The Jaguar XK-E

As market demand for its road-going products continued to increase during the late 1950s, Jaguar shifted its focus away from competition with a short retirement from the sport. Jaguar had proven to be a worthy adversary, with the Scottish team Ecurie Ecosse claiming its second consecutive victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June of 1957 in a Jaguar D-Type. This gave the sports racer a third straight victory in the endurance contest. The combined efforts of the C-Type and D-Type earned Jaguar five overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans alone during the 1950s.

Content with its accomplishments, Jaguar embarked on a renewed focus on its road-going models. The decision was further reinforced by changes to racing regulations along with a devastating fire at Jaguar's Browns Lane Works in 1957.

The replacement for the Jaguar XK140 was previewed in the E1A development car and the E2A prototype which was raced at the 1960 Le Mans by privateer Briggs Cunningham.

Aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer applied the principles of aerodynamics to the creation of this new model, known as the Jaguar E-Type (XKE) which was officially introduced to the world in March of 1961 at the Geneva Auto Show. Although introduced without factory-backed racing pretensions, its racing pedigree was evident through, including its double overhead cam engine, a fully independent rear suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes (inboard at the rear) designed by Jaguar engineer Bob Knight. Its purposeful design featured a monocoque central structure/body shell, front subframe, and tilting bonnet.

Although retired from racing, Jaguar understood the importance of competition and the publicity it offered. Thus, several early production roadsters were offered to valued customers with close Jaguar relationships. Success was immediate, with Graham Hill driving Tommy Sopwith's 'ECD 400' E-Type to victory at Oulton Park on April 16, 1961. During its next outing on May 21st at Crystal Palace, Roy Salvadori won in John Coombs' 'BUY 1' E-Type. Coombs soon received limited factory support for his E-Type, which was uprated to competition specification, and regularly driven by Graham Hill.

Low Drag Coupe

As competition quickly gained ground, Jaguar's experimental and competition departments worked in secret to build chassis EC 1001, a thoroughly uprated E-Type race car. It was named the 'Low Drag Coupe' for its lighter and more aerodynamic body. All of the cockpit glass was perspex, except for the windscreen. Beneath the bonnet was a tuned version of the 3.8-liter engine with a wide-angle cylinder head design.

The project was eventually shelved while the development of Coombs' car continued. Hill scored several more podiums during the 1962 season until the arrival of Ferrari's 250 GTO.

Lightweight E-Type

The Ferrari 250 GTO was homologated as a 250 GT with different bodywork. In a similar fashion, an all-aluminum, 'Special GT' version of the E-Type was developed. Beginning with a production 3.0-liter engine, it received a lightweight aluminum block and was tuned to produce 300 horsepower, an increase of 35 hp over the production unit. Early examples received a close-ratio version of the four-speed E-Type gearbox, while a few of the later built examples received a ZF five-speed gearbox.

Initially, eighteen examples were to be built but ultimately only 12 were constructed. Demonstrating the prowess of the new E-Type Lightweight, Ed Leslie and Frank Morrill finished 1st in Class at its March 1963 debut in the 12 Hours of Sebring, followed by four victories in Britain by Graham Hill in the Coombs car. Three examples wore the Cunningham colors of white with two blue stripes when they arrived at Le Mans. Before the 40th lap was completed, two of the three E-Types had returned, and the lone surviving example finished 9th overall and 2nd inc lass.

Although they were the ultimate competition development of the early E-Type and one of the greatest GT-class racing cars of the early 1960s, they were quickly overshadowed by other GT cars. They did find some success in national events, and may have evolved into an international threat had Jaguar continued its development. Many years later, Jaguar Special Operations revisited the project and brought the E-Type Lightweight into the 21st century with the construction of six brand-new examples to original specifications, following one prototype, in 2014. The chassis numbers assigned to this six-car batch (plus one prototype) are the ones that were reserved by Jaguar for the six Lightweights planned but not built during the original production run in 1963.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: S850667

The Jaguar D-Type was produced between 1954 and 1957 and although it shared the basic straight-6 XK engine and many mechanical components with the C-Type, its structure was very different. It featured a monocoque construction and used aviation technology in achieving its aerodynamic efficiency. In racing, the Jaguar D-Type won the LeMans 24 Hours race in 1955, 1956, and 1957.

Even with the D-Type's unmitigated success, Jaguar was working in 1957 on a successor to the legendary racer. What resulted was the E1A, an aluminum-bodied development car that later evolved into the production E-Type, though a more dedicated race car called the E2A followed by 1959.

Prior to the model's official debut at Geneva in March of 1961, Jaguar was delivering production E-Type roadster to racing customers. The hope was to create a competitive persona and pedigree with the E-Type. Jaguar engineering's lieutenant director Claude Baily issued a memorandum on March 16th of 1961 to Coventry's production department. Under the name project no. ZP 537/24, the factory was instructed to proceed with the build of seven competition cars for which he listed specific modifications to the basic E-Type that were based on E2A.

These special cars were to be given special engines with gas-flowed cylinder heads, polished and crack-tested connecting rods, a lightened flywheel, a competition crankshaft damper, modified clutch, a close-ratio competition 4-speed gearbox, and trumpet tips for the S.U. carburetors. The body, however, remained steel and the suspension was modified only minimally, with the addition of stiffer springs.

John Coombs' racing team received the first of these cars, chassis number S850006. Graham Hill drove it to a third-place finish at Silverstone in May of 1962. This was followed by a second at Mallory Park a month later, and fifth at Brands Hatch in August.

Chassis no. S850006 was used as a factory development testbed and was further modified with a lighter-gauge steel body, and the engine received a '35/40º' wide-angle cylinder head.

S850006 was used as a mold for 17 more competition cars. The build process began in October of 1962 and incorporated elements of an earlier works car known as the Low-Drag Coupe, such as the aerodynamic tail and roof, and the trailing exhaust vents. They were given aluminum bodies and an aluminum hardtop. The 3.8-liter competition engines were modified with Lucas fuel injection and dry-sump lubrication. The chassis received updates as well, including a revised suspension geometry and many other competition parts.

Except for the development car, cars began numbering with S850659 and proceeded sequentially to S850669, all within the standard E-Type numbering. The 'S' prefix in the chassis number signified it as a Lightweight.

The first two purpose-built Lightweights were completed in time for the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 1963. One example was sent to Briggs Cunningham and the other to Kjell Qvale. While Bruce McLaren and Walt Hansgen finished 8th overall and second in class for Cunningham, Ed Leslie and Frank Morrill placed 7th overall and first in class for Qvale.

In June, at the 24 Hours of LeMans, Cunningham entered three Lightweights with official support from the factory. The two cars were driven by Hansgen and Augie Pabst, and Roy Salvadori and Paul Richards retired early. The car driven by Bob Grossman and Cunningham finished 9th overall and second in class. This was a rather impressive accomplishment considering the car spent two hours in the pits due to a brake issue.

Hill would claim four victories in a Lightweight, and Salvadori and Peter Sutcliffe would enjoy many top-three finishes at venues like Silverstone, Goodwood, Mallory Park, and Snetterton.

Jaguar built just 12 examples of the E-Type Lightweight, falling short of their original target of 18 cars. These E-Type Lightweights were sold exclusively to preferred customers and friends of managing director Frank 'Lofty' England. Jaguar also provided significant factory support for these cars.

This particular example is the 10th of the 12-E-Type Lightweights built. It has had just three long-term caretakers, and it has never been disassembled or built in any significant manner. It is also the winner of the 1963 Australian GT Championship.

This car was shipped for Australia on October 20, 1963, reaching Melbourne the following month, and entering the care of Robert 'Bob' Jane. It debuted at the Calder track in Victoria on December 8th, the Australian GT Championship race while setting a lap record of 51.8 seconds. A few weeks later at Catalina, S850667 won the Production Sports Handicap and the New South Wales Touring Car Championships, followed by the sports and touring car races at Warwick Farm.

In early 1964 Jane painted a thin Shell-orange racing stripe along the hood to reflect his sponsorship from the oil company. In this guise, it took the checkered flag at Calder on January 26, 1964, and at the Sandown A.G.P. meeting on February 9. At the end of the month, it finished second at the Australian Tourist Trophy. It returned to Calder on March 8th where it took second place, and then placed third at the New South Wales Sports Car Championship on March 29. On April 19th at Sandown Park, the E-Type set the fastest lap and placed third in the Victoria Sports Car Championship.

Around May of 1964, the Lightweight was taken to Europe, where Bob Jane and his brother Bill intended to race in long-distance continental events. Along the way, it was decided to make a few modifications, including wider disc wheels and a LeMans-style 45-gallon fuel tank. At Brands Hatch on July 11, Jane was able to finish 5th in class and 10th overall.

The car returned to Australia by the fall of 1964, though it would not race again until the following season. Its next outing was on February 21st of 1965 at Bathurst where it was at 146.05 mph and established the fastest lap. On May 2, Bill Jane drove the E-Type at the One-Hour Production Car Race at Lakeside in Queensland, finishing third, and a week later the car finished first in both the preliminary and the main races at Bathurst. As the season wore on, the competition continued to become fiercer, however, it still managed a 4th-place finish at the Australian Tourist Trophy at Lakeside. The season concluded with additional runs at Warwick Farm, Lakeside, Sandown, and Longford, though no top finishes were recorded.

For 1966, racing duties were handed over to Spencer Martin, and he won the GT race at Warwick Farm on September 18, setting another fastest lap. Martin then placed third at Sandown on October 16. Around this time, Jane blew out the original alloy engine block during practice. The car was then offered for sale in the publication Racing Car News, though it did not sell.

Attempts were made to source a replacement alloy block from the factory, resulting in a correct factory alloy replacement block, no. V682558P, which continues to power the car to this day.

As the 1966 season came to a close, so did the E-Type's racing career. It was put on display at Jane's tire outlets and essentially remained unused for the next decade. In November of 1980, Bob Jane offered his cars publicly at the Australian Grand Prix auction.

Peter Briggs of Western Australia purchased the Jaguar for $80,000 AD. The new owner commissioned a re-finish in white with large blue racing stripes down the middle. Briggs raced the Lightweight a few times and drove it on the road occasionally. It was also used by John Smith at the National Jaguar Rally event at Wanneroo in September 1984, again setting the fastest lap. In November 1985 and September 1986, the E-Type was presented at the historic events leading up to the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

In early 1999, the Jaguar was offered for sale at auction in Florida.

The car is currently in the care of its third owner and has less than 4,000 original miles.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: 86 1227
Engine number: 8L194686

The speed and handling of this beautiful car is only surpassed by its impeccably prepared polished aluminum exterior. The body panels are all alloy, seam welded and were fitted by the Rocksdale Panel Co. The wheels are original 10-inch Minilite, front and rear. The roll cage is built to FIA specifications and the entire car weighs under one ton.

The car was purchased in Booleston, UK by professional driver John Cuff. It was then prepared by the Jaguar factory, but when the owner was ready for further development, he turned the car over to Gordon Brown of Red Rose Racing. Brown fitted the car with all the components to make the car a racing legend. The owner had the support of the Jaguar Factory, which in 1966, replaced the original 3.8l engine with the 4.2L engine which still powers the car today.

Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons' son-in-law purchased the car in 1967 and continued racing it until 1970.

Since coming to the US in December of 1993, it has raced at Sebring, Road Atlanta and Texas World Speedway with excellent results. In 1995, it set the record for the fastest Jaguar in North America.

The Jaguar E-Type was launched at the 1961 Geneva Motorshow and it was not long before the road-going car made its way to racing tracks. The vehicle's lineage was rooted in sports car racing, with its chassis and engine sourced from the three-time Le Mans-winning Jaguar D-Type. In production trim, the E-Type was incredibly fast and nimble, but there was room for improvement. For starters, it steel body was heavy while many of its competitors were using lightweight aluminum.

Homologation rules for GT competition dictated that the body could be modified but the chassis was to remain unchanged. A new body was formed from aluminum in nearly identical fashion to the production road car, and fitted with a separate hard-top roof with a small vent at the rear. A few of the later cars were given a full fastback coupe body.

Most of the lightweight cars were built as a steel production Roadster, then modified to lightweight E-Type specifications, which included the hood and trunk lid. Two examples were raced with a fixed head body.

Under the bonnet, the engine was given an aluminum cylinder block, which - along with the new body - helped reduce overall weight by over 200 kg. The engine, with modifications that included a Lucas fuel injection system, boosted horsepower to over 300 HP.

These lightweight E-Type's were given to privateers, some of which also received factory support. John Coombs was one of the early believers in the lightweight E-Type, as was American Briggs Cunningham, who ordered three examples. 18 examples were planned, but eventually on 12 were ever built.

One of the earliest competition outings for the lightweight E-Type was at the 1963 edition of the Sebring 12 Hour race, where two examples entered, finishing in 7th and 8th overall. In the four-liter GT class, they finished 1st and 2nd but were outpaced by the Ferrari 250 GTOs in the under three-liter class. The lightweights would prove their capabilities on the shorter circuits but were often outpaced by the GTOs on the longer courses.

Cunningham's examples were raced at Le Mans, all finished in the Cunningham colours of white with two blue stripes. During the practice session, the cars proved to be very quick and hopes were high for the race. Unfortunately, two of the three cars retired early; the third example managed to finish in 9th overall and 2nd in class.

The cars were quick, but in major competition, they were often outclassed, often by the smaller-engined Ferrari 250 GTOs.

Peter Sutcliffe of England enjoyed success with his car, as did German Jaguar distributor Peter Lindner.

by Dan Vaughan

The Jaguar E type, also known as the XK-E, brought style and performance together to create a mass-produced supercar. The road-going sports car was conceived in 1956 as a replacement for the D-type. In March of 1961, the E-Type was officially introduced to the world at the Geneva, Switzerland Motor show.

It's design was created by an aerodynamic engineer named Malcolm Sayer. The front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicle featured a monocoque body and a tubular front chassis. The six-cylinder double-cam engine had three SU carburetors and produced 265 horsepower. The suspension was independent with disc brakes on all four wheels. It brought together the best or aerodynamics, coupled with the latest technology and propelled by a potent engine. The vehicle was not only fast, it offered excellent performance and handling. Some of the most common complaints it received were the cabin being too cramped and it suffered from poor ventilation.

The E-Type was a popular vehicle. It was fast, performed well, and was competitively priced. Due to the United States' safety and emission regulations, some of the horsepower was lost. The headlamp covers were also removed prior to the close of the 1960's.

A 4.2-liter engine and synchromesh gearbox were introduced in 1964. In 1966, the 2+2 coupe was introduced and featured a longer wheelbase. The Series II cars were not as quick as its predecessors. The Series III, however, was a different story. Powered by a V-12 engine they were once again able to propel the E-Type over 145 miles per hour.

Production for the E-Type ceased in 1975, after 72,520 examples being produced. It was replaced by the XJ-S; a vehicle that was larger, heavier, and not as visually appealing.

by Dan Vaughan