Minneapolis Street Sighting: Jaguar E-Type

To be honest, very few cliche cars get me excited anymore; one exception is the Triumph TR-6, which I absolutely adore. Another example is the Jaguar XK-E/E-Type. This particular car has been spotted at various car shows and gatherings here in Minnesota for the last few years. Only recently did I discover its habitat. Yep, you guessed it; this stunner is another Quality Coach. Upon my various ventures over to the place where old, obscure, not-often seen car thrive in droves, this E-Type had me stopping and gawking damn near every single time I showed up in its presence; this thing truly is gorgeous. From its authentic British wires (the wheels not the electrics, people.), to its beautiful blue paint, from the chrome bumpers to the intricate badging detail on the trunk, this Jaguar captures the essence of "British tourer".
If asked to write down a list of favorite cars ever, this classic Jaguar would definitely be on the list, right up there with such hotties as early bumper TR-6s, XKSS roadsters, and the obvious 250GTO and 300SL Gullwing. As you can see, I'm quite a sucker for 1950s and 1960s sports cars, preferably with clutter-free designs, and as little chrome as possible.
While the E-Type certainly was a sports car by today's stretch, the E-Type is more heralded as a tourer, much like the modern XK/XK-R, and with your choice of either a 3.8 or a 4.2, touring is what it did best, although, like today's XK, this 1960s predecessor could reach upwards of 140 MPH in a straight line. As with today's XK, the E-Type also got relatively decent fuel mileage given its size. As with today's version, the 1960s piece with the 3.8 got about 21 MPG as well. Not bad, considering cars "got terrible gas mileage" in the 1960s. Nice to see, even 40 years later and a few more horsepower doesn't really do anything to detract the gas mileage figure very much. If anything, this proper XK is certainly more of a hoot to drive than the new one.
As I've said before, this example is truly amazing; the paint finish, the chrome, the interior. Everything is just about as perfect as can be, save for the modern stereo' here's hoping it doesn't have subs in it. The only thing missing is that fact that I don't own it. Shame, shame.