If Enzo Ferrari calls this car beautiful, you’d better pay attention.
The 60s gave birth to a great many design classics. Booming economies, cultural shifts and gargantuan technological endeavours gave the real feeling that anything was possible and the aesthetics of the time dully shifted in that direction.
The impossible, possible
In 1961 Jaguar did just that. Made the impossible possible, and affordable. The Jaguar E-Type combined jaw-dropping beauty with high-performance, boasting 150 mph top speed, sub-7-second 0 to 60 mph acceleration… and all at a reasonably accessible price.
Straight from the racetrack
The E Type also ushered in a new era in terms of tech. Housed under it’s cutting edge monocoque construction were innovations straight from the race track. Things like disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering and independent front and rear suspension had never been seen in a car at this level and helped to distinguished it amongst its competitor’s. The innovations it ushered in would have the rest of the car industry scrambling to keep up in the years following its release.
One of the main reasons for the E Types looks and innovations is its lineage. The E-Type was born (logically) from the D-Type. The D-Type was developed specifically for the race track and saw great success in the Le Mans 24 hr throughout the 1950s. In 1957, the racing department was handed the task of developing a road-going sports car to replace the XK150 based on the sleek lines of the D-Type.
An instant icon
The E-Type was revealed to the press in the 15 March 1961 and it instantly became an icon of automotive design. It was simply so different from what was currently out there. Sumptuously sleek lines, faired-in headlights and a centred twin exhaust had never been seen. It caused pandemonium. And remember we said it was affordable… how much do you think this design and technological marvel cost? Around 2,250 quid. That is about 40 grand today. You don’t get shit for 40 grand today in terms of a sports car.
Ushering in a new breed
The E Type production ran from 1961 to 1974 and saw three major design iterations in that time. The Series 1 ran from 1961–68, Series 2 from 1968–71 and the Series 3 from 71 to 74. In this time it inspired a new breed of affordable sports cars. It opened up a whole new market and paved the way for cars like the Ford Mustang, MGB and the Triumph Spitfire.
History has agreed with Enzo Ferrari’s assertion and to this day the Jaguar E Type is considered THE most beautiful sportscar ever made. Sports Car International magazine placed the E-Type at number one on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s and it ranked first in The Daily Telegraph online list of the world’s “100 most beautiful cars” of all time.
A bright and green future
The last E Type rolled off the production line sometime in 1974. Even at the time, the car had reached cult status and the years between then and now have done nothing but enhance their appeal. In 2017 some news hit the automotive world that would delight those with a few pennies to spare and an environmentally friendly leaning. Jaguar would be producing E Types with fully electric motors ! They will drop in 2020. So that gives us a few months to rob a bank or win the lottery. Or both.
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