It's not an unfamiliar story - an important car in an iconic model's history that had dropped off the radar for decades only to be tracked down years later and sold for a small fortune.
The only different with this first-of-its-kind Jaguar E-Type is that his one hasn't been stored in a barn or left to rust in the garden of a dilapidated estate - it belonged to music producer and former Pop Idol judge Pete Waterman for the last three decades.
The unique Series III E-Type sportscar will be sold at auction in the UK in November and is expected to achieve NZ$269,400.
What makes this E-Type so special is that it is thought to be the first Series III E-Type built with a 4.2-litre six-cylinder engine, none of which were sold to the general public.
In fact, just six prototype versions of the third-generation sportscar were made featuring the XK powerplant, with the rest having the larger capacity 5.3-litre V12 powerplant.
And to boot, this was the only 2+2 example - two seats in the front and two at the back - with left hand drive to make it out of the factory, cementing its high-value status today.
The fear that it was lost from records for three decades only makes the fanfare around this car more intense in the classic car world.
After a decade spent in the US, the car slipped off the radar with experts unaware of its whereabouts - Jaguar Enthusiast Magazine even referred to the car as 'a ghost of an E-Type' and 'the one missing link' in a feature published earlier this month.
But it now transpires that in the late 1980s music producer Pete Waterman bought the car and has retained it ever since.
The author, DJ and former television presenter is known for having a collection of extremely valuable C-Type, D-Type and E-Type Jaguars - which suggests he would have been a good person to check with in the time it was thought to have gone missing.
In the time it's been unaccounted for by Jaguar enthusiasts, it certainly hasn't been trotting the globe.
With just 86,600km on the clock from new, it reportedly spent most of its time in dry storage along with the rest of Mr Waterman's fleet.
H&H Auctions' description of the car says it has recently been repainted but the rest remains largely original, including the engine.
After being unearthed from the form Pop Idol judge's collection, it seems he's happy to part with it as it will be sold on November 15 as part of the Duxford sale.
Auctioneers have put an estimate of $269,400 on its roof - that's more than twice the $124,490 valuation of pristine Series III E-Type 2+2 Coupes of the same generation.
-Daily Mail
