The Jaguar E-type is one of the most recognisable sports cars, even today more than thirty years since production ceased. Designed by Malcolm Sayer, the E-type was introduced to a stunned media audience at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961, and it immediately rendered all other sports cars inferior and outdated.
For many, the creation of the E-type also represents a period when societal values in Britain were being liberated in the most alarming fashion, as the Baby Boomer generation really got things rocking. Economic prosperity and affluence in the United States were growing at a meteoric pace, which enabled Jaguar to exploit the lucrative market across the Atlantic. It was into this market that the Jaguar E-type was welcomed with open arms in trendy London or New York, as it was seen to be sleek, sexy, outrageously fast and above all affordable to a larger group of swinging youngsters than ever before. The Jaguar E-type outperformed most of its rivals, with looks that even Enzo Ferrari admired.
Although much has been written about the E-type over the years, Jaguar E-type - Portrait of a design icon is completely different in that it offers a detailed study of the car's design, rather than just a history of the model, revealing how both design and technical advances combined in the development of this remarkable sports car. Jaguar E-type - Portrait of a design icon illustrates how the beautifully designed E-type was developed from the line of Jaguar racing cars rather than following an evolutionary path from the XK150.
Interviews with Jaguar designers and engineers both past and present confirm just how important the E-type was, and is, as a landmark in the overall development of automobile design. The E-type will undoubtedly go down in automotive history as one of the most iconic sports cars ever designed. Jaguar E-type - Portrait of a design icon is a celebration of that success.
Author Glen Smale is an automotive research consultant and journalist with a lifelong love of cars. He is the author of Porsche:
The Carrera Dynasty, published by Haynes in May 2006. He lives in Buckinghamshire.
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Released in 2007
