To mark the 60th anniversary of the legendary sports car in March 2021, Jaguar Classic is building six matching pairs of the E-Type. The E-Type 60 Collection models are based on original E-Type Series 1s from the 1960s with 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder engines, which are brought to the exclusive specification of the E-Type 60 Collection in the course of a professional factory restoration.
The pairs consist of an E-Type Coupé in the color Flat Out Grey and a Roadster in Drop Everything Green. They refer to two exhibition test cars that played a decisive role in the E-Type's world premiere at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show.
Fulminant use
The first model was a fixed-head coupé with the police registration number "9600 HP" in Opalescent Gunmetal Grey. Jaguar PR manager Bob Berry had driven the car from Coventry to Geneva "at full throttle" just the night before the presentation to selected guests at the Parc des Eaux Vives in Geneva. He arrived at Lac Léman just a few minutes before the start of the first demo drives.
Because the rush to test drive alongside Berry was so immense, legendary Jaguar test driver and development engineer Norman Dewis was instructed by company boss Sir William Lyons to "drop everything" and set off for Switzerland as quickly as possible in another E-Type from the Browns Lane factory in Coventry.
At hand was a 3.8-liter roadster in British Racing Green and with the registration number "77 RW" - and Dewis also managed to arrive in Geneva on time. After a par force ride over French country roads and Alpine passes, in just eleven hours and with an average speed of 111 km/h. A piece of Jaguar company legend to this day.
Test drives
Both vehicles were later used for tests by specialist magazines, in addition to drives on a closed-off mountain route near Geneva. They confirmed the sensational performance of the car - including the top speed of 240 km/h.
The reward for the meticulous work in the wind tunnel, in which aerodynamics specialist Malcolm Sayer gave the new dream sports car its not only beguilingly beautiful but also aerodynamically excellent shape.
Jaguar Classic celebrates 60 years of the E-Type in 2021 with an exclusive birthday edition
Each E-Type 60 Edition model is rebuilt by the experienced team at Jaguar Classic Works in Warwickshire based on existing 3.8-liter E-Type Series 1 and fully restored to the specifications of the exclusive 60th anniversary edition.
Each pair - which can only be ordered together - consists of a Coupé based on the "9600 HP" in Flat Out Grey and a Roadster in Drop Everything Green in homage to "77 RW". In addition, each E-Type 60 Edition example will be adorned inside and out with a series of details reminiscent of this glorious era, developed by Jaguar Classic together with Jaguar Design Director Julian Thompson.
The E-Type is synonymous with the revolutionary spirit of the Swinging Sixties. VIPs of the caliber of Steve McQueen, Brigitte Bardot, Frank Sinatra, George Harrison, Tony Curtis and Britt Ekland all drove one. And thanks to the timeless beauty of its sculptural forms and its influence on design in general, the New York Museum of Modern Art included an E-Type Cabriolet in its permanent collection in 1996 as only the third automotive exhibit at the time.
