When Jaguar presented the E-Type at the Geneva Motor Show on March 15, 1961, as an offshoot of the winning D-Type racing car, hardly anyone suspected that this sports car, like few others in automotive history, would mature into an absolute icon. From then on, a Jaguar E-Type was one of the objects of desire, especially when the car’s design language played the dominant role. This has not changed today. On the contrary – it is a wonderful oldie as a coupe or roadster.

Today, the Jaguar E Type is one of the most popular classics of all and probably one of the most beautiful production sports cars ever produced. No wonder it often appeared in books and movies, for example, the detective FBI agent Jerry Cotton drove a red E-Type coupe for years.

The Jaguar E-Type Series III was a sports car of the British car manufacturer Jaguar, which was produced from 1971 to 1975. It was the successor model to the Jaguar E-Type Series II built from 1968 to 1971. Quite a few changes were made, the most important probably being the new 5.3-liter V12 twelve-cylinder engine that was used from now on, replacing the 4.2-liter six-cylinder engine of its predecessor. The new V12 engine produced 276 hp – 203 kW – at 5850 rpm and a maximum torque of 412 Nm at 3600 rpm. The history of the installed V12 engine went back to 1935, the version now used had been revised and equipped with a light alloy block and Heron combustion chambers in the piston crown. Since the Jaguar E-Type Series III was a fuel-intensive vehicle and the production period overlapped with the first oil crisis, the car had an extremely difficult time on the market – which was also reflected in the sales figures.

The Jaguar E-Type Series III was available with a few extras at extra cost, including air conditioning, an automatic transmission and wire wheels. Unlike its two predecessors, the sports car was only available in two versions – a two-door 2+2 coupe and a two-door roadster. Since the track width had increased somewhat and the car was delivered with wider tires than its predecessors, the fender had widened somewhat – otherwise the body had remained the same. The brake discs of the front wheels were now ventilated from the inside and the grilled radiator grille created a slightly less aggressive image. Enthusiasts of the first generation criticized the lack of agility and less aggressive handling of the third generation E-Type, a fact that still affects the price range of sought-after collectibles today. The 2+2 coupe was produced a total of 7,297 times, while the roadster rolled off the production line 7,990 times. Production of the Jaguar E-Type Series III ceased in 1974 – but was not announced until 1975. By this time, 15,293 examples of the Jaguar E-Type Series III had been built.