The E-Type, launched as the XK-E in the North American market, is often called the most beautiful car of all time -- especially when talking about classic sports cars. The infamous Enzo Ferrari even said that it was, "
the most beautiful car even made". Jaguar seemed to have found the formula for accolades and success when they combined the E-Type's stunning form with high performance and an affordable price tag. Inspired by the D-Type, Jag's very successful three time consecutive champion of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it could reach a top speed of 150 mph. It was initially launched as an export, with a domestic English launch coming a few months later, and was sold as a grand tourer with a fixed head coupe (FHC) option and an open two seater (OTS) roadster option. In 1968, a Series 2 E-Type was released and many of the changes in the design and function were driven by U.S. safety and emissions mandates that forced changes like a larger grille, wider wheel arches and bigger bumpers. Since the Series 2 release, the first round of E-Types have been called Series 1 by default. A
Series 3 was produced from 1971-1975. The Series 1 E-Types / XK-E (later called the XKE) remain the most popular and valuable of all editions.
