FIVE TRIALS
We enjoy the Jaguar E-type Series 2 and put it fully to the test
1 DAILY DRIVING
It’s unlikely you’d want to drive an E-type every day. However, that’s not to say that you couldn’t. It’s easy enough to drive and as the light steering makes it a pussycat to negotiate around town. E-types are pretty comfortable, too, and visibility is good; it’s a doddle to parallel park, especially with the roof down. The only drawbacks are working out where the car’s extremities lie – that louvred bonnet may be a thing of beauty, but it can be tricky to thread through tight spaces if you aren’t used to it – and the relative thirst of the XK straight six. Expect MPG in the teens around town.
2 IN THE SERVICE BAY
E-type S2s are pretty reliable as far as Sixties sports cars go. They have (much-needed) improved airflow thanks to a larger air intake, a larger radiator and a pair of electric cooling fans. Oil changes are recommended once a year or every 10,000 (ish) miles by people in the know, but the XK engine should be able to go around 150,000 miles between rebuilds.
3 ON THE SHOW CIRCUIT
We can’t help but feel that any E-type would be welcome anywhere. The Jaguar E-type Club holds various meetings throughout the year, and its events calendar is pretty packed, with a rally in Greece, annual spring meeting at a Surrey wine estate and a ‘shakedown’ tour of the Netherlands already confirmed for 2019. This is the club that also organises charity runs around the whole country. As the E-type is so great on long distances, tours are also popular among owners. HERO tours ( heroevents.eu) are incredibly popular, as are club-organised ones. Then, if you’re feeling really adventurous, the E-type is eligible for plenty of foreign rallies, too.
4 THE LONG WEEKEND
The dream of tearing down the south of France, hair cascading in the wind, with a throaty burble from your sports car bouncing off the scenery is massively appealing – and perfectly achievable with the E-type. A five-speed gearbox conversion ensures that the engine isn’t hugely stressed, even at motorway speeds. And while there’s only room for two in the cabin, it’s much more spacious than previous iterations. And you should be able to fit four suitcases’ worth of stuff into one – even a roadster.
5 THE B-ROAD BLAST
There is a sense of occasion you get when driving a truly great classic. And this sense of occasion burns brightest when an E-type is hurtling down a B-road. Yes, it’s big and heavy, and has overly light steering, but feedback is still good through the wheel, and being low to the ground, you get a huge sense of speed. The manual gearbox comes into its own on cross country routes – the all-synchromesh unit feels strong and meaty. It’s not slick or fluid, but it’s nevertheless rewarding to use.