1969 Jaguar XK-E Coupe

If the Jaguar XK-E, properly referred to as the "E-Type" in the land of its birth, isn't the best looking car ever, it's close enough that it's not worth having a big argument about.

Launched in 1961 as a replacement for the increasingly archaic-looking XK150, the XK-E used an aerodynamic body envelope drawn from the design of Jag's successful D-type race cars, rather than the old narrow hood and separate fenders of earlier roadgoing Jaguar sports cars.

Under the hood was the XK inline six from the XK150, with dual overhead cams, and cylinder heads with hemispherical combustion chambers and two valves per cylinder. In addition to the DOHC head, the E-type featured other technologies that were still pretty exotic for the time, including independent suspension and disc brakes at all four corners.

The 3.8L XK engine was bored out to 4.2L starting in October of 1964 for the '65 model year, upping performance even more. At the same time, a 2+2 was added to the lineup to complement the FHC (fixed head coupe) and OTS (open two seater).

The Series 2 XK-E, exemplified by the Cream colored Fixed Head Coupe in these photos, debuted for the 1969 model year with a slew of changes, most (but not all) of which were to accommodate increasingly stringent US emissions and safety requirements.

Dash controls were redesigned to be less likely to cause injury in crashes and front seat headrests were added. The ignition switch was moved to the steering column, now collapsable for safety. Externally, the plexiglass covers came off the headlamps, side marker lights were added, and the enlarged wraparound rear bumper required the taillights to be relocated lower, beneath the bumper.

The grille opening was enlarged for improved cooling from a pair of electric fans. Under the hood, the triple SU carbs found on the home market E-Type were replaced by a pair of 2-barrel Strombergs, causing rated horsepower to drop from 265 to 246 SAE gross on U.S. market cars.

Road & Track tested a '69 XK-E FHC against a Corvette, Mercedes 280SL, and Porsche 911T in June of 1969. With a base price of $5,775, the magazine's test car added wire wheels, tinted windows, A/C, and an AM/FM radio, bringing the as-tested price to $6,495 and curb weight to 3,020 pounds.

The Jag managed a zero-to-sixty time of 8.0 seconds and a best quarter mile of 15.7 at 86 mph on the way to a top speed of 119.

This one was photographed in October of 2024 using an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and M. Zuiko Digital 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens.