The Most Famous Car In The World: The Story Of The First E-Type Jaguar

The Most Famous Car In The World: The Story of the First E-Type Jaguar

From BooklistCar enthusiasts will appreciate Porter's history of the prototype of the Jaguar E-type, which was unveiled in 1961. This prototype was the custom-manufactured progenitor of "what was to be the most exciting production car the world has yet seen." The Jaguar motor company built only a handful of prototypes for the E-type (which was called the XK-E in the U.S.), and all but one were destroyed. The one not destroyed, with registration number 9600 HP, which was the one introduced to the public on that day in 1961 in Coventry, England, is "profiled" here through its long, up-and-down history. Prototype 9600 HP served as "press car" for Jaguar, for use in ads and brochures; it was owned subsequently by a film director and then a racing driver. After that, it came into the possession of collectors and, finally, into the author's hands, who lovingly restored it to the sleek grandeur it possessed at its 1961 unveiling. A fascinating piece of automotive history. Brad HooperCopyright