There is nothing even remotely subtle about the Jaguar E-type. For many people it is the most beautiful car ever built, a glorious creation that is sensual, powerful and an icon of its time. For others – and probably the great minority it must be said – it is little more than a phallic extension for men whose self-worth is governed by the length of their bonnet. What is often overlooked in all of this is just what a superb car it can be to drive. As Autocar said in their glowing report of 24th March 1961: ‘For most drivers the limiting factor in speed of cornering of this car will be their own skill.’
Of course, views on the car today are informed by all sorts of factors, not least the huge prices they can fetch on the classic market. As such, it can be very hard to put yourself in the position of people seeing the new car for the very first time when it was unveiled in Geneva on 15th March,
