How did the Iconic Jaguar XK-E come to be?
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The Jaguar XK-E may be the most beautiful car in history. It’s certainly one of the most sought after, with cars fetching crazy prices at auction. It’s a car born out of a Le Mans-winning heritage, delivering looks with speed and handling to match, all at an affordable price. Yet somehow it had a top speed over 150mph, while also not having a top speed over 150mph!
#JaguarXKE - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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Malcolm Sayer was, you might know, a designer of aircraft before he went to Jaguar. The magic of the XK-E's styling is its fuselage design. Like an airplane, the car's body is in the form of a tube, where the rocker panels curve underneath to tuck the body around itself while most contemporary cars' rocker panels were squared off.
Inside, the aircraft-type cockpit wrapped itself around the driver and passenger. Even later large sedans like the XJ6 retained that intimate cockpit interior, which made the insides of their German competitors seem barn-like by comparison.
Thanks to the genius of Sayer, and the willingness of Jaguar founder William Lyons to take big risks that shook the entire industry, even the Italians had to concede the timeless beauty of not just the E-Type, but so many Jaguar sedans and sports cars.
Because it's stylish, rounded and British. Exactly like the Spitfire Aeroplane
Stylish rounded and British, you mean James May?
@@DrewLSsix Now That's Funny!!! 🤠👌
I ran a 1964 3.8 FHC for seven years and 217,000 miles. I had to make a few "adjustments" to crack a genuine 150mph, but it already had 70,000 miles behind it when I bought it. Easily the best sports car of its time, especially in terms of performance, durability, and reliability.
ETA: It cost me £500 (ten weeks average pay at the time)!
Cost you a bit more than that now 😊😊
I have owned a E-Type Series I since 1974. Most of the problems were due to bad grounding. Once I figured that out, it has been very reliable.
One more thing, I know this is about Jaguars, but that German car is pronounced in two syllables like the Shakesperian character Portia.
I’m trying to get better with pronunciations with newer videos.
I remember when the E-type first came out. It was like something from another planet. A really stunning car; it still is.
Exactly right, it looked it came from another world.
That car is the most stunning looker ever made.😍
Great video thx. I'm a totally biased Jag fan and don't think anything by anyone has come close to the original E type for looks or value.
Yes, a person with critical thinking. You are so right sir. !!!!!
Totally Totally Totally agree with your comment!
I'm a totally biased Jag fan as well. Has anyone ever built a more beautiful sedan/saloon than the Jag Mark II? Not Alfa, not BMW, not Cadillac, not Audi, not Lincoln, not Bentley not Mercedes, not Ford, not Dodge, not Aston Martin, not Honda, not Chrysler, not Citroen, not Lexus, not Rolls, not Hyundai, not even Jag in later years. They've all come very very close, but Mark II historically reigns supreme.
Dad and I owned many Jaguars, including one particular 1963 XKE OTS for over 45 years. We also owned a 1969 Series II 4.2 liter coupe at the same time. Comparing the 2 cars was inevitable and fun. The 3.8 liter series I car was quicker, faster, lighter, and sportier. The engine revved out better: I saw 6200 rpm at 147 mph indicated speed several times. The Dunlop brakes on the early car were frightening when cold. The Moss gearbox had weak syncros and didn’t like speed shifting, but once you learned the secrets it was a joy to operate. I could successfully double clutch into first gear when running a gymkhana course without grinding, but that was rarely necessary in ordinary driving. The Series II car benefitted from many refinements. It was quieter, had far better brakes, more torque, and the 2 Stromberg carbs were easier to keep in tune than the triple SU’s on the 3.8. The seats were a huge improvement. The steering and heater also worked better, the transmission was a Jaguar built unit with full syncromesh and easier operation. The clutch was also stronger and smoother. The 4.2 was good for 137 mph or so as it wasn’t as happy at high revs. We also had a 1976 XJ6 Coupe, that paired the 4.2 liter with a GM sourced 3 speed Turbo Hydro 400 auto transmission. While not as sporty as the E Types, it was a very beautiful car with excellent road manners and a truly comfortable and tasteful interior. My 1953 XK 120 Fixed Head Coupe was the great grandpa of the XJ6. It looked like a million bucks but the interior was cramped like the later E Type. Ride quality was very good but ergonomics had yet to be invented. It would go 130 mph though..
When I was a kid, there was an elderly couple who went to my church. They had several Jaguars, but I just LOVED when they drove their E-type coupe. It was one of the most beautiful cars I had ever seen, and I still feel that way whenever I see one today! (They told me that the reason they had 4 Jags was that you needed 3 or more to keep one on the road..lol!)
I’m like an e-type, I also have a monocock body.
Gold comment, mate!
No wonder you're so Cocky!
A thing of beauty is a joy forever !
NICE!!
John Keats, 1795-1821. TB.
I’ve been watching a few of your videos for the past couple weeks. Great work! Subscribed.
Defo the most beautiful car, the first I'd buy after a lottery win 😂😂 cheers again for the information and you research, top job 👍😊
I agree, This is one of the most beautifll cars ever made . The interior is even more spectacular than the outside in my opinion. Thanks for the high quality video as usual.
I was born in 1960 and my 2 favourite matchbox cars as a kid was my red E type and my white Ford GT 40, I still have them today nearly 60 years later,Your videos are so interesting and informative,I love the ones on the iconic cars of the 60's and 70's ,esp the run of the mill family cars I used to travel in as a kid, they bring back many happy memories, thanks mate, keep up the great work 👍👍👍
Great! Having owned 2 fantastic Jaguar E-Types for many years and now using a FIAT Multipla as much loved daily driver I never laughed as much as when I watched the beginning of your E-Type story. You are totally right. Thanks a lot!
And going from the most beautiful car in the world to what's often considered the 'ugliest'... what a remarkable switch, somehow that musta been 'intentional'! ;-)
your having a gift to buy (future)classic cars.
This is one of the greatest
Togheter with the Austin Healy 3 lit
Nice video but several minor factual errors. The C type did not use the XK 120 chassis, but rather had a very purpose built one. Some of the suspension was XK based, but that's all. The 3 liter engine used in the E2A did not come from the XK150 which used a 3.4 or 3.8L iron block.The 3 liter was a shorter deck special aluminum block version of the XK engine. The headlight covers on the E type are glass, not plastic. The +2 E type's wheelbase is 9" longer than the 2 seater, not 3" as stated.
Thank you very much, Sir, for your amazing and educational videos! You manage to fit such a large amount of material into 15-30 minuts of your captivating videos!
Thanks for your great videos and good luck with the new channel
My grandfather holds the honour of having the first road traffic accident in an E-type. He started a job delivering them, when they were launched, in Coventry, picked one up and took it home to deliver it the next morning, in the morning he got t boned at a junction.
What a job
Williams Lyons was possibly the most brilliant designer of his time. He also had a true talent for exploiting cost savings helped keep his cars less expensive that his competitors. He was one of the first makers to use globalization and frequently used parts from other manufacturers IE: the E type used a Borg Warner gearbox and a Spicer Dana centre section for a rear end.
A certain Mr Lyons, who has well and truly left his mark on the classic motoring worlds imagination, for the mk 2, and the E type are here forever.
Interesting and well presented. Thanks from Orlando Florida
In my view the most beautiful car ever made. When I was a Detroit paper delivery boy in the late 60's into the 70's, one of my customers was on old man who lived on the street behind me who had a driveway with about 6 XKE's lined up in various states of condition, and more XKE's in the back yard. I've wondered ever since what ever happened to them all.
Still my dream car a thing of beauty
cheers for the beautiful documentary
Growing up in the 60's in a small town in south Texas there were three XKE that were locally owned; a yellow and a blue metallic convertible, and a white coupe'. The eye candy was intoxicating. The competition for crowd attention in that class included a 1966 Ford GT40 Mk. I, and a turquoise Avanti, but the Jags stole the show.
Well done! As a happy F-Type V8 owner, I am always admiring its famous and unmatched ancestor. Eventually they will be parking side by side in my garage.
Well done video, thanks. Guess I'll just go out to my garage & enjoy the looks, curves & style of my 1968 E Type OTS with a couple modifications. The factory hard top just adds that extra beauty to a great looking car. Thanks
By far the most beautiful car ever produced and the biggest pain in the ass to own and maintain. I had a '66 Roadster in a Champagne Metallic with Black interior and it was gorgeous. Had I kept the car all these years, it would be worth a lot of money BUT...I wouldn't. The things that can and do go wrong with E-Types would amaze most people. There is a reason for the term "Lucas...Prince of Darkness".
A friend of mine, who was a US Navy officer, brought back a 2+2. It sat in his parents' driveway for the longest time. It did not have a front bumper, just a tubular chrome trim around the grill. He was never able to get it licensed in the US, so he shipped it back to the UK and sold it.
Excellent videos and always nice to watch the Legos collection!
Brilliant video, thank you.
well done, the best looking car ever made
That LEGO model on the right...was my first Technical Kit when I was about twelve. I remember pouring over the catalog for hours, determining which bricks, shafts, and axles I would add to my LEGO set by buying it. Got my mother, my aunt, and my grandmother to go in on one birthday present that year, but I was happy with it for a long time!
I have the same memories!
Great and informative video. Subscribed!
There used to be a Jaguar E-Type forecourt on the Great West Road in Brentford and every time I was driven, or driving past, I couldn't help but look.
@Big Car your videos are much like the e-types design; understated, and, exquisite in their simplicity.
No clickbait, no special effects, no music, no blathering preamble.
THIS is how youtube videos should be.
Subbed!
That's what I'm going for. I'm not a clickbait fan.
hear, hear!
This man is the best informed motor commentator on youtube
The healite covers are GLASS not plastic. Just what the hell body parts fall off. The 3.08 rear end allowed the series one to go 150 mph, later series only had 3.36 . Porsche is pronounced like a girs name, please.! I've had 3, still have a '67 Roadster and 2 xjs roadsters. XK-8 s are your modern day E-TYPE , i have 2 roadsters.
@@gf4353 the American pronunciation "Porsh" is definitely wrong though.
@@shebbs1 That's why it's pronounced like a girls name. Porsch aaa
@@gf4353
lucky you
No he's not! There are many errors in this video. He adds nothing to the car's story.
Enzo did have a great eye for style.
Cars from that era had style but the E-type was always the most beautiful.
Great . More info gleaned from this than other E-Type doco's I've had a gander at .
Very good But Headlight covers are tempered glass , 2+2 are 9" longer not 3" ,
A kindly voice, not boring, well spoken content. Moreover, I really learnt from your video. Example, I had no idea the "C" in C type meant competition !! On this basis I subscribed. Well done.
An interesting video with a few errors - already mentioned is the incorrect engine size of the Series 1 it was 3.8 litres, quoted as developing 265hp as that was the figure obtained in testing on the experimental engine shop dynamometers which ran without accessories and with open type exhausts.
The 3.8 E Type would cruise all day at 120mph with the standard 3.31 differential - something done regularly on the banked track at MIRA where the "hands off speed" was 120mph. With the optional 3.09 diff fitted, 130 mph was available as a high cruising speed - subject to the fitting of the appropriate tyres.
Although the Series 1 1/2 4.2 E type of 1964 / 67 was a much nicer car to drive, the 4.2 litre engine did not rev as well as the 3.8 litre and with the more heavily restricted exhaust system needed for the US regulations cars with the normal 3.31 diff could not reach 140 mph.
However, our development hack fitted with the older more open exhausts and when running with an experimental 5 speed gearbox giving a final drive of 2.88 and R5 tyres for prolonged high speed running the car would cruise at 140+ mph with a top speed in the upper 150s. I once did 1,000 miles in 7 hours with this car. Many modern rebuilds now have a similar specification.
I do remember automatic was slower than the manual i had, mine did over one fifty, but at those speeds it tended to be frightening.
Any old timers remember the toy XKE w/battery box& gearshift. One of my first car toys,. Always get goosebumps when I see one on the road or car show. Beautiful line's and sound.
Great piece, thank you very much for taking the time with all the research. I now understand why they replaced the E type with the XJS, which I hated at the time.
Glad you liked it Owen!
Well done ! That brought back a few memories from the early 60`s as my next door neighbour had a new E Type every year from 1961 to 1968 , what cars they were!
I thought there was a V12 engine offered, of course I think, I thinkmost of them were used when they competed with Ferrari, & some other car makers,
@@enriquelopez9124 yes v-12 s came out in 1971.
@@gf4353 E-type v12 came out 1972
Great video! Fascinating
I bought one of the last 3.8s new in September 1964, cost on the road £1730. A few little known facts as remembered.
150 MPH was possible, but 6200 rpm was not advisable for long. The brakes would slow it down to about 50 mph then very little, might have been due to not understanding the new disc brakes, although the Mark 2 and 10 stopped really well.
About 120 the front felt very light.
I found it very comfortable but am only 5ft 7 tall, a 6 footer would have the steering wheel out as far as it would go, and knees would be up past the steering column. Clarkson would never get in one.
It was supplied with Dunlop RS5 nylon cross plies. If you parked with them warm the next morning you would bump down the road with 4 flat spots until they warmed up a bit. I soon changed for Cinturato high speed.
Why would anyone need synchro for first gear. The Moss box had very weak synchro on 2nd, for years I would double declutch into second in anything I drove.
The way to demonstrate the car was to undo the passenger seat latch, make an early change into 2nd, then straight up to 70 in 2nd.
Further to above, I forgot that in 2000 I bought a Fiat Multipla diesel a brilliant car, did 75000 miles in 6 years at 50 MPG. 3 seats across the front, when asked what the middle one was for I usually said "For my guide dog"
God bless you - the research and production time involved for all of your videos is beyond most people's comprehension! I for one can say "well done" sir!
:-) Thanks. It takes about 2 weeks to make a video.
@Tediuki Suzuki here here
Perry Ford I hate this channel because you get so easily addicted to it. I am constantly checking for the new videos in both of the channels (big & LITTLE) 🙄 Damn you 🙃
What rubbish. The "research" was superficial at best, resulting in many errors and distortions. The Etypes major faults are glossed over or completely ignored... they were and still are rotboxes.. The Series 1 floorpan ensured the driver's head was out in the slipstream, and the exhaust cooked the drivers legs. Altogether this video is a powder puff effort.
Fortunately we have your video, Nik James, to set the record straight. Would you be so kind as to provide that link for us here?
Southway in Guildford, there used to be an E-Type parked up on the side of the road, when I was a child. I would have been 8/9 at the time, I'm now 30. It's the car that made me love Jags
In college in the early seventies here in Texas I went to work for a physician who chose the XJ-12 coupe over the XK-E for just that reason you state here: much more comfort, it could hold his two kids in the back and had a top speed far, far above anything legal here. I drove that coupe several times and loved it, despite its high cowl making it seem rather antique. He had to have the silver paint re-done under warranty 'cause it started just washing away!
I rarely , if ever, say this. That was a good informative video. I worked on a few e type back in the 80s. Loved them. A mention for the spitfire, car that is, and gt6 should also be made as this was clearly a budget e type. Owned one my self. And are still a bargain
I fell in love with that car the moment I saw it in the movie Brannigan. Black E Type with red pinstripes.
Thanks for the smooth and detailed video 🙏✌️🌞
Very informative! I'm glad the brake upgrades were mentioned. The first model's brakes were mechanics' heaven - always giving problems. Not sure how well they worked at 140 mph either; I've heard some bad rumors. Also, Jaguars were notorious for having bolt heads and grease nipples in impossible-to-reach places. But a great car, nonetheless.
Great start to your video!
I knew someone with an XJ12 who said whenever he contemplated taking it out for a weekend drive, he ended up taking his Holden, because invariably if he took the Jaguar, it would return on the back of a tow truck. He joked that one of the 27 coolant hoses would have blown. leaving him stranded. The amount of heat radiating from that V12 engine bay in an Australian summer seemed to rival the business end of a jet engine.
Great presenter and intelligent and entertaining shorts. Many thanks from a 57 yr old, UK lover of all cars, good & bad.
Most beautiful car ever. A local s/h motorcycle dealer I knew had a 1968 E-Type straight from the factory stored on his premises, never registered and still in its protective wax coating. He had it polished up and sold it 20 year later. I think he made a large profit. He also had a collection of motorcycles never taken out of their delivery crates, including a Vincent.
They are absolutely beautiful, but you need a freaking can opener to get in and out of them!
First gear is pretty fun!
Terrific video as usual.
Just a couple of , pedantic, points in relation to your very good commentary.
The E2A had a 3 litre engine and it was unique to this prototype.
The XK150, or any other production Jaguar, never had an engine of this capacity.
The brilliant Bob Knight designed suspension from 1961 continued to be used on Jaguars up until around 1996 and was thereafter used in the Aston Martin DB7 up until 2004.
Jaguar veered away from its geometries with the stillborn XJ40 models but reverted to similar geometries with subsequent models.
The covers over the Series 1 E Type headlamps were Triplex glass, not any kind of plastic.
Great cars, titans who designed them, great video.
Thank you for posting this.
The E-type coupe was absolutely my favorite car when I was a kid! I had a die-cast model with doors and rear hatch that opened. I also have to say that I am a big fan of the F-type!
So cool, the shape. It great they updated it as an all electric without changing much of the classic design. It didn't lose its soul like the Beetle, Mini & soon the Combi have.
Beautiful on the outside, a nightmare on the inside. Infamous for maintenance, mechanically and electrically irrational, superficially fragile, and to say it was “cramped” is an understatement. Best appreciated from a distance.
Great video and have watched quite a few of yours now so new subscriber I am!!! Love the etype especially the series 3 5.3 v12. Any chance of a video of the jensen interceptor as also love that one too!!?? Thanks
Stationed In Denver in 1962, I rented a full size Chevy to take some friends to the mountains. While stopped at a light I was very surprised to look in my rear view mirror to see a beautiful E type
rapidly increasing in size. The resulting collision didn't harm the Chevy but left a straight line crease along the front end of the Jag. No physical injuries and the owner was very apologetic, explaining that the brakes had been a problem since he purchased the car. My brother had one also and he found the brakes to be a bit iffy. Fantastic looks though!
Very nicely done!
The E type is right up there in beauty with Aston Martins and the Ferrari 250 gt california in my book of most gourgeous cars of all time..
Another good episode!
An amazing car. A sculpture. Interesting insights
That is an amazing car
That car is a driver’s car
All your videos are very good. Thank you
Glad you like them!
My dad had a 1969 E-type convertible when I was in high school. I'm pretty sure he spent more than half his free time working on it. I vividly remember my mom using traffic cones as a slalom course with my little sister and I both crammed into the passenger seat.
This car is rolling art work. BEAUTIFUL
Great video! Need more BMC cars! MGB/C story time please =)
It's on the list.
Back in the 90's I knew an Engineering shop owner who had a Series 1 E Type , it was Sex just sitting still the Engine with the hood up was Art in itself ..Fantastic best ever .
awesome presentation
As always, great presentation. Two points: The XK150 and E-Type of 1961 were not 3-litres but 3.8 litres and the V12 Series 3 produced 272bhp. Not 314bhp.
and the 2+2 wheelbase was extended by 9'' not 3'' if you're going to do it do it properly LOL
Quite right, the E type, was and still is the most beutiful car ever built.
@@xg.... The e-type topped the lot for looks but probably not for comfort or driving. You can't beat it's beauty though.
Second only to the Citroën DS.
I will say, to be honest I prefer the Miura in terms of pure beauty, but the e-type is more iconic like no other car in the world
@@theophilelejeune6319 Well you have to admit it's only a bit of copy of e-type anyway.
@@lawrencedoliveiro9104 2nd place is the xk 120 not the citeron ds but the nintendo ds is better then the citeon ds
Great video. Great car but really enjoyed your interpretation of it all!
Glad to hear it!
One of the most beautiful cars ever made, especially the Series I.
This was the Dreamcar No1 when i was a boy later i dreamed about 50-70s US cars, Plymouth, De Soto, Chevy, Dodge ect. today i wish i could drive something with a Jaguar engine like a Scimitar/Scorpion ect..
A fascinating insight into the history of this car . It is unfortunate that some of the development was marred by the notorious malaise in the British car industry at that time , but the E - Type remains a timeless icon to this day .
If this car was produced in low numbers like Ferraris they would be the most expensive car by far, but they made more than 72,000 of them. We should all own one. !!!!!
I remember XKE's being offered as prizes on game shows.
Upmarket game show. It was a Vauxhall Nova 1.2L in all the game shows I remember.
Bullseye it was a metro or a speedboat 🚤
The seats were far too upright. As I was over 6ft tall I decided to cut and shut the metal seat frame and tilted it back an extra 5 degrees. What a difference, seriously comfortable from then on. Plus a lot more headroom :-)
You got it right first time...when Enzo Ferrari said it was the most georgus car even it was said in jest....
In 1970 a friend had a 1965 coupe. I did the clutch and for payment we drove from Los Altos down Big Sur and over to Tucson. I drove Sur. it was just sunset, 30 miles below big sur when a "volvo" caught up to me. I would pull away out of turns but he would close in on braking into turns and even close in a little around some wide ones. It went on for about 30-40 miles... I couldn't believe it. I burned up the brakes and had to let him by. It was a 356 Porsche. The brakes cooled down. The owner was huddling in place crying "Baalezebub". Later I got the Jag up to 135-40mph but that was it. A 2+2 with a V12 is a garbage scow
It was a wonderful piece of art 😍
Jaguars were and still are very beautiful cars. 😊
Great vlog as always! Enzo said also; There is only one thing that is wrong with this car, and that is that it has not been designed by me! Why could not the brass at BL be true to Sir Lyons about how he priced his cars? Then I could afford a new Jag too! My father always wanted a Jag until the day he found out that you could not fit a golf bag in the trunk of the car. Keep up the good work!
Absolutely beautiful. Nothing else comes close.
Thank you very much! Great story. My favorite is the series 1.
You must be under 5 ft 9inches tall
@@nikjames2965 so, no Jaguar for me. 😊
The M2 and E Type had a dangerous fault with their brake design in that the wheel cylinders had stops built in that prevented the pistons pushing too far,how ever if the pads were very worn you had a hard pedal but NO BRAKES.
The most lusted after car,, by me of course!! Love the shape, as a little lad I had it’s picture from the magazine posted on my bedroom wall 💜💜💜💜 Long live the King 👑
I had a chocolate brown '67 XKE . It was one of my favorite cars . it had a special 4/11 rear end and did 0 to 60 in 5 seconds flat . I bought a new house and had to sell it in late '79 after driving it during the winter from '73 . Sold it for $3,000 and have missed it ever since . it only had 39,000 mi on it .
I loved my 72 xj6💖
I remember the Jaguars having a lot electrical issues back in the day, also, in California I remember guys retooling and swapping the engines for a Chevy engine was fairly common.
Same in Australia, don't think the Jag engines like the hot climate and long distances.
50% were in repair shops at any given time during its production era. British engineering!