Beauty and elegance

Correspondent NedoSMI not only touched the legend, but saw her successor.

About Jaguar E-Type dreamed all. He instantly became as much a symbol of the sixties, like the Beatles or miniskirt. Car falls in love with himself at first sight, it is not surprising that they owned the most famous people of the time.

Even Enzo Ferrari, the British did not like the car, called the E-Type's most beautiful car in the world.

Speaking about the creation of E-Type, it is impossible to do without mentioning the accident at the race "24 Hours of Le Mans" in 1955. While our usual standards of safety at sporting events did not exist. The track remained unchanged 30 years, and the speed of vehicles in that time has grown from one hundred to three hundred kilometers per hour. Killed many spectators.

D-Type, the predecessor of E-type, then finished first, but this victory did not need anyone. Jaguar Lions owner William disbanded his factory team. A Mercedes-Benz withdrew from avtosostyazaniyah 30 years. Across Europe, a ban on racing. In Switzerland, this law is still in effect.

Winning the race tracks have always been the best advertising production models Jaguar. In revolutionary for the time D-type was invested much effort and money that Sir William could not retreat. In the shops of the company had a lot of racing "deshek" varying degrees of readiness. Lions decided to offer racing D-type ordinary customers. The idea fails, the car is like four Chevrolet Corvette, manages to sell only 43 machines.
William Lyons does not give up and converts D-Type in glamorous supercar. Car acquires passenger seat, full windshield wipers with and easy awning. Motor is left unchanged. 250-hp engine clocked cars to the stunning 260 km / h. The model is called the Jaguar-XKSS.

But a terrible fire in the factory Jaguar's Browns Lane destroys all plans. Destroyed many ready XKSS and accessories. Only managed to sell 16 cars.

William Lyons decides not to renew the production model and begins to create a brand new car, using the accumulated experience of the race.
Work on the project's chief designer Malcolm Sayer Jaguar. Former aviation engineer Bristol Aeroplane Company, which published combat aircraft, did not like being called a designer, considering himself primarily a specialist in aerodynamics. The first prototype appeared in late 1957 under the symbol E1A (E-type 1 Aluminium). Bearing monocoque aluminum, 3, 8-liter "six" and a revolutionary rear suspension.

Prior to that, even on the Jaguar racing cars use the dependent rear suspension, but with increasing speed, it is less suited pilots. Lyons was sure to create a new design in less than a month is not possible, then an engineer Bob Knight on a bet five pounds has developed a new rear suspension in just 27 days. The design was so successful that, with the changes lasted for Jaguar cars to the 1990s.
The concept of E1A like William Lyons, and soon had a second prototype, more than close to the production model. Jaguar E2A, equipped with highly accelerated 3-liter engine with fuel injection system.

On the basis of it was created by Jaguar E-Type.

Geneva Motor Show 1961 has turned into a show car - Jaguar E-type fascinated absolutely everyone. Success predpokaza for journalists was so stunning that Lions asked Norman Dewes, chief test Jaguars per night Imported from England from the second available at that time copies of the car.

1000 miles from Coventry to Geneva Norman has done little more than 11 hours! When asked how he did it, answers simply: "Well, radars something in those days was not ..." Now he is 90, he is pictured here.

Jaguar took the soul of everybody, to carve out a separate item or element of E-type is not possible. In fact a new sports car and has remained a variation on the racing D-type, only slightly brushed and refined. But a surprising combination of muscular aerodynamic shapes and ideal proportions create a memorable image. "Eshka" like a Hollywood beauty, fall in love at first sight.

Advanced rear independent suspension and disc brakes at the time were rare, and 3, 8-liter engine gave out 265 hp, giving the car astounding dynamics - 6, 9 seconds before hundreds and 241 km / h top speed. In all of this E-type with its stunning looks and thrilling dynamics and handling cost is relatively inexpensive.

Demand for novelty from Coventry significantly oversubscribed - the company had not even spend money on advertising. And most importantly, to the great joy of William Lyons, the success of E-type locomotive pulled a sale of the other models.

Clients come to the showrooms to take a look at the unearthly beauty "eshku", but learning how to wait, to compromise and chose other Jaguar from the available stock.

E-Type was the first affordable supercar and remained this automotive icon for 14 years in sales. During this time he got a new engine, automatic transmission and even the extended version with additional children-row seat.

Total has sold more than 70,000 copies, making the E-Type sports car serial number one in Europe. A half-century later, there was a successor to the very popular stortkara