JAGUAR E-TYPE

Right from the very origins of William Lyons' marque, Jaguar has meant two things: luxurious sport­ing saloon cars with ‘Grace, Space, Pace’ - and pace-setting high performance sports cars. Arguably the greatest sports car of them all was the Jaguar E-Type (рис. 23).

The E-Type name still has a magical ring to it. When it was first shown to the public at the 1961 Ge­neva Motor Show, it was nothing short of sensational. Here was a car, which looked absolutely stunning, a car which would soon prove to be capable of 150 mph, and a car which cost just over £ 2, 000 new. The only other car capable of these speeds, the Ferrari 250GT, cost more than £ 6, 300.

Although it was a direct replacement for the ageing XK150, the E-Type's name played on the Le Mans winning heritage of its C-Type and D-Type racing forebears of the 1950s. In style, it certainly bore a striking resemblance to the sleek lines of the D-Type, as both cars were designed by the same man, Malcolm Sayer.

There were two models at the launch: an open-topped sports model and a fixed-head coupe. Both were strict two-seaters, though the coupe was more practi­cal thanks to its sidehinged rear hatch and long load platform for luggage.

Unlike the old XK series, the E-Type had no chassis: it was a complex unitary structure with an enormously long bonnet, which hinged forward for ac­cess. Underneath that bonnet lay the latest incarna­tion of the fabulous six-cylinder XK engine, first seen in 1948. It had no less than 265 bhp on tap, at that time an extraordinary figure for a 3.8-litre ‘siх'. Jaguar supplied E-Types to motoring magazines for test, determined to reach the magic 150 mph -which the car did, thanks to some rather special high­ speed tyres. Almost all the rest of the mechanical specification was new. The four-speed gearbox was car­ried over but much of the rest was developed specially for the Jaguar: double-wishbone front suspension, power-assisted front disc brakes, and rear suspension mounted on a separate subframe.

Inside, there was less of the traditional leather-and-wood approach: for instance, owners now just got a moulded plastic dash with aluminium edgings and vinyl door trims.

The buying public went mad for the new E-Type. Demand was so high that used examples were fetching more than new ones. The mania was fuelled when racing drivers such as Roy Salvador, John Coombs and Graham Hill took to the circuits with great success in the early days. The F-Type's best competition record had to wait until 1963, however, when a batch of Light­weight E-Types were made specifically for racing.

In 1964, the E-Type was given a 4.2-litre engine and a new gearbox. The engine provided much better torque (though no extra top-end performance), and the all-synchromesh gearbox was much quicker between changes than the slow original.

Two years later came a third E-Type body style -the 2+2. In order to fit an extra pair of children's seats in the rear, the E-Type shell had to be stretched by nine inches and the roof was raised by two inches to create extra head room. Theresult may not have been aesthetically pleasing but it certainly enhanced the appeal of Jaguar's sports car range. An­other option starting at this time was an automatic gearbox.

In 1968 a much revised Series 2 F-Type was hunched at Earls Court. Most of the changes were to answer new American Federal regulations about lighting and bumper height. Hence, the Series 2 had a new bon­net incorporating uncowled headlamps, which were sited two inches higher, and there were larger, wrap-around bumpers fitted.

There were also new laws about emissions in America, so examples exported to the States began to get modified engines with restricted power outputs. Home-market cars still had 265 bhp but emissions-restricted ones had just 171 bhp. Today, purists re­gard the Series 2 as a diluted version of the original E-Type, but the period when it was sold (1968-70) rep­resented the era of the E's greatest popularity.

The final deve­lopment of the E-Type came in 1971, when a brand new V12 engine became standard across the board. This fabulous and sizeable engine was the result of LЗ million of development and fea­tured all-aluminium construction, overhead cams on each bank of cylinders and no less than four Stromberg carburettors. Power was up to 272 bhp but more sig­nificantly, torque rose to an amazing 304 lb ft A 0-60 mph time of 6.4 seconds was quoted, although in outright performance it was probably no better than the very first and much lighter models.

Рис. 23

The so-called Series 3 also looked very differ­ent: the nose incorporated a controversial ‘cheese grater’ grille, the wheels and arches were much wider and all models (roadster and fixed head coupe) now came on the long wheelbase of the 2 + 2. Some 80 percent of Series 3 cars were exported to the USA, where the quali­ties of the E-Type were well appreciated, especially as it was now available with air conditioning.

The demise of the E-Type came in 1975. The very last 50 cars were painted black and included a special commemorative plaque signed by Sir William Lyons. The model was replaced by a very different creature, the XJ-S, which was far more of a grand to­urer and less of a genuine sports car. That made the E-Type the last great Jaguar sports car.

A brand new sports model the XK8 was launched in 1996 and it took many of its cues from the E-Type. The XK8 became an instant hit, just like its forbearer.

As a classic, the E-Type is perhaps one of only half-a-dozen cars, which are truly enduring and legen­dary. In the heady classic car boom years of the late 1980s, examples were changing hands for over £ 100, 000, today they are much more affordable. The survival rate is quite high, since their classic status was recog­nised long ago, and many examples have been restored to outstanding condition. The E-Type's enduring popu­larity has also meant that the choice is surprisingly wide. An E-Type may not be the most economical classic.