When beauty met technology

There’s a good reason why John Hitchcox’s favourite classic is Jaguar’s achingly beautiful, game-changing sports car legend

In 1961, nobody drove as fast as 70mph. The first section of the M1 had only just opened, and most family cars would be stretched to the limit at such speeds. But the Jaguar E-Type, first revealed at the Geneva Motor Show of 1961, was capable of 150mph.

To the motoring world of the 1960s it may as well have been a space rocket – fitting, as the body was designed by former aeronautics engineer Malcolm Sayer. He created a shape described by Enzo Ferrari as ‘the most beautiful car ever made’.

The E-Type simply had no unflattering angle, no clumsy proportion. And for a car that looked so futuristic, it remains an enduring icon of automotive design 61 years later, one of only six cars in the collection of the New York City Museum of Modern Art.

The E-Type was also an innovator in its construction and engineering, pioneering independent suspension, racing-style monocoque and subframe construction (when most cars were built on a ladder frame chassis), and disc brakes for every wheel.

Initially powered by the 3.8-litre straight-six engine from Jaguar’s previous XK, with 265bhp and a fourspeed manual gearbox, the E-Type lived up to its 150mph billing, averaging 150.4mph and 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds when tested by UK magazine Autocar The final iteration of the E-Type in 1971 featured a torque-rich 5.3-litre V12 engine, which served until 1975 when Jaguar, now part of British Leyland, replaced the E-Type with the XJ-S.

Aside from its looks and engineering provenance, there was one more ace up the E-Type’s sleeve: the price. In 1961, when an Aston Martin DB4 cost around £4,000 and a Ferrari 250GT nearer £6k, Jaguar asked just £2,160 for the E-Type roadster, and pennies more for the coupé. This car was not the sole domain of the rich and famous – but the glitterati courted it all the same, with Frank Sinatra, George Harrison, Tony Curtis and Donald Campbell among a long list of famous owners. Ironically, despite £2k being equivalent to around £46,000 at today’s prices, the E-Type’s affordability back in 1961 doesn’t quite translate to used prices in 2022. You’ll need around £200k for a clean Series 1, although the later models can be found for less than £100k, depending on condition. And values have risen again since Jaguar re-energised the E-Type bloodline by building six brand-new Lightweight E-Types in its classic workshop – completing a run of Special GTs that was begun, but never completed, in 1963.

Innovative engineering, exquisite design and a vision to be shared and enjoyed by all: no wonder John Hitchcox loves the Jaguar E-Type.