Jaguar E-Type

It shocked the world when Jaguar unveiled the E-Type at the 1961 Geneva auto show. With a long sleek nose, graceful lines, and bug eye headlights, the E-Type was an instant classic and remains a highly sought after collector's item. Fitted with a giant clam shell type one piece bonnet (it would be blasphemous to use "hood" when describing a Jag), and a beefy 3.8L Jaguar straight 6, the E-Type was hampered with a 4 speed gearbox. The factory works cars used a special aluminum alloy instead of steel for the monocoque chassis, and featured a powerful fuel injected version of the inline 6. These were known as the "Lightweight E-Types". A little long in the tooth compared with some of the other cars in this class, the Jags still are a pleasure to drive. The car has good balance and decent handling/braking characteristics. A torquey engine is a little hampered by the 4 speed gearbox, but inducing a slight rear drift and powering out of corners is a fun way to hustle the car around the track. Note that the 2 roadsters are lighter, and thus quicker than the low drag coupe version. - Jerry Chen