A reference archive
Jaguar E-Type
The Jaguar E-Type, sold in North America as the XK-E, is a sports car built by Jaguar from 1961 to 1974. It was made as an open two-seater, a fixed-head coupe and a 2+2, with the 3.8 and 4.2-litre XK six-cylinder engines and, in Series 3, a 5.3-litre V12.
What the car is, how to tell the series apart, how many were built, how the engine works, and what it takes to keep one on the road. Free to read, with no advertising and nothing for sale.
Series 1 fixed-head coupe. The long bonnet, covered headlights and wire wheels are characteristic of the earliest cars.
This is an independent archive about the Jaguar E-Type, written and maintained by Jon Cosson, who owns a Series 1. It exists because the reliable answers turned out to be harder to find than they should be.
Much of what is genuinely known about these cars sits in forum threads, in club archives, and inside the editorial pages of firms whose real business is selling cars. This site tries to answer the question instead of selling you something.
It is written for owners and would-be owners: anyone trying to identify a car, understand how it works, or decide what a tired example needs next.
Free, and honest about its sources
The archive is free to read. It carries no advertising, no affiliate links and no sponsored content, and nothing on it is for sale.
Where a figure comes from a published source, that source is named in the text. Where sources disagree, the disagreement is set out rather than resolved by picking a favourite. Where something cannot be verified, the archive says so and points you at the people who hold the real answer. The standard aimed for throughout is that of a good workshop manual: specific, sourced, and honest about uncertainty.
What this archive covers
The subject is ownership: identification, the engineering, what goes wrong, and what keeping one on the road actually involves. The depth is on the six-cylinder cars: Series 1, the interim cars usually called Series 1.5, and Series 2. Series 3 and the V12 appear factually where they belong in the story, without being built out. The roadster, the fixed-head coupe and the 2+2 are covered within each page rather than separately.
At a glance
| Maker | Jaguar Cars |
|---|---|
| Years built | March 1961 to June 1974 |
| Series | Series 1 (3.8 and 4.2), the interim Series 1.5, Series 2, Series 3 |
| Body styles | Open two-seater (roadster), fixed-head coupe, 2+2 |
| Engines | 3.8-litre and 4.2-litre XK six-cylinder; 5.3-litre V12 (Series 3) |
| Numbers made | Roughly 72,500 (published totals of 72,515 and 72,520) |
| Where built | Browns Lane, Coventry |
| Designer (body) | Malcolm Sayer |
| Length | 175.3in / 4,453mm (two-seaters, Series 1 and 2) to 184.5in / 4,686mm (six-cylinder 2+2) |
| Width | 65.3in / 1,657mm (Series 1 and 2); 66.1in / 1,679mm (Series 3 open two-seater) |
| Wheelbase | 96in / 2,438mm (two-seaters, Series 1 and 2); 105in / 2,667mm (2+2 and all Series 3) |
| Kerb weight | 2,770lb (Series 1 open two-seater) to 3,380lb reported (Series 3 open two-seater) |
Figures vary by series and body; the sources and the gaps are set out on the specifications page.
Series 1, 2 and 3
Series 1 cars, from 1961, began with the 3.8-litre engine and moved to the 4.2-litre with an all-synchromesh gearbox during 1964; the interim 1968 model year cars are known as Series 1.5. Series 2 followed from August 1968, with a larger front air intake, repositioned lights and wraparound bumpers. Series 3, from 1971, brought the 5.3-litre V12 and a longer wheelbase for both remaining body styles. The series identification page sets out how to tell them apart.
E-Type or XK-E?
They are the same car. XKE, or XK-E, was the name used in North America, and United States specification cars differed from home market cars in detail. The E-Type or XK-E page explains where the name came from and what changed for the American market.
Buying a Jaguar E-Type
The structure of the car, rather than its paint, decides whether it is worth saving. Matching numbers, originality and the condition of the monocoque all need checking before anything else. The buying and evaluation guide covers what to inspect and how to read what you find.
What this archive deliberately does not cover
There is nothing here about cars for sale, asking prices, what an E-Type is worth, market values, auction results or investment advice, and nothing about restomod or continuation builders. That ground is already held, thoroughly, by commercial sites whose pages rank first for those questions, and this archive concedes it on purpose. If you want to know what a particular car is worth, a specialist restorer, a marque valuer or an insurer with classic experience will serve you far better than a reference page could.
Questions about the Jaguar E-Type
When was the Jaguar E-Type made?
The E-Type was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961 and built until 1974. The last open two-seater was built in June 1974.
How many E-Types were made?
Roughly 72,500. Two published breakdowns give 72,515 and 72,520, and they disagree on how the cars divide between series and body styles, so the round figure is an approximation.
What is the difference between an E-Type and an XK-E?
There is none. XKE, or XK-E, was the name used for the car in North America. United States specification cars differed in detail from home market cars, but they are the same model.
What engines did the E-Type use?
Series 1 cars began with the 3.8-litre XK six-cylinder engine and moved to the 4.2-litre during 1964. Series 2 kept the 4.2. Series 3, from 1971, used Jaguar's 5.3-litre V12.
Is the E-Type a classic car?
The E-Type was built between 1961 and 1974, and in 1996 the Museum of Modern Art in New York added a Series 1 roadster to its permanent design collection. For how the term classic is usually defined, see Jon Cosson's guide to when a car becomes a classic.
Last reviewed 19 October 2026
Recently updated
Production figures consolidated under one address
The production tables, source disagreements and survival caveats now share the how-many-e-types-were-made page. The production-numbers address redirects permanently to it.
Specification quick answers by series and body
A first table brings together the held dimensions, weight and power figures. Missing measurements and unresolved weight bases remain explicit rather than being filled by assumption.
2+2 and automatic transmission guide
A sourced guide records factory automatic availability, Borg-Warner gearbox evidence and identification checks. Series 2 and Series 3 now begin with reference summaries and a comparison question.
Selling an E-Type
A new page on selling an E-Type: the routes to market, what the Heritage Certificate and the numbers can and cannot show, describing the series, steering side and changes honestly, the British paperwork and the law, payment scams, and a short section on selling in the United States. It quotes no prices.