1961 Jaguar E-Type

Most Jaguar bodies were designed by the company boss Sir William Lyons. He was a saloon-car specialist than a sports-car designer so he left much of the design of the E-Type to Malcolm Sayer, the aerodynamicist who had shaped the brilliant XK-D sports racers that won Le Mans three times in 1955-57. Sayer had created an oval-section central body that was constructed very much like an aeroplane fuselage in light alloy, and then he appended a tubular-steel truss to the firewall to carry the engine and front suspension. The fuel tank and rear axle hung off the back of the monocoque, which was covered by unstressed light-alloy body panels.

When the E-type was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961, it astonished the world. Not only did it continue the D-Type’s aeronautical central structure, but it actually had far more advanced suspension, better road holding, and a top speed of 241 kph (150 mph). It was offered in both roadster and fastback coupe forms. Its performance equaled that of the best cats of the time, but it cost far less than contemporary Ferrari and Mercedes two-seaters. Launched with the 3.8-liter version of the venerable XK twin-cam six-cylinder engine, it gained more displacement three years later with a 4.2-liter powerplant. There were three series of E-Types, the last also available with the powerful but thirsty Jaguar V12 engine.

These extracts are taken from Auto Legends: Classics of Style and Design by Michel Zumbrunn, text by Robert Cumberford which was published in October by Merrell