Front view of an E-type Jaguar on display in the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club area at the Silverstone Classic 2016.
The Jaguar E-Type, or the Jaguar XK-E for the North American market, is a British sports car, which was manufactured by Jaguar Cars Ltd between 1961 and 1975. Its combination of beauty, high performance, and competitive pricing established the marque as an icon of 1960s motoring. At a time when most cars had drum brakes, live rear axles, and mediocre performance, the E-Type sprang on the scene with 150 mph and a sub-7 second 0–60 time, monocoque construction, disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, independent front and rear suspension, and unrivaled looks. The E-Type was based on Jaguar's D-Type racing car which had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three consecutive years (1955–1957) and, as such, it employed the racing design of a body tub attached to a tubular framework, with the engine bolted directly to the framework. In March 2008, the Jaguar E-Type ranked first in a The Daily Telegraph online list of the world's "100 most beautiful cars" of all time. In 2004, Sports Car International magazine placed the E-Type at number one on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s. The E-Type was initially designed and shown to the public as a rear-wheel drive grand tourer in two-seater coupé form (FHC or Fixed Head Coupé) and as a two-seater convertible (OTS or Open Two Seater). A "2+2" four-seater version of the coupé, with a lengthened wheelbase, was released several years later. On its release Enzo Ferrari called it "The most beautiful car ever made".[7] Later model updates of the E-Type were officially designated "Series 2" and "Series 3", and over time the earlier cars have come to be referred to as "Series 1." As with other largely hand made cars of the time, changes were incremental and ongoing, which has led to confusion over exactly what is a Series 1 car. This is of more than academic interest, as Series 1 E-Types—and particularly Series 1 OTS (convertible) examples—have values far in excess of Series 2 and 3 models.
Size: 4674px × 3629px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -type, 2016, car, classic, front, jaguar, red, silverstone, sports, view
