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36 May/Jun 2006

If I were writing ad copy for the E-type, as I once did forJaguar, this would have been my summation statement forthat automotive icon: Swift…..Stylish……Sensuous.

Swift: Certainly with better than one horsepower percubic from 3.8 liters, the Series 1 produces 265 bhp, with atall rear axle ratio, it’s good for 150 mph.

Stylish: Absolutely from its announcement (in 1961 to the present), if you arrive in an E-type you are noticed.Heads nod, smiles appear, and no one ever asks to see your invitation. The E-type is your calling card in all social circles.

Sensuous: The silhouette, the lines, they work from anyangle, in particular from above so you can absorb all of itsmarvelous curves.

Growing up in Chicago during the muscle car era, I wasinitially taken in by the sheer power of those big block

brutes — until I went to the June Sprints at Elkhart Lake tosee sports cars compete. Like so many I fell for the E-typeat first sight. It was not only the car but also the advertisingthat got to me. The E-type owner was someone to emulate;he was cultured, dashing and attracted gorgeous women. Allthis and a price thousands below the competition said“Smart Money.”

Finally in 1991, after assembling my own smart moneyrestoring and reselling a number of XJ6s and E-types, Icame across the 1963 Series 1 coupe you see here. The carwas originally a European delivery to a man who wouldsubsequently become the Commander of the Naval AirStation near San Diego. The car, in magnificent conditionwith a straight body, excellent paint and original seats, stillhad the original silver painted wire wheels that were stan-dard in the UK.

THE R.RATED CATJAMES GROTH shares

his enthusiasm for his

Jaguar Series I E-type

Our hobby is full of men

who have changed the

perception of our world,

but few have shocked it

so profoundly as often

as Bill Heynes and

William Lyons. Consider

the astonishment created

by the rakish SS cars

especially the SS 100, the

XK 120 and the C- and

D-types, then the breath-

taking E-type thrilled the

knowing, shocked the

uninitiated and realigned

performance and value.

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL FURMAN OUTDOOR BY JAMES GROTH

AA3/06 36-39 Jag E 11/24/14 2:37 PM Page 36

D R I V I N G

37

Look out over the E-type bonnet. First you notice itslength and then the glorious curves accented by the powerbulge running the length of the nose. Sitting behind thewheel, you may think of an aircraft cockpit, perhaps influ-enced by Jaguar’s role in World War Two producing aircraftparts and repairing planes.

Lifting the bonnet of a Series 1 reveals one of the bestlooking motors produced, featuring polished cam covers andtriple SU carburetors. The clamshell bonnet makes access toall the major components easy. But it can take up to the bet-ter part of a day to refit one, since it represents the entirefront end on an E-type. When the fit is proper it should holditself up in place without the support of your hand regard-less of position.

Personally, I believe in upgrading collectable cars thatare going to be regularly street driven, but in a manner that

does not show or dramatically change the character of thecar. I changed out the wheels for a set of half-inch widerchrome Dayton’s in the style of the Dunlop originals. Thecar’s pinging was finally solved by changing the O.E.M. 9:1pistons to the optional 8:1’s with the skilled help of a fellowJaguar Club member.

Other upgrades that I have made include changing from agenerator to an alternator and adding an electronic ignitionsystem. Additionally I added new front six-way adjustableshocks out of billet aluminum as these better cope with theheavy front nose and improve handling. I also got tired ofthe enamel cracking off the manifold and had it hot-jet coat-ed. It looks appropriate and, if marketing information is cor-rect, the process may help keep the car running cooler. Thetwo-blade propeller fan has been replaced with a multi-blade one. To help keep the motor cool, Jaguar placed two

Lofty England partnered

William Lyons in motor sport

William Lyons created SS

then Jaguar

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Gorgeous is a word

used for decades

to describe most

Jaguars and

in particular the

early versions of

the E-type.

38 May/Jun 2006

sets of beautiful louvers in the bonnet, and yes these arefunctional and necessary.

The brakes on the early E-types are adequate. But thereare excellent upgrades available at moderate prices and thatwill be the next upgrade for my 3.8. I intend to stay withsolid rotors, rather than the drilled ones, to maintain thecharacter of the original.

A Series 1 car is very mechanical feeling and sounding.The 1961 through 1964 3.8-liter cars are less user friendlydue to the Moss gearbox with a non-syncro first gear. Onedevelops a knack for shifting them, by moving the shiftertowards second while at rest in order to let the bits alignbefore selecting first. These cars are easy to identify com-pared to their brethren due to their high-pitched whine inlow gear. They don’t particularly like city driving as theylurch, longing for revs on the open road where they are themost exhilarating after 2,500 rpm in second and third gears.

There is sheer excitement driving them on the open road.If one ever passed you at speed, there was no mistaking the

snarl of the straight-six exhaust note. From inside, accelera-tion is visceral, primal and addictive; once experienced it isalways etched in one’s mind.

An E-type FHC (fixed head coupe) also passes the per-sonal standard by which I measure the usefulness of a sportsor GT car. That standard is its ability to carry a lady andmyself from Malibu to Monterey for a weekend in comfortand style. Marvelous as the various mid-engine exotics are,unless you are shipping your luggage ahead, don’t expectyour lady to be in a good mood for a weekend at Pebblewhen she is living out of one small suitcase.

The spiritual successor to the E-type is the new XK, andJaguar’s new ad campaign focuses on one word, gorgeous.Gorgeous is also a word used for decades to describe mostJaguars and in particular the early versions of the E-type.The New York Museum of Modern Art has one as part ofthe permanent collection. So far I have neglected to use onefavorite British term when referring to anything outstandingand British. Brilliant. Brilliant. There, I’ve said it.

The E-type’s interior is more

sports car than GT in terms

of luxurious appointments,

but it is roomy and includes

a remarkable amount of

stowage. Its seats, in fact,

while not opulent are very

comfortable indeed.

The rear hatch makes it

a perfect traveler for two

with a week’s-worth of

useful luggage.

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E N G I N EType Inline 6, front Displacement, cc 3781Bore/stroke, mm 87/106Compression Ratio 9:1Valvetrain DOHC, 2vBlock/head IronHorsepower/rpm 265/5500Torque/rpm 260/4000C H A S S I SWheelbase, in. 96Track, f/r, in. 50.0O/A weight, lbs 2900Brakes 2-piston calipersRotors Iron Gearbox 4-spd/revDamping tubular, fluid shocksSusp f/r Indep.arm, coilsP E R F O R M A N C E0-60 7.4Top speed 150Fuel consumption 15-21

1964 JAGUAR E-TYPE

D R I V I N G

39

The storied DOHC XK

engine dates from the late

40s with little fundamental

changes in operating technol-

ogy. Bore and stroke, carbu-

ration, manifolding, com-

pression – details – brought

it from 160 to 265 hp. Its

civility index at low speed

remained unaltered. the

coupe and convertible were

introduced simultaneously.

Mr. Groth who spent a

considerable portion of

his working life with the

company aparently has no

compunctions about using

his flawless E-type as his

pickup truck (below).

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