He Wasn’t Searching for This Iconic Jaguar. It Found Him.

William Baker of Beverly Hills, Calif., a real-estate agent specializing in historic homes and the architecture director of the global real-estate firm The Agency, on his 1966 Jaguar E-Type 4.2, as told to A.J. Baime.

Two years ago, out of the blue, a couple friends who work for a car auction site called me. They said, “Hey, we know of this Jaguar E-Type. If you’re looking for a great car and a highly unusual story, you should see it.”

They sent me a link. I looked at the pictures. I placed a bid. Then, my phone mysteriously locked up. I called my friends and said, “Look, I don’t know what’s going on. I think I placed a bid.” Turns out, I won the auction. 

I had immediate buyer’s remorse. What did I know about a Jaguar E-Type? I had never even sat in one. I didn’t have a good mechanic for it. But my friends said, “You’re not going to believe the story about this car. It’s located in La Jolla [just outside San Diego]. It’s been owned by the same family for 50 years.”

This car had been seized by the DEA in a drug bust, and later purchased in New Jersey in 1972. The new owner drove it from 1972 to 1977, then put it in storage. When he died, his son wanted to honor him by getting the car out on the road while keeping it original, cosmetically. He had put tens of thousands of dollars into the car. And now, he was selling it. 

What is the E-Type? Built in Britain, it was an icon of the ’60s and ’70s. [Jaguar built this model from 1961 to 1974.] Enzo Ferrari [founder of the eponymous Italian car company] had reportedly called it the most beautiful car in the world. An E-Type was the third automobile placed in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This particular one had gray paint—a color I love on cars because it really shows off the architectural lines. 

I called the car’s owner (the son of the man who had bought it in 1972) and we talked. Then, a friend and I drove to see the car. When we pulled up in La Jolla, there it was. I met the guy. At the kitchen table, his 70-something-year-old mother was sitting with a pile of paperwork, including the $2,300 bill of sale from 1972. The more we talked, the more second thoughts I was having. 

I said, “This car is amazing.” And it was. Cosmetically, it was original down to the rubber on the wiper blades. “This car needs to stay in your family,” I said. “I can’t buy this car.”

The mom said, “My son talked to you and he got a good feeling. When we learned that you are a real-estate agent that specializes in historic homes, we thought you would be a good caretaker for this car.” I said, “You know what? I will take great care of it.” And I have ever since.

Soon after I bought this car, I had a crazy idea. I went online and submitted an application for The Quail, one of the more prestigious car events in the world. The Jaguar was accepted, so a year ago this August, it was prominently displayed between a Mercedes Gullwing and a helicopter with a custom interior inspired by a rare Bentley motorcar. 

The E-Type is a very analog driving experience. No air conditioning. No power steering. The 4.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine is robust. In the ’60s, Jaguar claimed the E-Type could hit 150 mph; I have not driven it that quickly. I take it through Malibu Canyon, and I use it to organize tours for other car owners to see historic homes in the area. 

I tell my clients that the perfect house will find you. And I’m finding it is the same way with collectible cars.

Write to A.J. Baime at [email protected].