The Jaguar E-Type is 60 years old, can you believe it? In 1961, Jaguar released the much-loved E-Type, a replacement for the previous aging XK150. The E-Type stunned people when launched at the Geneva Motorshow back in 1961, and rumored that Enzo Ferrari called it “the most beautiful car ever made.” Though, this quote has not been validated. The car brought in so much attention on launch, that a Jaguar employee had to bring in another car to Switzerland through the night just to accommodate test drives.
Initially, the car was export-only but domestic UK versions followed 4 months after the launch in March. The E-Type was based on Jaguar’s D-Type racing car, which by the way won three consecutive Le Mans titles. That sure is some proper pedigree. The E-Type was styled by Malcolm sayer and technical director, William Heynes. What a job these two gentlemen did because in many “top 10,20,50,100, etc sports cars” lists this car usually comes out on top.
Three generations of E-Type were created. The last models came with a 5.3 V12 only whilst the first and second models were powered by 6-cylinder engines. In America, this car was known as the XK-E.
There is just so much to talk about the E-Type. I mean where do we even start? The car wasn’t built very well at all, but it looked spectacular. Far better than any Ferrari at the time, plus it was also far cheaper than any Ferrari too. This is the car that really put Jaguar and English car manufacturing on the map.
picture via: autocar.co.uk
The Dawn Of The Series 1
The Series One E-Type is the most loved version of this car. It was beautiful and there were no compromises in the design which the other two later E-Rtpes had to face due to safety regulations. The series one was powered originally by a 3.8 inline-6. However, in October 1964 the engine capacity was increased to 4.2 liters for extra torque.
Both the 4.2 and 3.8-liter cars have 265hp and a 0-60 of 6.7 seconds. The 4.2 though had 283 lb-ft of torque, whilst the 3.8 had 240. Flat out this car could do around 153 mph which back in the 1960s was very quick indeed. All Series One E-Types too included independent coil rear suspension, all-around disc brakes which were all power-assisted and torsion front bar ends. The Coventry Jaguar factory spared nothing trying to make this car a revolution and technology.
The original cars had a flat floor design and external hood latches. These cars are the most valuable, since later on Jaguar dished out the floor for extra legroom, and the twin hood latches were put inside the car. One of these “flat floor” examples went for $528,000 at auction a few years ago in 2014. A special racing one of twelve lightweight model went for over $7 million.
The Series One was the purest form of E-Type. The engine sounded incredible, the 4-speed manual gearbox was a joy (but very unreliable) and the whole car looked timeless. Today though, a Series One would struggle due to more traffic. These cars were very prone to overheat, but isn’t that like any other sports car from this era?
Arrival Of The Series Two.
Due to changing US NHTSA mandates, Jaguar in 1968 had to introduce a few new design chnages. These included things like the absence of the headlight covers which was very distinctive indeed. This affected all imported cars into the US. Unlike other cars though, Jaguar applied this change to all cars sold worldwide.
The front grille was larger too which made the car look a tad more modern. Then the front idnicators were enlarged, the taillights were repositioned and two twin electric fans were fitted to aid with cooling. All in all though, the series two looked pretty much like the series one.
Enthusaists can easily tell a Series Two engine. The reason why, is that the cam covers are now finished in a ribbed more industrial look rather than the previous smooth finish. In the US, the engine was de-tuned from 265hp to 246hp and troque dwon from 284 lb-ft to 263lb-ft. The engine remained the same 4.2 naturally spirated inline-6.
Series Two vehicles are still worth a lot of money. Not as much as the Series One but I have seen many go for over six figures.
The Finale With The Series Three
The third and final series of the E-Type was very different. It featured a different nose, a different engine and different driving dynamics. It was more of a grand tourer now than a sports car plus the wheelbase was only availble in long specification. As a cruiser this car was far better. The 5.3 liter V12 was very smooth, the car had power steering and inside the cabin was more spacious.
The car also now had four exhaust tips to accomodate the V12. It pushed out 272hp and did a 0-60 in less than 7 seconds. Not much quicker than the inline-6 but the V12 was introduced when engine size was something to truly show off about. Having a 12 cylinder car was a luxury.
The exterior changes included a new slatted front grille, US cars had larger rubber vumper overiders (smaller in Europe), and US models also had side indicators. In my opinion, the design of the Series-3 E-Type is not very nice at all. I just feel it had lost it’s charm by then. It had turned into something to appeal to Americans mostly with its bigger engine.
It’s also pretty unreliable. Plus spares for that V12 are not cheap.
60 Years On, Where Are We Today?
The closest car Jaguar has ever made to the E-Type since, is the F-Type. That’s a smaller sportier car with E-Type style lines. However, the F-Type isn’t some knock-off tribute act of the E-Type at all. Instead, it takes teh charm of that car and puts it in a modern sportscar.
The best engined F-Type for me is the V6 supercharged. It sounds incredible plus it hallmarks back to the original inline-6. Unfortunately, you cannot buy a new F-Type in V6 form. Only inline-4 and V8 engines are available which is a shame. The V8 Supercharged F-Type is far too loud and also a tad bonkers. Though it is very fast. The 4-cylinder turbo is nice but a tad slow.
Jaguar actually recenbtly did remake some E-types in celebration for its 60th anniversary. Jaguar has also created a new F-Type 60th anniversary model honoruing it’s predacessor’s birthday. Other comapnies such as Eagle coachbuilding over the years have also made some beautiful E-Types such as the Low Drag GT.
But to conclude, happy birthday to what is one of the best cars ever made. A drea, car for millions of peopple, it’s one of only two gas cars Elon Musk owns. Now, that’s telling you something.