In the last issue, we focused on how the Jaguar E-type has captivated celebrities over the years, right from its very launch. But for many, many millions more, who might never have seen an E-type in the metal and certainly have little hope of ever owning one, it’s via the big and small screens that they’ve been seduced by Jaguar’s sexiest ever creation. The presence of an E-type in a film or TV programme confers a sense of style and speed that’s arguably only comparable to a silver Aston Martin. And, as the car has aged, it’s also become a way of rooting a production to a particular era; nothing says the Swinging ‘60s quite like having an E-type pop up and steal the scene.
The list of movies and television shows that have featured E-types over the decades runs into the hundreds, potentially even the thousands - far more than we could cover here. So instead, we’ll focus on some of the more high profile appearances of the Jaguars. And there have been quite a few of those…
The impact of the E-type when it was launched at the 31st Geneva International Motor Show in March 1961 was so great that it made the headlines all over the world. And we don’t just mean in the printed media. The growth of television had) features footage of 77 RW being driven at speed along a very quiet M1, prior to its Geneva unveiling. Could this be the earliest surviving footage of an E-type shot for public broadcast?
