Tank flaps then and now
12/27/2021
In the past, fuel filler caps were primarily a means to an end, namely to provide the easiest possible access to the fuel filler neck for everyday use. For a long time, nobody made any effort to hide these fuel filler caps, but as aerodynamics became increasingly important, protruding fuel filler caps and the like were increasingly dispensed with.
Jaguar moved the fuel filler cap under a flap as early as the 1961 E-Type. The picture on the left shows the solution on the second series E-Type.
And 30 years later, of course, the Jaguar XK8 also had a fuel filler flap elegantly integrated into the flank (picture on the right).
Differences then become apparent in the details, because while the 1960s E-Type featured mechanical elements and relatively crude production, but exclusively metal, the XK8 of the new millennium is characterized by plastic and finely crafted details. The modern Jaguar does not want to do without a trademark under the hatch and, of course, the central locking system protects against theft and sabotage. Long live the minor and major differences!
P.S. Surprisingly, the "fuel filler flap" has also been retained in the electric car, except that there is no longer a hole behind it, but a multi-pin socket. From the outside, however, everything looks just like it used to on cars with combustion engines. At least the ...
