James Cottingham driving a 1961 Jaguar E-Type during qualification for the RAC Tourist Trophy for Historic Pre '63 GTCars
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 Series 1 was introduced, initially for export only, in March 1961. The domestic market launch came four months later in July 1961. The cars at this time used the triple SU carburetted litre six-cylinder Jaguar XK6 engine from the XK150S. Earlier built cars utilised external bonnet latches which required a tool to open and had a flat floor design. These cars are rare and more valuable. After that, the floors were dished to provide more leg room and the twin bonnet latches moved to inside the car. The engine was increased to litres in October 1964.[30] The engine produced the same power as the (265 bhp;198 kW) and same top speed (150 mph;241 km/h), but increased torque from 240 to 283 lb·ft (325 to 384 N·m).
Size: 4990px × 3181px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -type, 1, 1961, 2016, automobile, car, cars, circuit, classic, club, cottingham, driver, historic, jaguar, james, qualifying, race, royal, series, silverstone, sports, tourist, trophy
