By Robert Emslie
The E-Type was called – by no less than Enzo Ferrari himself – the most beautiful car ever made. Of course with its race bred semi-monocoque structure and powerful DOHC straight six, part of its beauty is the speed it makes, as exemplified by this beautiful shot.
Image source: JonathanReed
Jeff Glucker
Thank you for showing me my newest laptop wallpaper.
About that powerful straight six though. How powerful was it really? Between different standards I've seen anything from the popular 265HP to 180HP, 220HP…
I'm reasonably confident saying 265hp was the 'special fettle for road test' tune, while 240 was more typical for the initial cars. Both of those figures may be gross as opposed to net, so not including alternator, water pump, oil pump, fan, who knows what, and I'm ashamed to say I've forgotten the delineation between the 3.8 litre and the 4.2 litre.
Better get that anorak dry cleaned.
Generally accepted at the time in the Coventry, Birmingham area – ie the industrial midlands where all things automotive came from the 'off the production line' BHP was about 210. 265 would have a lot of tuning done to it, using cams from a D- Type, bigger SU carbs and a lot of head work. The 150 mph run by the launch journalists was done on what were widely known as special engines around Browns Lane.
Now, after years of development and knowledge, modern fuels, carburettor vapourisation patterns, scatter cams and so on 265 is obtained with only a relativley small application of funds
Also the Jag dyno was considered to be optimsitic compared to say Daimler and the MIRA one.
BTW I am not a Jag expert, but my school buddy has always had one and my cousin rebuilds spcial ones for colectors etc – I am surrounded by the lovers of the large lump
Only problem Mike was that Browns lane was a 30mph speed limit. They had to go further afield to really test the car properly
Ah, but it's a fairly long stroke engine that makes good low-end torque. I've driven a couple of them (a Series I 3.8 roadster and a "Series 1-1/2" 4.2 coupe), and they definitely have no problem accelerating and making power. They'll lay down black stripes on takeoff without too much trouble. And all the beautiful mechanical noises they make? Intoxicating.
Even 220hp is pretty dang powerful compared to the ~100hp that the American inline sixes were making at that time! It would take a particularly powerful V8 to get close to 260hp in the early 60's and that wasn't even a given for all auto makers.
Yeah sure its nice and amazing for the first few years it wad out but powerful? Not compared to the days of the big block chevys and fords that were around in the same time frame which in my opinion some were just as beautiful but that is just a matter of opinion I guess.
It is a gorgeous and daring design that ages like wine: It just gets better the more you look at it. Quite a feat to pull off. But it also makes me sad: A company who manages something beautiful like that will always try to milk it below recognition. A huge shadow will be cast over many future developments. And something like the E will probably never ever be build, thanks to a whole catalogue of different safety, environmental and industry standards. Excellent shot, though.
…never be build *again.
They can be a nightmare for restorers – when you take one apart you find the back side of sheet metal (like the underside of the roof on coupes) is bare metal. No paint, no primer. Thank goodness for Martin Robey reproduction parts.