Jaguar E-type | 60th Anniversary

[Applause] [Music] hello and welcome to jaguar classic and our celebration of a very special anniversary because this month sees the diamond anniversary of one of the jewels in jaguar's crown yes it's the 60th birthday of arguably one of the most beautiful cars ever built the jaguar e-type so in the show we are going to be exploring some of the really interesting stories behind the original car plus looking at jaguar's exciting plans to mark the moment we're going to be hearing from jaguar land rover ceo thierry belore plus jaguar's design director julian thompson on just what makes the e-type so special plus we want to hear from you and your e-type stories [Music] well joining me in our special anniversary studio to look back at the history of the e-type and look forward to this month's celebration is the director of jaguar classic dan pink dan thank you so much for hosting us here today let's just start with the role of jacko classic and your role in preserving jaguar's history now well our mission is a straightforward one it's to preserve and restore our heritage for future generations to enjoy and there's four ways in which we do that first this amazing classic work facility which we're in today it's over 14 000 square meters which is the largest of its kind in the world and it's home to some of the finest restoration and servicing by jaguar experts and specialists we have 54 workshop bays which service all manner of jaguars from xj8 to d-types we restore e-types back to reborn factory specification and also build new d-types and c-type continuation cars from scratch these vehicles are created to the highest standards of quality and authenticity you know which ensures that it keeps our rich past and heritage of the jaguar brand alive we provide genuine jaguar parts to thousands of customers worldwide which help them care best for their vehicles we're also really lucky to house a collection of over several hundred classic vehicles and finally we've got our works legend program which essentially enables customers a chance to buy the most exceptional classic jaguars that are on the market wow so it's quite a busy place then i guess e-type has always played a big part absolutely such a special anniversary is really important to us because the e-type story is just so important to jaguar's heritage when it was launched in 1961 jaguar's e-type caused the sensation so let's start at the very beginning then tell me how it all started the e-types development actually began in the 50s as sir william lyons looked to replace the xk sports car now jaguar had dominated the racetrack the c-type and the d-type and it was lessons learned from these cars that would inform the e-type you know as well as giving it its name so what's actually deemed to be the first car the first e-type the first prototype e1a was built in 1957 but the e-type really took off with e2a which was the second development car now this was a great example of jaguar developing its cars in competition as part of the testing of the car jaguar actually entered the vehicle into le mans but this all predates the launch of the road-going e-type which we know and love today and that's quite a story in itself isn't it yeah the e-type was first presented to the world at the part desi aviv in geneva on the 15th of march 1961 which was just ahead of the mode show itself but the story of its debut is really the story of how it got there just two cars had been taken to geneva a mode show stankar and a demonstrator the fixed head coupe registered 9600 hp which was famously driven overnight from coventry to geneva by public relations man bob berry now in those days the show started with demonstration drives for the media now bob arrived with just a few minutes to spare before its official unveiling the 9600 hp is the car that you see today with photographs of sir william lyons but such was demand from the media to drive this car that sir william lyons decided it needed a second car for demonstration drives the convertible 77 rw now the problem was at the time the car was in coventry it's a legendary test driver norman dewis he was told to drop everything and drive it from the factory to geneva again overnight now this was totally worth it jaguar took its first 500 orders even before they left geneva and that was just the start of the success story you have to remember amanda that when the e-type launched it was faster than a ferrari aston martin but half the price and jaguar is really smart enough to take it to america just a month after geneva which literally turbocharged demand around two-thirds of the e-types built in the world 72 000 between 1961 and 1974 were sold in the u.s in the u.s the e-type was known as a jaguar xke now the jaguar as many people know is really an icon of the british 60s and in 1996 the e-type became only the third car to join the museum of modern arts design collection but we're not just talking about sales success are we because the e-type was also phenomenally successful on the racetrack oh yeah absolutely and you know right from the very start it was only a month after it's launched the e-type won its first race now this was at alton park in cheshire and the driver was a young chap called graham hill now the car wasn't designed specifically to race but it was fast well balanced and had disc brakes and an independent rear suspension as well as uk production car racing jaguar also used the e-type in endurance competitions including le mans sebring and the nurburgring this led to the creation of the lightweight e-type now as most of our viewers will know only 12 of these lightweights were better built in the early 60s i have a planned run of 18 cars so in 2015 with the opportunity to bring the remaining six to life using the original chassis numbers well the e-type has never been far from the hearts and minds of jaguar's design team and in preparation for this celebration we caught up with jaguar's design director julian thompson on what the e-type means to him i guess my my first memories of uh jaggery type were were in were in the 60s when i was probably uh 89 years old and suddenly my neighbor out of nowhere bought this this this brand coupe which was a stunning machine and i was just totally transfixed with it and just once or twice you know he he took me to school in it and you know there was like nothing else you know i guess the first time i actually drove one would have been in my early 20s one of my colleagues actually had a beautiful red series one convertible which he let me drive and i was amazed how modern it felt and how together for a car of that era it was it was a fantastic thing when you're a designer working for jaguar it's fantastic to be you know to be a part of jag and be so proud to be part of that history but it's also very intimidating to try and follow cars like the type jaguar and you know it is a true icon you know in that it really set out a totally different agenda really moved the needle and what was actually possible e types very very beautiful cars very very elegant but the racing ones you know i think just have that little bit of edge to them you know they're a little bit more brutal a little bit more attitude a little bit more aggressive they sit that little bit better on the road they sound a little bit noisy and a little bit more menacing and so probably the the uh the low draggy type the race car is really the one which does it for me don't you know it's just got that little bit of edge a little bit more purposeless to it which i find very very exciting they're all fantastic obviously but the low drag car is the one i really like the character of the most well there's clearly a lot of love for the e-type but as well as the car itself there are some big personalities involved as well but unfortunately said goodbye to some of them i mean the e-type story is also that of the people behind it of course william lyons himself and designer malcolm sayer but for anyone who works at jaguar three names in the e-type story are legendary those we always think of when we think of the e-type are lofty norman jewis and bob berry norman and bob have been with us on several e-type anniversaries but both sadly passed away just before we reached the 60th anniversary as a team they were involved in not just launching of the e-type but fundamental to its development bob was a racer himself and norman was also a test driver so there was genuine racing experience and passion amongst them lofty england was jaguar's race team manager and this car was one of his early prototype e types now lofty recruited bob to jaguar in the 1950s when they met at le mans and he became the firm's pr manager norman was central to the development of the disc brake a key feature in the e-type lofty was with us until 1995 and norman passed in 2019. bob sadly passed on the 1st of january this year and we owe them all a huge great debt for their roles in bringing the e-type to the world [Music] and there you have it that's the official story of the e-type and the people involved but that's only part of it because of the 72 000 cars that were sold we know each and every one has its own story and this is where we'd like you to get involved we want to hear your e-type story whether it's as an owner or a fan and you can do so posting on social media channels using the hashtag e-type stories [Music] well it's now time to bring our e-type story bang up to date because it's not just in the past now you heard dan tell us earlier about the role of jaguar classic and what they do in creating special collector editions well for the diamond anniversary of the e-type they've gone one better and to tell us a little bit more is jaguar land rover's ceo thierry belory the future will see jaguar as an all-electric brand leading the way in modern luxury by design we are incredibly proud of jaguar's deep heritage as well as its strong and established brand equity to allow us to realize its unique potential this month sees the jaguar e-type celebrate its diamond anniversary securing its position as jaguar's most entering an unrevealed symbol this striking iconic vehicle inspires customers across the globe having created generations of life-long jaguar enthusiasts 60 years after its unveiling at the geneva motor show in march 1961 the talented team at jaguar classic are releasing the ultimate birthday present to the e-type the e-type 60 collection six matched pairs in an exclusive anniversary specification inspired by the two famous launch vehicles such is the iconic appeal of the e-type i'm confident we will be celebrating it years to come [Music] and here they are the beautiful e type 60 collection matched pairs now they're all sold as pairs and there's only six in existence and joining me to tell me more about them is the head of jaguar classics engineering dave foster dave welcome to you and tell me more about these beautiful cars well amanda this is one of six limited edition matched pairs every e-type 60 edition will be built from the existing 1960s 3.8 liter fully restored to this exclusive anniversary specification the six 9600 hp inspired fixed head coupes are finished in unique flat out grey paint work with smooth black leather interior and then the six roasters mirror 77 rw with unique green paint work and suede green leather interior they also feature our commemorative e-type 60 logo which you'll see in the bonnet badge the fuel cap chassis plate and clock face all designed in collaboration with julian thompson's team in fact the attention to detail demonstrates how this project has been a labor of love for our designers engineers crafts people and partners exquisite detailing features everywhere and what about the incredible engravings each has a custom designed engraved center console by prominent artist and world leading engraver johnny king nerd down it celebrates the epic road trips undertaken by norman dewis and bob berry to get to the 1961 launch in the coupe the engraving is stylized to root map of the route taken by bob berry with an overhead sketch of an e-type and the words i thought you'd never get here that was the reaction of sir william lyons to bob's arrival just minutes before the unveiling for the roadsters the engraving tracks the route taken by jewess on his last minute drive to switzerland with a sketch of the car and another lions quote this time his instructions to norman drop everything and bring over the open top e-type and you haven't just considered how these cars looked have you because these cars are actually ready to drive absolutely our customers tell us they really want to get out and enjoy their vehicles so the e-type 60 editions feature specially developed close ratio 5-speed manual gearbox an up-rated cooling system as well as subtle nods to modernity these include the jaguar classic infotainment system with satellite navigation and bluetooth connectivity a stainless steel exhaust system electronic ignition and a cooling upgrade with alloy radiator so will i see one of these pairs at my local dealer with only six pairs being created they're obviously very rare if you'd like to find out more about how to own one of these incredible e-type 60 collection pairs please contact our jaguar classic team directly so what an incredible opportunity to own some fabulous cars but that's not the only element for the lucky few let's go back to dan to hear more for owners of the e-type 60 collection pairs we are offering a once in a lifetime e-type pilgrimage from coventry to geneva in the summer of 2022 for them and their guests now this incredible experience will be supported by bremont who are including a rally timer with each pair of vehicles todds who are providing driver-focused shoes and accessories and bennett winch with coordinating luggage we are also working with glen turret whiskey who will soon be launching a limited edition e-type single malt meanwhile bremont have also created limited edition watches inspired by the e-type 60 collection utilizing the colours of these special vehicles 120 will be made in total with 60 pieces in green and 60 in grey now whichever you choose comes with bremont's first ever rally timer also with each purchase comes a classic jaguar driving experience at our own track with three of our e-types well thanks dan now if like me you just don't have the garage space available for this incredible pair then don't worry because there is plenty of diamond anniversary merchandise available online or at your local jaguar retailer now let's bring the story full circle because we're not just talking about e-types the spiritual successor of this car the f-type has also joined the party as i found out earlier the other car marking this special anniversary is the f-type heritage 60 edition now this car is the work of the sv bespoke team so i have come to their workshops where these cars are brought to life and joining me is claire hansen now you're the director of vehicle personalization before we talk about this incredible car just tell me about the work of sv bespoke yeah of course well sv bespoke is exactly what you'd expect our team undertakes unique and special vehicles we can create direct customer commissions delivering completely unique specifications in our commissioning suite this includes even matching a paint color to anything a customer brings us we also offer amazing limited edition vehicles this f-type heritage 6d edition is actually our first ever sv bespoke global limited edition so come on then tell us more about the f-type heritage 60 edition how did you create this incredible car yes we worked really really closely with jaguar design in order to pay homage to the e-type in a contemporary way this is a fantastic example of what the sv bespoke team is truly capable of we've immersed ourselves in the heritage with unrivaled access to original drawings paint codes and reference materials firstly we chose to recreate the sherwood green paint from the original e-type palette which jaguar hasn't offered since the 1960s we have a duo-tone leather interior trim which isn't normally available on f-type and this is finished with beautiful details such as a unique aluminium console finisher inspired by the e-type's rear-view mirror casing to connect to the special e-type 60 collection vehicles we also have the e-type anniversary logo embossed on the headrests of the lightweight performance seats and just like the car it's named after this car is also fast isn't it yeah really fast the f-type heritage 60 edition is based on the new f-type r coupe or convertible so you get all-wheel drive and jaguar's supercharged v8 engine which gives 186 miles per hour top speed and not to 60 in just 3.5 seconds although you'll have to be fast to catch one because only 60 will be made and the order book literally filled within days well it really is stunning thanks claire [Music] well it's been fabulous to share this wonderful celebration of the iconic e-type with you today and to tell you exactly what jaguar are doing to mark this special diamond anniversary i hope you've enjoyed what you've seen and if you want to find out any more about the gorgeous e-type 60 collection match pairs you can of course contact jaguar classic directly and please don't forget share your e-type stories with us using the hashtag e-type stories for all of my guests thank you for joining me and to you for watching bye-bye [Music] you

Channel: Jaguar

Views: 43,513

Rating: 4.902081 out of 5

Keywords: Jaguar E-type, E-type 60th Anniversary, Jaguar Classic, Jaguar XKE, Jaguar, Heritage, E-type, Design Director Julian Thomson, CEO Thierry Bolloré, Amanda Stretton

Id: wMERFZZH7B4

Length: 19min 15sec (1155 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 15 2021