Classic car collector Jim Duncan is the proud owner of a “very rare” 1973 Jaguar.
“We took it to a big Jaguar celebration in Invercargill a couple of years ago,” Mr Duncan said.
He estimated there were between 400 and 500 cars at the national rally.
His Jaguar was the only one of its kind at the event.
“It’s a Mark 3 E-type Jaguar V12 manual.”
It was the manual gearbox that made it so special.
“Most [Jaguars] were made for the US so they are auto. This was made for the English market.”
This suited him well, as he preferred to drive manual.
“You’ve got to play with the gear stick in a car like that.”
He estimated that he and his brother Paul Duncan had about 60 classic cars in their jointly owned collection.
Among these, the Jaguar was one of his favourites.
“Driving-wise, it would come about second.”
The car was an investment piece.
“It was the dearest car we ever bought.”
The Gore-based brothers bought the Jaguar 15 years ago from two Auckland brothers who, like them, were keen collectors of cars.
He estimated the car would have increased 30% in value since then.
“If we put it on a ship to England, we’d probably get a quarter of a mil for it.”
His favourite thing about the car was the power it had.
It had a 5.3 litre engine and a power output of “about 250” hp.
His least favourite thing was the fuel consumption, which made it inefficient.
“It’s not the sort of thing you drive every day.”
It was in good condition and was still wearing its original coat of red paint.
He took the car for a spin every couple of months.
The Ensign Motoring
