Surely a contender for the most desirable car on the planet, Jaguar's legendary E-Type wasn't just another British sports car with lofty ideas of taking on the competition, it beat all-comers with considerable ease and style.
Realistically, there are better sports cars for less cash, but the chances of anyone topping just how special the E-type was at launch and still is today are remote. To put things into perspective, the Kardashians, media stars, and socialites are frequently spotted trundling around in Escalades, Ferrari's, and Mercs that countless fans think is cool. However, Steve McQueen, Bridget Bardot, Frank Sinatra, and Britt Ekland to name a few all owned E-Types.
And despite the Jaguar E-Type's movie star looks, when was the last time you heard anyone mutter some profanity at its owner in a jealous outburst?
9 The Most Beautiful Car Ever Made
Jaguar's E-Type might be 60 years old, but there really hasn't been anything quite like it since. A timeless beauty with barely a straight line anywhere on its flanks, the E-Type is a regular contender if not outright winner of the "most beautiful car ever" award.
Stunning from any angle, the E-Types curves owe a lot to designer Malcolm Sayers aviation background, having worked for the Bristol Aeroplane Company during WWII. Wowing gearheads and the media alike, Jaguar had raised the benchmark for all sports cars ever since, most critically praised by Eno Ferrari himself.
8 With A Racing Heart
A new breed of sports car required a modern engine, Jaguar had already "trial" fitted its XK straight-six in their earlier XK120 sports series to considerable success, claiming outright wins in both 1951 and 1953. Often regarded as one of the greatest engines of the 20th century, a perfect match for the E-types chassis.
Throughout the first two generations, Jaguar continued to use the iron block XK I6 engine in various formats, earlier cars using a 3.8-liter version with the enlarged 4.2-liter spec arriving in 1964, both specs producing 265 hp. Long after E-Type production, Jaguar continued production of the XK6 with the type featuring Daimler DS240 limousine as recently as 1992.
7 Making It The Fastest Production Car In 1961
Whether or not the E-Type in standard trim could achieve Jaguar's claimed 150 mph didn't really matter. The official Geneva Motor Show launch was fast approaching, Jaguar confident of the E-Type's design printed brochures boasting of the record-breaking top speed.
Did the magic 150 mph ever happen? Oddly enough, it was a journalist who first came close, recording a maximum of 149 mph along Britain's newly completed M1 motorway, the final record-breaking run happening later in Belgium. The fastest production E-Type later throwing down the gauntlet with a top speed of 180 mph using a lower final drive.
6 With Space For Four, But More Fun With Two
This one comes down to personal choice, single bachelor types with a penchant for wind-in the hair motoring should choose the roadster, yes the hood is going to be a faff when the weather turns bad but the booming straight-six engine note is worth it.
However, you'd be surprised that most classic car fans think the fixed-head-coupe is the better-looking car, a rearwards biased cabin gives the impression of something entirely more exotic with a dose of practicality. With seating for four, or with the back chairs folders down a decent amount of trunk space, who would have thought a sports car could be so practical? We'd still take the roadster.
5 Surprisingly Affordable
Stunningly beautiful and fast too, surely E-Type ownership came with a premium price tag attached to it? Nothing could have been further from, truth, Jaguar played its trump card here, outperforming all its rivals for half the price.
A hugely successful unveiling quickly followed by the official list price turned the E-Type into the sports car bargain of the century, listing the coupe and roadster for $5895 and $5595 respectively. Nothing on sale at the time could match the Jags performance or modern specification, Corvettes, Mercedes 300SL, and even Ferrari's 250 GTO used dated braking and suspension technology.
4 With A Classy Cabin
Stepping into any Jaguar from the last 60 years, and you're immediately presented with a mix of wood, leather, and expensive feeling alloys beautifully contrasting to make driving a Jag truly memorable.
The E-Type is one of the finest examples of "Jaguarness" through the carmaker's history, despite the E-Type's sporty credentials, the cabin is a long way removed from the usual stripped-out affair. Sculpted leather buckets hold their occupants securely in place, ahead of the driver a racing-style wood-rimmed steering wheel adjustable for both reach and rake. All of the E-Type's major instrumentation and switchgear neatly arranged within easy reach.
3 On A Thoroughly Modern Chassis
Benefitting from years of racing experience, Jaguar utilizing braking and suspension technology only normally found at the very pinnacle of motorsport. Construction of the E-type used a mix of monocoque rear shells for increased strength, while the engine and front suspension carrying structure used a lightweight tubular design.
The world's fasted production car also needed to handle and stop better than its rivals. Here Jaguar returned to the drawing board, coming up with the vastly superior independent rear suspension or IRS. Smaller and lighter with inboard-mounted disc brakes greatly improved unsprung weight, adding to grip. Up front, a more conventional double-wishbone set-up, once again, using disc brakes gave the E-type superior stopping power and cornering ability.
2 E-Type SIII V12, Last Of The Breed
Just as the original E-Type was designed with the XK Series engine in mind, Jaguar had more ambitious plans for the S3 model launch. More by necessity than design, Jaguar produced the final S3 models in 1971 equipped with the brand's still-born alloy V12 engine from the XJ13 project.
For many gearheads, the V12 was deemed overkill, the added benefits of engine refinement all but erased by the added weight and minimal power gains. Displacing 5.3 liters and delivering 276 hp, the S3 recording a top speed of 146 mph, and requiring 6.8-seconds to reach 60 mph. The final E-Type had become more a luxury tourer than a sports car.
1 Rare And Reassuringly Expensive
Fourteen years after taking the world by surprise, Jaguar retired the E-Type, the last proper sports car the UK carmaker would produce until the arrival of a true successor in 2013, the highly regarded F-Type. The most beautiful sports car of all time, despite being hugely popular and cheap to buy, was only produced in relatively small numbers with just over 67,000 cars delivered.
Easily the most popular among gearheads, early Series 1 cars command a premium over later E-Types and yet are the most numerous, with official numbers showing just over 33,000 cars. However, like any sports car, special editions are the rarest and most valuable, the 1963 S1 Lightweight specials of which just 12 were made can fetch as much as $3.7 million at auction. If that's a bit on the expensive side, then be sure to check out Eagle E-Types, still delivering that rare unique rare Jaguar experience for a little less cash.