Like fine wine! The Jaguar E Type is a car that gets prettier with age

Piece by: Geoffrey Mbuthia
Lifestyle

There are cars that you may never see on Kenyan roads. And not because they are super-expensive but due their rarity.

The Eagle E-Type is one such car. The car which has been featured in numerous classic Hollywood movies is a cult classic that combines class and adventure in its elegant frame.

The Jaguar E-Type, or the Jaguar XK-E for the North American market, is a British sports car that was manufactured by Jaguar Cars Ltd between 1961 and 1975.

The iconic Jaguar E-Type has a long history, with three series of the car produced over a period of 15 years.

The car was first displayed to the press on 15 March 1961 to an unbelievable level of excitement, giving birth to a true automotive icon - but it almost wasn’t to be. Such was the demand for road tests from the British media that the E-Type scheduled for Geneva was still on UK shores on the evening of 14 March 1961.

So, in fittingly dramatic style, Jaguar executive Bob Berry drove the car flat-out from the factory in Coventry all the way to the Parc des Eaux-Vives in Geneva - arriving just 20 minutes before the car was to be revealed to the world. Of course, 20 minutes later, pandemonium ensued.

The E-Type's 150 mph (241 km/h) top speed, sub-7-second 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) acceleration, monocoque construction, disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, and independent front and rear suspension distinguished the car and spurred industry-wide changes.

The E-Type was based on Jaguar's D-Type racing car, which had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three consecutive years beginning 1955.

The car was revolutionary in many ways, but it was the stylish and iconic bodywork that set it apart from the rest of the cars currently in production.

On its release in March 1961 Enzo Ferrari called it "the most beautiful car ever made". It wasn’t just the looks that impressed many about the Jaguar E-Type and made it one of the most desirable cars in production, though.

The launch price of the car was around £2,250(304,174 shillings), comparatively valued at £38,000( 5,137,171 shillings) in today’s money, which made it surprisingly more affordable than many other sports cars.

It also featured much more modern specifications such as independent rear suspension and all-round disk brakes that put it ahead of its time.

The 3.8-litre engine produced 265bhp and could reach a top speed of 150mph, which made it the fastest production car in the world at that time. That was just as well, as Jaguar had already printed brochures claiming it was capable of the magic 150mph before the car went into production.

Frank Sinatra is said to have taken one look at the Jaguar upon its 1961 reveal and said “I want that car, and I want it now” - just the beginning of the E-Types love affair with celebrities.