After Jaguar’s racing success throughout the 1950s, their racing department was given the brief of using the Triple Le Man 24-Hours winning D-type’s construction approaches to build a road-going sports car to replace the XK150.

The result was the E-Type. Introduced to a stunned world in March 1961 at the Geneva motor show, its racing heritage was clear. The shape and many of its structural features were direct adaptations of the D-type Le Mans racers, yet this was a car designed and built for the road and at a price that left its competitors at Aston Martin and Ferrari in near despair. The E-Type was destined to have a fourteen-year production life, run through a variety of models, and have numerous mechanical and trim changes.

The following pages focus on the history of the E-Type throughout this period, with its model changes and the significant developments that took place.

The Series 1 was introduced in March 1961 at the Geneva motor show. The first batch of ‘dealer launch’ cars were released on 14 July with a few also released at the same time to celebrity owners or for racing. Dealers were not permitted to sell these launch cars until after 1 September 1961 – the first month of official UK deliveries.

Series 1 3.8

The Series 1 3.8-litre cars used the triple SU carburetted 6-cylinder engine from the Jaguar XK150S and all 3.8 models used the Moss ‘non-synchro first’ gearbox throughout. 

Series 1 4.2

The introduction of an all-new 4.2-litre engine mated to a new Jaguar all-synchromesh 4-speed gearbox brought with it many refinements over the original 3.8-litre model. 

Series 2

The Series 2 bought further refinements and changes in detail styling. The most noticeable change was the larger ‘mouth’ at the front, the open headlights without glass covers, full wrap-around bumpers, and larger front and rear lamps, now situated below the bumpers.

Series 3

The Series 3 was a much-revised model that was introduced in June 1971 and ran through until August 1973 for the Coupe and to June 1974 for the Roadster.

Lightweight E-Type (1963-64)

Jaguar built 12 special E-Types for competition use in 1963, plus three further unused chassis ‘tub’ units.