Bred to race
IT WAS the promise of a new race series for production sports cars in 1957 that fired the initiative for Jaguar to produce an all-news-ports car. As early as the XK140 period, Jaguar knew that its separate-chassis sports cars were already dated and something radical was needed for the next generation. Fortunately, the company had an ace up its sleeve: the D-type sports racer.
Jaguar had already experimented with an independent rear axle, so, along with a monocoque body with a stiff frame to carry the engine and suspension, the basis of the new car was there.
With a proposed 3.0-litre engine limit, Jaguar used a 2.4-litre engine to power the first prototype, E1A. Everything that would become the E-type was clearly laid out.
The first serious proposition was E2A, a car designed to race. Briggs Cunningham took the car to Le Mans, where the 3.0-litre engine was plagued with troubles and stood no chance against the might of the V12 Ferraris. For Jaguar, though, the results were encouraging and many lessons were learnt.
The racing element diminished, and what became known as
