During this past Spring, I have been showing a lot of open-top cars. After all, it is a great time of year for top-down driving. This leads us to Jaguar E-Type — the sexiest and perhaps most beautiful convertible ever made.
Even Enzo Ferrari called the E-Type ‘The most beautiful car ever made.” And a 150-mph top speed didn’t hurt either. The 3.8-litre XK straight-six made 265bhp from the factory.
From 1961 through 1975, the E-Type was continually upgraded, while still retaining its spectacular styling. Disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, and independent front and rear suspension. Arguably innovations at Jag spurred the rest of the industry to make changes in its engineering. But these changes were not always for the better: Hargerty’s UK Buyers Guide points out that from 1964 onwards, the engine grew to 4.2 litres. The clear headlamp covers were deleted in 1967, and the line of dashboard toggle switches was replaced by rocker switches. In 1973, the Series 3 was made with the 5.3-litre V12.
These are beautiful cars, and can make a lovely Sunday driver for someone willing to put in some time and effort to maintain them. The Series I (like the one below) are the most valuable; you can find nice drivers in Series 2s for less money.
Series 1 cars can be identified by the glass-covered front headlights, the small opening in the grill. There is a week left in this auction, and it’s already up to $70k. Clean versions of these go for $75-100 and those rated “excellent’ can be twice that.
Source: Bring A Trailer
