Ferrari Enzo once called the Jaguar E-Type “the worlds most beautiful car,"and he was right. The 1965 E-Type Series 1 Jaguar is an automotive marvel to behold. But far from its striking design and athletic abilities, the E-Type harbors a rich motorsports history. Magnus Walker of Hagerty drove this classic iconic racer around Hollywood.
Walker’s test unit is a Fixed Head Coupe offered in 1965. This 60-year old Jag has 23,613 miles, is all-original, and never restored. If you are a car guy, you understand how this classic is a rare find.
The development of the E-Type Jaguar started in late 1956. Jaguar needed a road-going sports version to replace the XK-150. But after winning 24-hours of Le Mans three years in a row from 1955 to 1957, the E-Type ended up looking like a street version of a D-Type.
In 1959, the final version was out, and if history serves us right, it was the fastest you could go on four wheels. Initial speed tests revealed the Jaguar could do speeds of up to 150 mph (245 kph). What followed next was perhaps the most brilliant marketing stunts ever done in the automotive world.
Jaguar’s test driver drove the first production model E-Type 733 miles through Brussels to the 1961 Geneva Motor show in under 11 hours, just in time for the morning press conference. The E-Type was a smash hit ,with 500 preorders at the show.
Under the hood, the E-Type Jaguar had a 4.2-liter in-line six paired to a 4-speed manual transmission making 256 HP and 344 Nm of torque. It could do the 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) in 7-seconds, which is quite impressive for a '60s car.
Sixty years later, the E-Type is still a marvel to behold. It is silky smooth and torquey. It has tall gears that shift perfectly, with better brakes than some modern vehicles. However, you’ll still experience understeer, and the classic car will float at high speeds, and occasionally, you’ll experience nose dives under heavy braking - It’s an old car, after all.
Even though it has a cramped cabin, it has perfect visibility. It’s a timeless classic, and perhaps one of the best cars to cruise through the hills and backroads.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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