Jaguar E-Type
Born: 1961 Died: 1974
The "swinging sixties" had many motoring icons, but perhaps the one with the most sex appeal was the Jaguar E-Type.
It not only changed the design cues of the classic sports car, but brought supercar looks within the financial reach of many more than the wealthy playboy tycoon class.
The launch at Geneva in 1961 revealed a car with overtly sensuous looks, but the technology underpinning it was also the best for its time. The 265hp 3.8-litre six was familiar from the XK150S and was fed by triple SUV carburettors, there was fully independent rear suspension, and disc brakes all round.
And the style also evoked for the road user some of the ethos of the D-Type racing car which had triumphed massively on the racing circuits in the latter half of the previous decade. Indeed, what became the E-Type evolved from a prototype race car designed to succeed the D.
It was by no means a perfect car. Contemporary reports tell of a clunky gearbox and uncomfortable seats, but everybody wanted the body designed by Malcolm Sayer, so aerodynamic that it helped give the car a top speed of almost 150mph.
Two styles were available, open top and fixed head. And if you want to spot the first 500 cars from the rest of the Series 1 production, look for the external bonnet latches. In 1963, the brash aluminium instrument panel was changed to a vinyl and leather setup. A one-off low-drag coupé was built in 1962 to investigate improved aerodynamics, and the weight advantages of an aluminium body.
It had a specially race-tuned version of the 3.8 engine. Sold on, it was raced extensively by Jaguar racing driver Dick Protheroe. A lightweight E-type built in some numbers between 1963-1964 was also raced, but without major wins. The first significant change to the production E-Type came in 1965 when the 4.2-litre engine replaced the old 3.8, and a 2+2 variant was added to the range.
Though lower in horsepower than its predecessor, the larger engine had more torque and was much more pleasant to drive. The gearbox was improved, and so were the seats, but externally the two-seater versions differed very little from the car that was already an icon with the 'celebrity set' and which was also a major export hit in the US.
The 2+2 also had an automatic option, unavailable in the other cars because of their shorter wheelbase. Changes in 1968 to meet tougher US safety laws included the replacement of the toggle switches with rocker types, and the deletion of the glass headlamp covers. This became the Series 2 car for the following model year with the addition of a rear bumper that wrapped around the back wings and a larger mouth front grille. In 1971, the Series 3 came along with a brand new engine, a 5.3-litre 12-cylinder car which also provided power steering as standard.
It was only available in convertible two-seater and 2+2 hardtop. Before it was superseded by the XJS in 1975, more than 70,000 E-types had been bought.
Rock stars such as George Harrison owned one and Frank Sinatra even tried to buy the first roadster on the west coast, but most important of all, it had been possible for ordinary motorists to buy the ultimate motoring sex symbol of the decade.