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Feel free to ask me any questions about the car : billiebllongie@clubbers.net .
The Jaguar XKE is a British sports car, which was manufactured by Jaguar Cars Ltd between 1961 and 1975. Its combination of beauty, high performance, and competitive pricing established the marque as an icon of 1960s motoring. At a time when most cars had drum brakes, live rear axles, and mediocre performance, the E-Type sprang on the scene with 150 mph and a sub-7 second 0-60 time, monocoque construction, disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, independent front and rear suspension, and unrivaled looks. In fact, the E-Type was based on Jaguar’s own famed racer, the Type D, which had won the world’s most prestigious sports-car race three consecutive years (1955-1957) and, as such, it was the first production vehicle not to use a separate body bolted onto a chassis, instead employing the racing design of a body tub attached to a tubular framework, with the engine bolted directly to the framework.
The E-Type was initially designed and shown to the public as a rear-wheel drive grand tourer in two-seater coupé form and as a two-seater convertible. A “2+2” four-seater version of the coupé, with a lengthened wheelbase, was released several years later. On its release Enzo Ferrari called it “The most beautiful car ever made”. The Series 1 cars were made from 1961-68, and then Jaguar made numerous changes and released the Series 2.
The Series 2 introduced a number of design changes, largely due to U.S. design legislation. The most distinctive exterior feature is the absence of the glass headlight covers, a wrap-around rear bumper, re-positioned and larger front indicators and tail lights below the bumpers, an enlarged “mouth” which aided cooling, twin electric fans, plastic rocker switches in place of the Series I toggle switches, and a switch from the three SU carburetors used in Series I models to a mere two Stromberg carbs t meet stricter US emissions requirements.
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