The unique and celebrated prototype Jaguar ‘E2A’ as driven by no fewer than four of the world’s greatest racing drivers is to be offered for the first time at auction, headlining Bonhams & Butterfields’ annual Quail Lodge sale, in California, on 15 August 2008. It is expected to fetch in excess of $7-million.

Presented in wonderfully original and unspoiled ex-works condition, this unique and immensely important British sports-racing legend has been lovingly preserved in just one family ownership for over 40 years and – extraordinarily - it is in effect a one-owner car ex-works.

By 1960 Jaguar had won the world’s most prestigious motor race, the Le Mans 24-Hours, no fewer than five times; twice with its original competition-tailored C-Type and three times with the tail-finned D-Type.

Jaguar had withdrawn from fully-focused works team competition after 1956, but had continued to maintain a racing presence through such customer teams as
Briggs Cunningham’s in America, and Ecurie Ecosse in the UK.

Now company head Sir William Lyons had decreed that it was time for the marque’s phenomenal sporting pedigree to benefit production with an all-new semi-monocoque chassised design which was to emerge in 1961 as the Jaguar E-Type. One prototype for this model – the ‘missing link’ between D-Type and E-Type – emerged as ‘E2A’, a powerful fuel-injected 3-litre sports-racing two seater which was to be raced by famous American sportsman Briggs Cunningham’s experienced team at Le Mans in 1960.

The new ‘E2A’ was to test several features of the forthcoming E-Type production model, not least its independent rear suspension system in place of the live-axle featured in both the C-Type and D-Type designs. Visually the new car’s tail-finned rear bodywork recalled the charismatic D-Type, while its handsomely proportioned one-piece forward bodywork presaged the lovely lines of the forthcoming E-Type.

The Jaguar experimental department at Brown’s Lane, Coventry, completed the car in February 1960, powered by an aluminium-block fuel-injected 3-litre 6-cylinder engine. It was subsequently finished for the Cunningham team in their famous American racing colours, white overall with two parallel centreline stripes in dark blue.

In the 1960 Le Mans 24-Hours, that June, Cunningham entrusted this unique beauty to the incredibly strong driver pairing of the contemporary BRM Formula 1 team’s ex-Ferrari star Dan Gurney and veteran multiple SCCA Champion Walt Hansgen.  They ran the car successfully well into the night-section of the long race, but fuel injection pipe failures created a weak mixture which caused burned pistons and a blown cylinder head gasket. The car was forced into retirement after completing 89 laps of the historic Sarthe circuit.  In the April Test weekend at Le Mans, Walt Hansgen had set 2nd fastest lap time overall in ‘E2A’ – averaging some 125mph and splitting the Ferrari factory team’s latest model 3-litre V12-engined 250 Testa Rossa Indipendente sports-racing cars. Indeed, one of E2A’s great strengths was its straight-line speed. Aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer was quoted as saying E2A was geared to achieve 200 mph at 7,000 rpm and later told Roger Woodley that she managed 6,800 rpm on the Mulsanne Straight – an incredible 194.29mph.