Riding Eternity: The Jaguar E-Type and Its Place in Auto History

There are few automobiles that have the lasting impact of the Jaguar E-Type. First seen in 1961, the E-Type was part of the peak in the British motoring renaissance of the 1950s and '60s. Though the last E-Type was assembled in 1974, the car continues to be cherished by collectors and Jaguar enthusiasts for its beauty, engineering, ride, and handling. The E-Type's influence is still seen in the Jaguar sports cars of today, proving the importance the E-Type has had in the annals of automotive history. 

The Jaguar car company's history dates back to September 1922 when the Swallow Sidecar Company was founded by William Lyons and William Walmsley in Blackpool, Lancashire, located in Northwest England. The two partners did well with few resources in building up their firm. In the middle of the '30s, Lyons went ahead with a plan to design motor carriages and roadsters. The line of automobiles were titled SS Jaguars, and the name would later be applied to the company itself after the SS acronym, shared with the Nazi military units, was dropped. The corporation would be formally known as Jaguar Cars, Ltd.

After the chaos of the Second World War had ended, Lyons went ahead with the development of new cars for the UK market. It was his new sports car, called the XK120, that set the global standard in sports car development. The car debuted in 1948 to rave reviews. Under its hood was the XK engine, a 3.4 L L-6 that had an official output of 160 hp. The XK120 astonished the motor press with its sheer speed. The car could achieve 126 mph, but a test run without the windscreen had the car hitting 133 mph. The XK120's price tag came to just £1,000 (minus taxes, of course).