1967 JAGUAR E-TYPE

In December of 1961, Car & Driver rhapsodised over the E-Type:

Our first impressions of taking over this car are not easy to describe. The car is beautiful to look at from any angle, and it was said by many, who saw it in the flesh for the first time when meeting our test crew, that pictures so far published had all failed to do justice to its appearance.

This description remained true of every incarnation of the E-Type from 1961 to 1974.

The original 3.8-litre E-Type debuted on the 15th of March 1961 when a car capable of 150 mph appeared science-fiction to the average British motorist. At that time, a Ford Popular 100E would struggle to attain 70 mph. In October 1964, Jaguar introduced a 4,235cc engine and all-synchromesh four-speed transmission. A 2+2 Coupe joined the range in March 1966, and in October of the following year, Jaguar introduced the revised 'Series 1 ½'.

The modifications for the latest E-Type enabled it to meet new USA legalisation, and the most notable change was the lack of Perspex headlamp covers. The American market brochure proclaimed, "The E-Type represents the culmination of Jaguar's long experience of building quality performance cars". When Autocar tested the open-top Roadster for their 12th of October 1967 edition, they found its top speed to be 141 mph and concluded:

If you search through the price lists of cars of the world, you will see that this Jaguar 4.2-litre roadster is still unique. Its performance, ex-works price, steering, roadholding, tractability, economy, comfort, and good looks may be matched by other sports or GT cars but not one of them has the lot.

The E-Type did indeed represent quite remarkable value for money. In 1967 the Roadster cost £1,975 3s 2d, the Coupe was £2,068 and the 2+2 £2,284. Extras included wire wheels for another £52 4s 9d, while a radio cost another £42 5d. By contrast, an AC 289 was £2,952, an Aston Martin DB6 was £4,068, a Jensen Interceptor cost £3,743, and a Mercedes-Benz 230SL was £3,611. Meanwhile, a Ferrari 275 GTB4 was a stratospheric £6, 516 and a Lamborghini Miura £8,050 – or over ten times the price of a Morris 1100.

Jaguar introduced the Series 2 at the 1968 London Motor Show, which the 5.3-litre V12 Series 3 succeeded in March 1971. Production ended in June 1974, and in 1979, the great motoring writer L. J. K. Setright reflected:

The very idea that it was possible to buy in the 1960s a mass-produced two-seater of modest size, dramatic appearance and quite fantastic performance for less than £2100 (apart from tax) smote the entire motoring world with a sense of awe that it had not felt since the unveiling of the original XK120.

And 44 years later, seeing an E-Type can still inspire awe in any gathering. It is one of a very select group of cars that truly deserves that overused word "iconic".