Then there’s the manual gearbox, which is both crisp and very responsive yet in the searing Middle East heat can get very stiff very quickly. But none of these are my biggest concern about the rear-wheel drive roadster. That would be the stonking great 5.3-litre V12 under the bonnet: a red flag to the crankandpiston bull. A couple of quick blasts to the right pedal soon has our necks whipping backwards and me giggling like a simpleton. It would be all too easy to get carried away.
“She can certainly keep up with traffic(!), but I don’t like pushing her in the lower gears. It doesn’t feel right, since she’s an older girl now. But in third gear and coming onto an interchange or off a bend, she’s still got some power. There’s probably over 300bhp coming out.
“This is the way to drive it, with the roof down. You get a lot of people staring at you, but it’s a great feeling. You can have the driver of a Lamborghini Aventador slow down and give you a thumbs up. That’s pretty cool!
“I love driving it! The only thing I would say is that 99% of people out here don’t understand classic cars. Sometimes I get taxis cutting me up or driving right on the rear bumper. That’s a bit annoying because I think the E-Type deserves more respect than that. I mean, the brakes aren’t as good as a modern car.”
We’ve already attracted quite a few glances, encouraged immensely not only by the fantastic metallic silver paint finish but by the noise escaping from the exhaust valves: there’s a deep burble which soon launches into a mini-growl as the V12 is given a kick with a stirrup. With the roof down, it’s truly immense, and goes a long way to explaining the desirability.
“The E-Type was something I knew I wanted to own one day, and I knew I wanted left-hand drive with air conditioning. So I trawled the internet, and after seven months I managed to find this one in the [United] States. I checked with Jaguar UK to make sure it was genuine then flew to Denver to see the car.
“It’s got a beautiful history. It belonged to a guy for 38 years, who drove it very gently and just put it in exhibitions. He even gave me the original sales invoice and owners manual.”
It’s just as I’m circling a roundabout ready to give the accelerator another blast that I notice a warning light on the panel near my left hand: nope, not a symbol illuminated on the dashboard, a proper bulb. Matthew is unconcerned when I mention it, knowing that the issue is an easy fix and unlikely to cause lasting damage. It’s enough to put the wind up my kilt though, and I call an end to my time behind the wheel.
