It’s rumored that upon seeing the first Jaguar E-Type, Enzo Ferrari called it “the most beautiful car ever made.” That’s certainly high praise coming from the founder of Ferrari. Over the years, it seems that British Royals and Hollywood celebrities alike have sided with Ferrari on his assessment of the classic Jaguar XKE. Read on to discover more about the classic Jaguar XKE and how you can add a uniquely restored XKE to your garage lineup today.

The Rich Legacy of the Jaguar

B8D4D9 Red E Type Jaguar in a black studio from a low front 3 4 angle

In the 1950s, the Jaguar D-Type racing car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for three straight years beginning in 1955. After building a legacy on the racetrack with D-Type, the British manufacturer wanted to create a street-legal version of the race car. Thus, the Jaguar E-Type was born in 1961. The iconic Jaguar E-Type stayed in production from 1961 to 1975 before Jaguar Cars Ltd replaced the E-type with its successor, the Jaguar XJS.

Over the course of its 15 years of production, Jaguar Card Ltd introduced three different E-Type series. Series 1 was produced from 1961 to 1968. Series 2 was produced from 1968 to 1971. Series 3 was produced from 1971 to 1974. Interestingly, in the North American markets, the E-Type was always branded as the Jaguar XKE. With the States being one of the largest exports of the Classic Jaguar XKE, Jaguar Cars Ltd was forced to make some significant changes to the Jaguar XKE Series 2 in order to meet the regulations established by the U.S. National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.

Meeting U.S. Regulations

Unfortunately, the classic Jaguar XKE had to lose some of its iconic British flair in order to stay on U.S. roads. In the Series 2 of the classic Jaguar XKE, a number of new designs were incorporated to meet regulations in the States. One of the biggest mandatory design changes occurred when Jaguar was forced to ditch the iconic glass headlamp.

Instead of just dropping the glass headlamps for the North American market, Jaguar made the decision to adopt these changes for all of its production models.

Along with the decision to globally ditch the glass headlamps, additional Series 2 changes include:

• The addition of twin electric fans to help with cooling
• A wrap-around rear bumper
• Taillights below the bumpers
• Larger front turn signals
• An expanded grille

Various Styles of the Jags

While some of the iconic features of the original Jaguar E-Type had to be pushed to the wayside, a constant in the classic Jaguar XKE was the sports car’s two primary styles. Of course, these two styles include the roadster and the coupé. The Jaguar XKE roadster was first introduced as a two-seat convertible. In comparison, the Jaguar XKE coupé featured a hatchback look and was first introduced as a two-seater rear-wheel-drive grand tourer.

At ECD Automotive Design, you can completely customize the classic Jaguar XKE roadster or coupé into a re-imaged XKE that blends both the rich legacy of the Jaguar with all the conveniences and luxuries that modern technology has to offer. For example, every custom Jaguar XKE from ECD can be outfitted with heated seats, remote start, in-car Wi-Fi hot spots, Bluetooth, luxury leather, and more. In addition, every classic Jaguar XKE restored at ECD can be equipped with the classic Jaguar engine with a five-speed manual, a powerful GM performance LT1 engine with eight-speed automatic transmission, or even a Tesla electric drivetrain. So, however you envision your classic Jaguar XKE, the team at ECD can make it happen.

It’s Time to Add a Re-imagined View

At ECD, we specialize in bringing iconic British vehicles like the classic Jaguar XKE back to life. So, whether you’re looking to restore a roadster or coupé, we can help make it completely your own with countless customization. From custom LT1 engines to electric drivetrains, ECD can help turn a classic Jaguar XKE into a vintage vehicle that is uniquely your own.

When you own a classic Jaguar XKE, you not only own a piece of history, but you own a vehicle that will simply never go out of style. So, are you ready to add a re-imagined Jaguar XKE to your garage? If so, contact us today to find out how to start a custom Jaguar E-Type build today!