Jaguar: The E-Type is 50 years old - History of E-Type

A legend is 50 years old. At the Geneva Motor Show (3 to 13 March 2011) Jaguar celebrated the 50th anniversary of the E-Type. In 1961, the sports car was the first time in Geneva "Parc des Eaux Vives" revealed. It quickly became the then costly 25 000 Mark bolide into one of the most popular sports car. The celebrities, including football legend George Best or movie star Brigitte Bardot is put to an E-Type. With such a positive response, Jaguar does not expect: First, only 1,000 copies should be made. In 14 years of construction, 72 500 worldwide buyer happy the coupe or the roadster. Since 1996, the E-type even a place in the New York Museum of Modern Art

Characteristic of the E-Type is above all, his unusually long hood, which is folded forward. The typical upturned exhaust pipes and the side-hinged rear door of the Fast Track part of the striking exterior of the sports car. Responsible for the design was Malcolm Sayer, who came originally from aviation and its aerodynamic skills previously earned at the LeMans winning race car C-and D-Type.

In the extremely long nose Jaguar installed a 3.8-liter six-cylinder. A four-speed transmission transfers the 265 horsepower at 5,500 revolutions per minute to the rear axle. This grabbed the E-type with a top speed of 240 km / h. In tests with the Roadster, an acceleration time was measured at 60 miles (96 km / h) of 7.1 seconds. 1964 Jaguar set up a 4.2-liter engine that delivers a maximum torque of 380 Newton meters at 4,000 revolutions per minute. First export models were equipped with air conditioning. For the Roadster, there was an optional hardtop. 1966 Jaguar developed at the request of American customers a 2 +2- seater. The coupe was longer two inches, the wheelbase stretched by 23 centimeters. By 3.8 cm increased the roof. For the longer Coupé optional three-speed automatic transmission was offered.

Second series with a new look
In 1968 came the first facelift for the E-Type. The second series has a detached and more lights and a much larger grille. The front and rear turn signals and tail lights have been designed in shape and migrated under the bumpers. At the rear, moved apart the exhaust pipes, the number plate moved further down.

Third series with a V12 engine
1971 Jaguar stressed the short program in the coupe and the roadster in the third series to fit the dimensions of the 2 +2- seater. Both received a 5.3-liter V12. By Harry Mundy and Walter Hassen newly developed engine brought a power of 276 hp and maximum torque of 408 Newton meters at 3,600 revolutions per minute. Compared with the previous six-cylinder V12 weighed thanks all-aluminum construction, only 36 kilograms more. The air flows at higher E-Type by a chrome grille. In addition, the track was widened by 82 millimeters. The larger tires also requires a wider fenders. The V12 is identified by four exhaust pipes - U.S. customers but had to be satisfied yet with just two tailpipes. The sprint from zero to 100 km / h covered the top version of the E-Type in 6.4 seconds.

Roadster achieve the highest auction prices
The biggest market for the sports car was the United States. Almost 70 percent of all models were overseas. Most E-Type models produced by Jaguar Roadster - a total of 33 996 vehicles. From short, there were 20 297 coupe. The 2 +2- seater was produced 18 222 times. For collectors, the roadster in the first series and the open variant of the third series with a V12 engine to the most desirable. For the first series Roadster auction prices are possible up to 100,000 €.