salvaged from his 1960s Jaguar S-Type sedan. Stevens created a tube frame chassis and fitted many of the components from the S-Type. The result of his work was called the Kougar.

The design inspiration for the Kougar came from the 1950 Healey Silverstone and the pre-war Frazer Nash TT Replica. Another vehicle that lent its design inspiration was the Jaguar-powered HWM racer of the mid-1950s.

An aluminum-bodied Kougar prototype was built in 1976 and then fabricated fiberglass molds were used for production examples. With a plethora of Jaguar donor sedans sitting in garages and scrap yards, Stevens was able to build approximately 315 examples. Most of the Kougars were finished/complete cars and some were kits.

The company, located in Rye, East Sussex, England, is still in business. Spare parts are still available and an active Kougar Owners Club in England offers support.

This example finished in red, has spent the last 3 decades in a climate-controlled environment. The car was built using a 1961 Jaguar sedan as a source for parts. It is powered by a dual-carburetor six-cylinder Jaguar engine offering 220 horsepower. It has a four-speed manual transmission and four-wheel disc brakes.

The car has spent much of its life between Southern California and Mexico and has never been driven in wet or humid weather. It has been treated to a restoration several years ago which included a mechanical refurbishment. The exhaust system was upgraded to stainless steel and the exterior was refinished using modern urethane materials.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona. it was estimated to sell for $70,000 - $90,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $74,800 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2012