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Pic: H&HClassics/BNPS

Early cars had this 3.8 litre straight six engine.

Birth of a legend - One of the earliest surviving E-Type Jaguars is coming up for auction, but you'll need very deep pockets to buy the classic motor.

Only the 64th convertible to roll off the production line in 1961, the rare survivor is estimated to sell for nearly £400,000.

The convertible was one of just 92 to be built in it's earliest specification, described by rival boss Enzo Ferrari as the 'most beautiful car in the world', when Jaguar released this game-changing model.

It is not known how many of those survive today, but it is thought to be significantly fewer than left the factory.

The blue beauty is to sell with H&H Classics, who have described it as 'the E-Type in its purest form'.