Sports Car

The Jaguar E-Type was the most beautiful car of its age and one of the fastest, and it ran from the covered-headlamp Series 1 to the V12 Series 3 across fourteen years. The development story, the differences between the series, the myths sorted from the facts, and what the survivors are like to buy now.

The Series 1 is the original E-Type and the one collectors prize most, defined by its glass-covered headlamps and slim chrome bumpers. The 3.8 and 4.2 cars, the early flat-floor and outside-bonnet-lock collectables, the Series 1.5, and what to look for when buying one.

The Series 2 answered American safety and emissions rules with open headlamps, a bigger grille and wraparound bumpers, and in doing so became the best-developed and most usable of the six-cylinder E-Types. What changed, the American power question, and what to look for when buying one.

The Series 3 swapped the XK six for Jaguar's new 5.3-litre V12, sat on the longer 2+2 wheelbase and came only as a roadster or 2+2 coupe. The most relaxed and the smoothest E-Type, the truth about its performance, the run-out commemorative cars, and what to look for when buying one.

The XK120 was meant to be a low-volume showcase for Jaguar's new twin-cam engine and became a sensation, billed as the fastest production car in the world. The Jabbeke speed runs, the aluminium and steel cars, the body styles and the famous XK engine, and what to look for when buying one.