Background
Don’t tell anyone, but I prefer the Series 3 E Type V12 to the earlier six cylinder XK-engined cars. There, I’ve said it. Heresy, I know. Call the cops. But when I was a kid we lived in a little village and our house was opposite the shop, so lots of cars pulled up outside our house while their owners nipped to get a newspaper or a pint of milk.
Three are stuck in my memory: a purple Triumph GT6, a yellow Lotus Elan and a red Jaguar E-Type 5.3 V12. I remember going outside and walking around it. It may as well have been a UFO, so different was it from anything else I’d seen. I got to the back. Four exhaust pipes. I was sold.
The Jaguar E Type first appeared on the world stage in 1961 and quickly became the benchmark for high performance sports cars. An icon, and a huge success for Jaguar, the car was highly desirable back then and is even more so today.
By 1971 over 57,000 had been produced with 83% exported around the world. But the car was beginning to show its age so Jaguar decided on a new engine for it.
A V8 was considered, but in the end Jag’s engine designers settled on a V12 configuration. Their superb design resulted in a powerplant with more efficient combustion and improved mid-range power – plus an all new soundtrack for future E Type buyers.
The Series 3 not only showcased the new engine, but there were many other changes. The longer wheelbase allowed a tad more passenger space, while styling changes such as the larger grille and flared wheel arches gave the Jag a more contemporary, slightly less fragile look. A more aggressive look too, in some eyes. (And all the better for it, in mine.)
As before both convertible and fixed head coupés were available. Power steering and a limited slip differential were standard fitments, and the brakes were beefed up to cope with all that extra V12 grunt.
Inside there were many detail improvements including a smaller leather trimmed steering wheel, improved heating and ventilation, new seats, and a revised dash layout.
E Type production ended in 1975 and the following year saw the arrival of the XJ-S which, although a great car in its own right, was never a true sports car like the E Type.
We had an exceptionally long wait for that, when the F Type finally arrived in 2013, after a 38 year gap. They even do one with four exhaust pipes. It’s not the same, though.
