E-Type Series 1

Malcolm Sayer was not a car designer. He was an aerodynamicist who had worked on aircraft at Bristol. When he drew the E-Type, he used mathematical equations to define every curve. The result was a shape so perfect that it looked like it had been sculpted by wind rather than drawn by hand.

The E-Type debuted at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show. Jaguar's PR team drove a car overnight from Coventry to Geneva, arriving just minutes before the press conference. The reaction was extraordinary: orders flooded in before the car could be properly examined.

The 3.8-liter XK inline-six, descended from the engine that had powered Jaguar's Le Mans-winning C-Type and D-Type, produced 265 hp. Independent rear suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and a monocoque front subframe made the E-Type as advanced mechanically as it was aesthetically.

At GBP 2,097 (about $5,600), the E-Type cost a third of a Ferrari 250 GT and matched it on performance. It democratized the sports car in the way that the Ford Mustang would later democratize the muscle car.

38,419 Series 1 E-Types were built in coupe and roadster forms. The early 3.8-liter flat-floor roadsters are the most valuable, commanding GBP 200,000 to GBP 400,000.