History repeating
IN 1905, Spanish philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” If that’s true, Jaguar clearly forgot about the E-type Series 2 when it was giving the F-TYPE its recent facelift, because the changes mirror those made to its predecessor almost 50 years earlier. With new front and rear lights, plus updated interiors, the two were definitely cut from the same cloth.
To discover whether it really is déjà vu, we’ve gathered together a 1970 E-type fixedhead coupe with an example of the latest F-TYPE P450.
The free revving 4.2-litre XK unit picks up speed smoothly and easily
The E-type had been constantly updated since going on sale in early 1961. In June the following year, Jaguar revised the floorplan at the front to allow deeper footwells and, at the same time, a recess behind the seats, which meant they could slide further back. The most significant updates came in 1964 when the 4.2-litre straight-six replaced the original 3.8, and a new transmission with synchromesh on
