1965 Jaguar Coombs E-Type GT

Fast Facts – The Jaguar E-Type By Frua + Italsuisse

• The first generation Jaguar E-Type, known as the Jaguar XKE in the United States, is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful car designs of all time and certainly one of the most beautiful of the 1960s.
• The redesigned E-Type you see here was built for former racing driver and Jaguar dealer John Coombs, it was reveled to the world at the 1966 Geneva Salon then shown to the British public at the 1966 Earls Court Motor Show.
• The first redesign was undertaken by Italian coachbuilders Frua however it was deemed too subtle for Coombs’ tastes, so he sent it to Swiss coachbuilders Italsuisse who added a number of notable design additions, including the front and rear chrome bumpers.
• Just one of these was built and it’s very well-known in the Jaguar world, some love it and some are a little less enthusiastic, but it is certainly memorable.

These cars were to receive special engines with gas-flowed cylinder heads, polished and crack-tested connecting rods, a lightened flywheel, a competition crankshaft damper, modified clutch, a close-ratio competition 4-speed gearbox, and trumpet tips for the S.U. carburetors. Although the engine specifications were substantial, the body remained steel and the suspension was modified only minimally with stiffer springs.

There are many cliches in the motoring world best avoided but often repeated, chief among them are that when writing an article about the E-Type Jaguar you have to mention that Enzo Ferrari loved the design, and was quoted as saying that is was “the most beautiful car ever made.”

Over the shifting sands of automotive history, time tends to stand still for the beloved Jaguar E-Type. There have surely been faster and rarer cars, but when it comes to the complete package, few autos can dethrone the E-Type.