Good things came out of 1960’s Britain. The Rolling Stones, miniskirts, and of course the Jaguar XK-E. Known in the UK as the E-Type Jag, no car epitomizes the glamor and style of that era better than this sexy, low-slung two-seater.
Restored E-Types, especially Series 1 cars from 1961 to ’67, fetch sky-high prices, but it’s hard for the non-expert to tell how well the work was done. So what better way to know you’re getting the real thing than by purchasing it from the factory?
That’s right, Jaguar is in the restoration business. Their new “Classic” division finds original, unmolested examples and brings them back to as-new condition. And who’s better qualified to know how a Jaguar looked when it left the factory than, well, the factory?
The first of these “Reborn” E-Types is an elegant gunmetal grey 1965 Fixed Head Coupe. Aficionados of the marque consider this the most desirable year as it saw the six-cylinder engine enlarged to 4.2 liters. Equipped with three SU carburetors, it could hit 60 in around seven seconds and had a top speed of over 150 mph. That’s quick for today, but back in 1965 it was downright astonishing.
There will only be ten Jaguar E-Type Reborn cars. If you have the necessary $300,000 plus move fast or do like everyone else and admire them from afar. Good thing they’re easy on the eye, or in the words of that International Man of Mystery, “Groovy baby!”