Haven't you always been interested in how many Jaguar E-Types were put on the road in Ghana in 1962? Never mind. Philip Porter's book with the simple title "Jaguar E-Type" - the German version of which has been revised by Halwart Schader - will tell you anyway.
The name of the book, without any additional information, immediately suggests that it is not just about the history of the creation, the first series, the racing versions or any other aspect of the long history of the E-Type. Porter's book covers all aspects of the E-Type, from the first prototype without headlights to the last V12 roadster in September 1974, from the Lindner Coupé to Bob Tullius' Group 44 racing car.
Historical pictures and drawings
All of this is illustrated almost exclusively with historical photos, which of course - with a few exceptions from brochures or advertising folders - are mostly black and white.
Only a few of the 750 photographs are from the 21st century. In addition, there are almost 100 design drawings from the development and further development of the E and the search for a successor. Porter goes into just as much detail about the thwarted and rejected prototypes as he does about special bodies from known and unknown manufacturers. It goes without saying that the Bertone Pirana is honored in a book like this. But how often do you read that the Jaguar supplier Abbey Panels also equipped two first-series E with twin headlights?
Porter explains the long journey from Malcolm Sayer's first prototype to the start of series production using test protocols and written documentation of the test drivers' requests for changes. For example, the handbrake, which interfered with the footwell, was moved to the cardan tunnel at short notice. However, the ashtray, which was too small, was retained in the production cars.
425 E-Type 2+2 in April 1969
Due to its high information density, "Jaguar E-Type" is ideal as a reference book for Jaguar fans without a private archive the size of a gymnasium. Numerous tables provide information on the number of vehicles completed per production month as well as annual registration figures in all countries in which an E-Type was ever registered - from Finland to El Salvador and, of course, separately for Coupé, Roadster and 2+2.
In addition, the appendix provides a list of all the results achieved by a Jaguar E in major sports car races. For those who don't want to trawl through the running text in search of model year-specific information, the book's appendix contains a detailed list of all modifications to the E-Type to the exact year, month and chassis number.
Annoying flaw
But it would be too nice if there were nothing to criticize, even if in this case it is more of a blemish. A few photos give the impression that an attempt has been made to colorize old black-and-white images with an automatic colorization program on the computer.
Black cars with red spots stand in a green mud of meadow, bushes and trees (with green trunks!), while wheels and ground are still only shown in grayscale and people have taken on very unhealthy skin tones. The few pages with color photos, black-and-white images and this unfortunate in-between stage unfortunately appear very choppy as a result and make the book look more unprofessional in parts than it actually is.
Not a gateway drug
Of course, we are complaining at a very high level here. The Jaguar E-Type book called "Jaguar E-Type" delivers what its straightforward name promises: it reveals everything you need to know, should know and can know about England's largest sports car. However, it is only suitable for beginners to a limited extent. Anyone who ventures here should have already read something about the E-Type in order to be able to better understand the numerous marginal and background information. However, anyone who already knows a little about the Jaguar with the long hood will find a book here that will probably answer all the questions they will ever have about the E-Type.
Incidentally, three E-Types were delivered in Ghana in 1962: one roadster and two coupés - one more than in Uruguay.
Bibliographical details
- Title: Jaguar E-Type
- Author: Philip Porter, Halwart Schrader
- Language: German
- Publisher: Motorbuch Verlag
- Edition: 1st edition October 2021
- Format: 245 x 280 mm
- Scope: 448 pages, 864 illustrations
- ISBN: 978-3-613-04399-2
- Price: EUR 99.00
- Buy/order: Online at amazon.com, online at Motorbuch Verlag or via the relevant bookstores
