The Jaguar E-Type at 60: A legend in pictures

It transformed the sports car landscape, just as its predecessor the XK120 had done back in 1948. The E-Type was the car that had it all: sensational looks, incredible performance, real-world usability and relative affordability. Enzo Ferrari claimed that the E-Type was the most beautiful car in the world, and over the past six decades the appeal of this svelte Jag has never waned even slightly. This is our potted history of the Jaguar E-Type as it marks its diamond anniversary.

Jaguar had launched the groundbreaking XK120 in 1948, which was updated in 1954 to become the XK140. A further refresh in 1957 led to the introduction of the XK150 (shown here), which in turn was superseded by the E-Type in 1961. The XKs were fabulous cars, but they looked very old-fashioned by the time the E-Type was launched.

Although the E-Type replaced the XK150 in the Jaguar line-up, before the E-Type there was also the D-Type racer. It was this car that inspired the design of the E-Type far more than the XK. The D-Type arrived in 1954 and three years later the aluminium-bodied E1A development car made its debut to test engine and suspension systems. Powered by a 2.4-litre XK engine, E1A was sold for scrap in the late 1950s.

Looking like a cross between the D-Type and the E-Type, the E2A was a second key development prototype. The E2A featured the famous front-hinged bonnet section and a 3.0-litre version of the XK straight-six engine that would power the production E-Type. This prototype survives in private hands and is still used for historic racing.

Working right up to the last minute, Jaguar sent two E-Type coupés to the 1961 Geneva motor show. One was built specially for display and the other was a hard-driven prototype (registered 9600HP) that was driven to Geneva through the night to get to the show venue, just in time to be unveiled to the press on 15 March. The car went down a storm with everybody saying that it was too cheap and that Jaguar would never keep up with demand.

As soon as the public got their first view of the E-Type on 16 March 1961 the orders came flooding in, with 300 placed in the first week. The E-Type had the same effect when it made its US debut in April 1961 at the New York motor show, which resulted in over £11 million ($31 million at the time, or around $274 million in today’s money) worth of orders. These first cars got a 3.8-litre engine and a four-speed manual gearbox with no synchromesh on first gear.

Buyers could choose between coupé and roadster editions which were priced at £2196 and £2097 respectively. Only the Chevrolet Corvette could beat the E-Type in terms of acceleration and the only car that could match the Jag's 150mph top speed was the Ferrari 250GT, and that cost three times as much. There really was nothing like the E-Type.

With so much positive publicity in the global media as soon as the E-Type made its debut, there didn't seem to be much need to advertise it. But Jaguar did just that, with the emphasis being on its powerful 265bhp 3.8-litre triple-carburettor six-cylinder engine, all-round disc brakes and 150mph top speed.

The original E-Type brochure was pretty low-key with just a few full-page images, a cutaway of the roadster and coupé, and the various dimensions of the two models (coupé and roadster). Jaguar didn't have to try too hard though; it had assumed that 100 cars per week would be sufficient to meet demand but almost immediately this had to be increased to 150 cars because the waiting lists were building so quickly.

Naturally Autocar was among the first to drive the E-Type in 1961 and to say that we were impressed would be an understatement. We wrote: "The E-type is a break-through in the design of high-performance vehicles for sale to the public. It is vastly superior to its predecessors in a number of respects, and to competitors within £1000 of its price. It offers what drivers have so long asked for, namely, sports-car racing performance and handling, combined with the docility, gentle suspension and appointments of a town car".

Motor sport has long been an important part of Jaguar's marketing strategy and it was no different with the E-Type. While vaguely standard E-Types were campaigned around the globe, Jaguar also built a dozen Lightweight models, with aluminium body panels and an alloy engine rated at 300bhp. Jaguar had originally planned to build 18 Lightweights so when this target was missed by six, it created the perfect opportunity for Jaguar to build half a dozen more copies later on for collectors. Those were announced in 2014.

Until now the E-Type came with a 3.8-litre engine, but from 1964 a more muscular 4.2-litre XK straight-six was fitted. Apart from the earliest 'flat-floor' cars which are prized for their rarity (Jaguar reshaped the front footwells after a few hundred examples had been made), it's the 4.2-litre Series 1 that's now the most sought-after E-Type. These cars also came with better brakes and electrics as well as a much-improved gearbox and more comfortable seats.

For the first five years of its existence the E-Type was strictly a two-seater, but as sales started to slow Jaguar decided to expand the car's appeal by introducing a 2+2 edition in 1966. With a roof line raised by two inches (51mm) and a wheelbase stretched by nine inches (229mm) the beautiful proportions of the original coupé were compromised, but this more practical sports car was as great to drive as ever, while also being significantly cheaper than rivals from the likes of Jensen, Bristol, Aston Martin, AC and Gordon Keeble.

In 1967 Bertone unveiled its unique take on the E-Type 4.2, with the Pirana. It was a concept dreamed up by the motoring staff at The Daily Telegraph, who came up with their ideal luxury car that was fast, safe and modern in every way. The newspaper's John Anstey wrote to Nuccio Bertone who seized upon the idea and at the Earls Court motor show the four-seater Pirana was revealed in all its glory. The car survives and was sold by RM Sotheby's in 2019 for $324,000.

The Series 1's headlight fairings were a big part of the early E-Type's look, but they provided little in the way of illumination when driving such a high-performance car at night. In 1967 the fairings were ditched and a raft of minor changes were introduced to allow the E-Type to comply with new American regulations. Among these updates were changes to the lighting, the dashboard, the switchgear, the engine and also the wire wheels. But bigger changes would quickly follow…

Although the Series 2 was an exercise in keeping the E-Type fresh, it was primarily introduced to keep the car legal in the US in the face of more stringent emissions and safety laws. The E-Type Series 2 was launched in 1968 with wrap-around bumpers, bigger sidelights and indicators (now below the bumper), stronger brakes and the windscreen was less upright.

For the first decade of its existence the E-Type featured Jaguar's brilliant twin-cam XK straight-six engine, but in 1971 the heavily revised Series 3 was launched. Longer and wider with significantly more cabin space as a result, the new car also featured Jaguar's magnificent 5.3-litre V12 engine. This was the point at which the E-Type lost its sports car status, to morph into being a grand tourer instead – but it still looked sensational.

When Jim Thomson crashed his almost-new E-Type S3 in 1972, he commissioned maverick car designer William Towns to create something different with the crashed remains. Thomson had wrecked the bonnet but the rest of the Jag was intact, so Towns created a set of glassfibre panels which he stuck on top of the original bodywork. Towns liked it so much that he built one just the same for himself, then offered kits for other E-Type owners. He didn't sell any at all…

As the Fuel Crisis started to bite in 1973, the thirsty V12-powered E-Type was not an easy sell. The final coupé was built in October of that year while the last roadster rolled off the production line in September 1974. These last cars proved very hard to sell and they hung around in showrooms until well into 1975. The car shown here is the last E-Type made, making it car number 72,507 off the line.

Strictly speaking the XJ-S (renamed the XJS in 1991) didn't replace the E-Type as it was always intended to be more of a grand tourer than a sports car. But from the moment the XJ-S arrived in September 1975 it had an uphill struggle trying to gain acceptance. It finally has that and the XJ-S is now a bona fide classic whether it's in six- or 12-cylinder forms, as a convertible or a coupé.

The final XJS was made in 1996 when the XK8 took over the GT slot in Jaguar's range. The XK8 never had an image problem, with its sensational design and ample performance courtesy of a standard V8 engine. It was even better in supercharged XKR form, but when the XK8 was replaced by the aluminium-bodied XK in 2006 Jaguar really got into its stride. This was much more refined with up-to-date touch-screen controls and a supple chassis that brought glorious and confident handling.

After the E-Type's demise we'd had three generations of grand tourer, but when the F-Type arrived in 2013 at last Jaguar had a proper sports car in its range once again. Buyers could choose between V6 or V8 powerplants and initially there was only a roadster available. But by the start of 2014 there was also a coupé available, also in V6 and V8 forms.

In 2013 Jaguar specialist Classic Motor Cars (CMC) unveiled an E-Type Series 1 4.2 roadster that had been stretched by 4.5 inches as part of a full restoration. With all of that extra length between the front and rear axles CMC claimed that the car drove far better than the standard E-Type, but most importantly its owner could enjoy the leg room of a Series 3 but with the classic look of a Series 1. And just for a bit of added practicality a bespoke trailer was also made – from half an E-Type roadster.

In September 2017 Jaguar showed an electric E-Type concept, then a year later it announced that the car had been given the production green light. Jaguar lent one to Prince Harry and Princess Meghan on their wedding day in 2018.

 The first deliveries were slated for summer 2020 but then it all went quiet. Now that Jaguar has announced an all-electric future from 2025, will we see an EV-Type any time soon?

In autumn 2016 Land Rover launched its Series I Reborn programme, offering fully restored cars, then a few months later came Range Rover Classics priced from £135,000. Jaguar got in on the action in March 2017 with an E-Type Reborn scheme, with an initial batch of Series I cars available from a cool £285,000 (around $400,000 at the time). Buyers could choose between 3.8 or 4.2-litre engines.

Jaguar isn't one to miss a marketing opportunity, so in August 2020 it announced that with the E-Type celebrating its 60th birthday in just a few months, it would be offering six matched pairs of E-Types. Each pair would comprise of a coupé and a roadster, painted grey and green respectively and each with a 3.8-litre engine.