Jaguar E-Type

Jaguar E-Type
1961 E-Type Series 1 3.8-Litre roadster, the first production model of this open two-seater
Overview
ManufacturerJaguar Cars
Also calledJaguar XK-E
Jaguar V-12
Production1961–1974[1]
AssemblyCoventry, England
DesignerMalcolm Sayer[2][3]
Body and chassis
ClassSports car
LayoutFMR layout
RelatedJaguar D-Type
Jaguar XJ13
Chronology
PredecessorJaguar XK150
SuccessorJaguar XJ-S

The Jaguar E-Type, or the Jaguar XK-E for the North American market, is a British front mid-engined sports car that was manufactured by Jaguar Cars Ltd from 1961 to 1974. Its combination of exceptional aesthetics, advanced technologies, high performance, and competitive pricing established the model as an icon of the motoring world. The E-Type's claimed 150 miles per hour (240 km/h) top speed,[4] sub-7-second 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) acceleration, largely unitary body construction, front and rear independent suspension with disc brakes, mounted inboard at the rear, and rack-and-pinion steering, distinguished the car and spurred industry-wide changes.[5]

The E-Type was based on Jaguar's D-Type racing car, which had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for three consecutive years beginning in 1955.[6]

The E-Type employed what was, for the early 1960s, a novel design principle, with a front subframe carrying the engine, front suspension and front bodywork bolted directly to the body tub. No ladder frame chassis, as was common at the time, was needed and as such the first cars weighed only 1,315 kg (2,899 lb).[7]

It is rumored that, on its debut on 15 March 1961,[4] Enzo Ferrari called it "the most beautiful car ever made", but this statement is not fully confirmed.[8] In 2004, Sports Car International magazine placed the E-Type at number one on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.[9] In March 2008, the Jaguar E-Type ranked first in The Daily Telegraph's online list of the world's "100 most beautiful cars" of all time.[10]

  1. ^ "Jaguar E-type Lightweight revealed". Evo. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014.
  2. ^ MOMA
  3. ^ "Loughborough graduate honoured". Lboro.ac.uk. 15 July 2010. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b New Jaguar Car Has Top Speed of 150 M.P.H. The Times, Wednesday, 15 Mar 1961; p. 7; Issue 55030
  5. ^ Jaguar Model Guides: The E-Type Archived 1 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine, www.jcna.com, accessed 1 October 2019
  6. ^ "24 Hours of Le Mans | ACO - Automobile Club de l'Ouest". 24h-lemans.com. 17 June 1928. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  7. ^ "1964 Jaguar XKE E-Type (XKE, Series 1, S1, 4.2)". Conceptcarz. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  8. ^ Classic Car Review 1964, article by Sean Curtis[citation needed]
  9. ^ "Ten best Sports Cars of the '60s", Sports Car International. May 2004. Issue 162. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
  10. ^ "100 most beautiful cars". The Daily Telegraph. UK. 10 September 2008. Archived from the original on 12 February 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.