A Jaguar E-Type found hiding under a hedge in rural England is headed to auction, but what's most significant about the dusty and shapely coupe might be its first owner.
Sold new to Ivor Arbiter, the owner of Drum City and Sound and London, the E-Type arrived about the time The Beatles were really beginning to take off. Arbiter was a well-known figure in the '60s London music scene, and he's perhaps best remembered for designing the "Drop T" logo for the famous British band.
According to auctioneer COYS, which will offer the E-Type in London next week, Arbiter's firm was paid just £5 for the design that would unquestionably become iconic. Arbiter actually commissioned a local painter, Eddie Stokes, to hand paint the logo during his lunch hour. This was, of course, just before Beatlemania really took off.
As for the E-Type, it was passed between a few owners in the '60s and was parked at some point in 1969.
The still-dusty car arrives at auction at what could be the height of the barn find craze. It will be offered at the Royal Horticultural Society, Lindley Hall, Vincent Square, Westminster, London, on Tuesday, March 8.