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Jaguar E-Type
Manufacturer	Jaguar Cars
Parent company	British Leyland
Production	1961–1974
Assembly	Coventry, England
Predecessor	Jaguar XK150
Successor	Jaguar XJ-S
Class	Sports car
Layout	FR layout

Series I
Production	1961–1968
Body style(s)	2-door coupe 2-door convertible
Engine(s)	3.8 L XK I6 4.2 L XK I6

Series II
Production	1969–1971
Body style(s)	2-door coupe 2+2 coupe 2-door convertible
Engine(s)	4.2 L XK I6

Series III
Production	1971–1974
Body style(s)	2+2 coupe 2-door convertible
Engine(s)	5.3 L Jaguar V12

The Jaguar E-type or XK-E is an automobile manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1974. The E-type revolutionised sports car design, with performance, handling and looks ahead of its time. It was priced well below competing models, helping it to high sales for a high performance car. In excess of 70,000 E-types were sold over 14 years.

It is often referred to as the E Type Jaguar.

In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number one on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Series 1 (1961-1968) 1.2 Series 2 (1969-1971) 1.3 Series 3 (1971-1974) 1.4 Low Drag Coupé (1962) 1.5 Lightweight E-type (1963-1964) 2 Notable owners 3 Appearances in Media 4 Trivia 5 See also 6 External links

Overview

The E-type was initially designed and shown to the public as a grand tourer in two seater coupé form (FHC or Fixed Head Coupe) and as convertible (OTS or Open Two Seater). The 2+2 version with a lengthened wheelbase was released several years later.

When released Enzo Ferrari called it "The most beautiful car ever made".

The model was made in 3 distinct versions generally referred to as "Series 1", "Series 2" and "Series 3". A transitional series between Series 1 and Series 2 is known unofficially as "Series 1½".

In addition, several limited-edition variants were produced:

• The "'Lightweight' E-Type" which was apparently intended as a sort of follow-up to the D-type. Jaguar planned to produce 18 units but ultimately only a dozen were reportedly built. Of those, one is known to have been destroyed and two others have been converted to coupé form. These are exceedingly rare and sought after by collectors.
• The "Low Drag Coupé" was a one-off technical exercise which was ultimately sold to a Jaguar racing driver. It is presently believed to be part of the private collection of the current Viscount Cowdray.

Series 1 (1961-1968)

The Series 1 was introduced in March 1961, using the triple SU carburetted 3.8 litre 6-cylinder Jaguar XJ6 engine from the XK150S. The first 500 cars built had flat floors and external hood latches. These cars are rare and more valuable. After that, the floors were dished to provide more leg room and the twin hood latches moved inside the car. The 3.8 litre engine was increased to 4.2 litres in late 1964 to acscomodate accessories favored in the lucrative US market: Air-conditioning and power steering.

All E-Types featured independent rear suspension with toersion bar front ends, and power-assisted disc brakes.Jaguar was the first automanufacturer to equip cars with disc brakes as standard starting with their 1959 model year "Mark 2" sedans.

The Series 1 can be recognised by glass covered headlights (up to 1967), small "mouth" opening at the front, signal lights and tail-lights above bumpers and exhaust tips under the license plate in the rear.

3.8 litre cars have leather-upholstered bucket seats, an aluminium-trimmed centre instrument panel and console (changed to vinyl and leather in 1963), and a 4-speed gearbox that lacks synchromesh for 1st gear ("Moss box"). 4.2 litre cars have more comfortable seats, improved brakes and electrical systems, and an all-synchromesh 4-speed gearbox. 4.2 litre cars also have a badge on the boot proclaiming "Jaguar 4.2 Litre E-type" (3.8 cars have a simple "Jaguar" badge).

A 2+2 version of the coupé was added in 1966. The 2+2 offered the option of an automatic transmission. The body is slightly longer and the roof angles are different. The roadster remained a strict two-seater.

There was a transitional series of cars built in 1967-68, unofficially called "Series 1½", which are externally similar to Series 1 cars. The new features were open headlights, different switches, and some de-tuning (with a downgrade of twin Zenith-Stromberg carbs from the original triple SU carbs) for US models. Some Series 1½ cars also have twin cooling fans and adjustable seat backs. Series 2 features were gradually introduced into the Series 1, creating the unofficial Series 1½ cars, but always with the Series 1 body style.

Series 2 (1969-1971)

Open headlights without glass covers (Earlier cars had problems with misting, despite gaskets), a wrap-around rear bumper, re-positioned and larger front indicators and taillights below the bumpers, better cooling aided by an enlarged "mouth" and twin electric fans, and uprated brakes are hallmarks of Series 2 cars. De-tuned in US, but still with triple SUs in the UK, the engine is easily identified visually by the change from smooth polished cam covers to a more industrial 'ribbed' appearance. Late Series 1½ cars also had ribbed cam covers. The interior and dashboard were also redesigned, with flick switches being substituted for rocker switches that met U.S health and safety regulations. The dashboard switches also lost their symmetrical layout. New seats were fitted, which purists claim lacked the style of the originals but were certainly more comfortable. Air conditioning and power steering were available as factory options. It was available in FHC, OTS, and 2+2 versions.

Series 3 (1971-1974)

A new 5.3 L 12-cylinder Jaguar V12 engine was introduced, with uprated brakes and standard power steering. The short wheelbase FHC body style was discontinued and the V-12 was available only as a convertible and 2+2 coupe. The convertible used the longer-wheelbase 2+2 floorpan. It is easily identifiable by the aggressive, slatted front grill in place of the mouth of earlier cars, flared wheel arches and a badge on the rear that proclaims it to be a V12. There were also a very limited number of 4.2 litre six cylinder Series 3 E-Types built. These were featured in the initial sales literature. It is believed these are the rarest of all E-types of any remaining.

Low Drag Coupé (1962)

Shortly after the introduction of the E-type, Jaguar management wanted to investigate the possibility of building a car more in the spirit of the D-type racer from which elements of the E-type's styling and design were derived. One car was built to test the concept designed as a coupé as it's monocoque design could only be made rigid enough for racing by using the "stressed skin" principle. Previous Jaguar racers were built as open-top cars because they were based on ladder frame designs with independent chassis and bodies. Unlike the steel production E-types the LDC used lightweight aluminium. Sayer retained the original tub with lighter outer panels riveted and glued to it. The front steel sub frame remained intact, the windshield was given a more pronounced slope and the rear hatch welded shut. Rear brake cooling ducts appeared next to the rear windows,and the interior trim was discarded, with only insulation around the transmission tunnel. With the exception of the windscreen, all cockpit glass was plexi. A tuned version of Jaguars 3.8 litre engine with a wide angle cylinder-head design tested on the "D" type racers was used. Air management became a major problem and, although much sexier looking and certainly faster than a production "E" type, the car was never competitive: the faster it went, the more it wanted to do what its design dictated: take off.

The one and only test bed car was completed in summer of 1962 but was sold a year later to Jaguar racing driver Dick Protheroe who raced it extensively and eventually sold it. Since then it has passed through the hands of several collectors on both sides of the Atlantic and now is believed to reside in the private collection of the current Viscount Cowdray.

Lightweight E-type (1963-1964)

In some ways, this was an evolution of the Low Drag Coupé. It made extensive use of aluminium alloy in the body panels and other components. However, with at least one exception, it remained an open-top car in the spirit of the D-type to which this car is a more direct successor than the production E-type which is more of a GT than a sports car. The cars used a tuned version of the production 3.8 litre Jaguar engine with 300 bhp (224 kW)) output rather than the 265 bhp (198 kW) produced by the "ordinary" version. At least one car is known to have been fitted with fuel-injection.

The cars were entered in various races but did not earn any victories in Le Mans or Sebring like their illustrious predecessors.

The Jaguar E-type was very successful in SCCA Production sports car racing with Group44 and Bob Tullius taking the B-Production championship with a Series-3 V12 racer in 1975. A few years later, Gran-Turismo Jaguar from Clevland Ohio campaigned a 4.2 L 6 cylinder FHC racer in SCCA production series and in 1980, won the National Championship in the SCCA C-Production Class defeating a fully funded factory Nissan Z-car team with Paul Newman.

Notable owners

• George Best
• Amanda Blake

Appearances in Media

• Featured in Gran Turismo 4
• Featured in Forza Motorsport 2
• Featured in Test Drive Unlimited
• Austin Powers the movie known as the "Shaguar"

Trivia

In the film, The Italian Job, Charlie Croker's criminal friends drive their pair of Jaguar E-Types (Series I) along with his Aston Martin DB4 Convertible in the Swiss Alps and later got confronted by the mafiosa and their cars were destroyed.

See also

• Jaguar XK150 - predecessor to the E-type
• Jaguar XJS - successor to the E-type
• Ferrari 275 - Another sports car from the era, with a similar heritage.
• Jaguar XK8 - The E Type's current and spiritual successor, despite the XK designation.

External links

• www.xkedata.com Volunteer register with thousands of E-Types and tens of thousands of photos
• www.jaguar-e-type.net (fansite)
• 63' Jaguar "Lightweight E-type" - Interior/ exterior Photos
• Jaguar E-Type history from WebCars
• 64' Jaguar "Aero-Lightweight E-Type" - Original Photos
• The International Jaguar E Type Register
• The Norman Dewis Biography - Norman Dewis famously tested the E-Type as well as being involved in developing some 25 of Jaguar's models
• Eagle E-Type - E-Types modified with modern technology

Jaguar Cars, a subsidiary of Ford since 1989, road and race car timeline, 1940s-1980s  v • d • e																																										Next ->
Type	1940s					1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s
	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Sports				XK120							XK140			XK150			E-type S1							E S2			E-type S3				XJ-S						XJ-S HE
Saloon											Mark 1					Mark 2, 240, 340
																				S-Type											XJ-C
																						420		XJ6 Ser I						XJ6 Ser II						XJ6 Ser III								XJ6 (XJ40)
	Mk IV				Mk V			Mk VII				Mk VIII			Mk IX			Mk X				420G						XJ12		XJ12 S II						XJ12 Ser III
Supercar														Jaguar XKSS
Racing							C-Type			D-Type								E-Type				XJ13										XJ-C		XJ41 XJ42						XJRs
Corporate ownership	Independent																					BMH		British Leyland															Independent					Ford