The E-Type: campest or coolest?

Cars

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Of all the cars of the sixties that have been transformed into icons thanks to the long lens of Nostalgia, the E-Type Jag is surely one of the coolest.

Sure, the Mini gave flight to the dreams of the swinging decade, and put a whole new generation and gender out on the road in a genuinely affordable British runabout encoded with exotic design values.

But combine the E-type’s phallic nose and its carnally sweeping rear with the olfactory delights of the hide-and-walnut interior and you have hands down a car that screamed ‘sex’ like no other. And sex always, of course, equates to cool.

Even in it’s earliest manifestation, the bubble-butted Series I (above), the 3.8 litre engine could propel this love bomb to sixty in a shade over 7 seconds. Enzo Ferrari himself is said to have regarded the car as one of the most beautiful ever made.

The E-Type was pretty, quick and British. Doesn’t come much cooler than that.

And if you don’t believe Enzo, ask Eva.

Now the lascivious plunderings of French comic-book spy hero Diabolik might be stretching the very idea of sexiness to breaking point, but can you imagine what other car of the sixties would suit the PVC happy “master of sports car racing” ?

No. I thought not. Because rather than simply sexy, the E-type is the campest car ever designed.

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8 Responses to “The E-Type: campest or coolest?”

  1. stuart

    Just a few comments

    The car at the top is not a Series 1, it’s a Series 2.
    I think you will find that E-Types never had any wood in their interiors.
    As for it being the campest car ever made, I think you should take a look at an Austin Metropolitan for that.

    The E-Type is a design icon, it is not camp. Best E-Type is a Series 1 FHC in pale metallic blue.

  2. The series 3, in black, with the V12! That’s the one to have!! My father has one of the last (comemmorative) black ones, so I’m biased!

  3. Richard Hocking

    Roadsters are cool, tin tops not so cool but i would happily have either if you were giving one away in a competition.

  4. DARRELL SPEAKE

    MY DAD HAD ABOUT EVERY MODEL MADE BY JAGUAR AND HE LOVED HIS E TYPES SO DID I.GIVE ME A PRIMROSE YELLOW ONE ANYDAY !

  5. The red car in the picture is not a Series I E Type as you suggest,

  6. Ken Spoor

    Enzo Ferrari got it spot on when he said ” The most beautiful car in the world” in 1966 I was quite ill in hospital, three months infact, whenever an E-Type article appeared in a magazine my dear brother would bring a copy to my hospital bed, and I would dream of the day when I owned the most beautiful car in the world.
    Then in 1975 I became the very proud owner of a 1968 series 1,1/2, in gorgeous Carmen Red, with black leather, the car had only 26,000 miles on the clock and was stunning.
    The biggest regret of my life was selling that car, no, not particularly for it,s value, just the fact that from a personal point of view it was ” The most beautiful car” I have ever owned.
    If someone offered me one last wish before I hang up my driving gloves regarding a car I would love again before I die, then I guess you will know what I would choose, nothing else comes close…., and I mean nothing !

    Young and foolish spring,s to mind !
    Amen.

  7. Pauldoug7

    Thank you Stuart. I am fed up of these so called experts mis informing the general public with their complete lack of knowledge. As you correctly say the red vehicle featured is a series 2 not a series 1 and indeed no E-Type ever had a walnut interior. Thank heaven that some people understand these things !

  8. Pocock Dj

    The car above is a Series II. The tail lights are below the bumper and the number plate ending with H puts it at 1969. In my opinion the 4.2 litre Series II looks even more beautiful than the Series I and much more practical for the driver too. DJP