Home » Jaguar E-Type

Jaguar E-Type

1961–1974 · Series 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 · and October 1964 changes five things at once

Series 1 and 1.5 are Dunlop. Series 2 is Girling. And ventilated front discs wait until the V12.

Find Jaguar E-Type parts by category

All E-Type PartsEverything we list for this model, in one place
Door SealsDoor rubbers · Pinchweld · Bailey channel Body & TrimPanel rubber · Mouldings · Bumper fittings Brakes & ClutchCylinders · Kits · Hoses · Pedal pads Suspension & SteeringBushes · Ball joints · King pins · Idlers Engine & GasketsGasket sets · Mounts · Seals · Bearings CoolingHoses · Thermostats · Caps · Senders Ignition & ElectricalPoints · Caps · Rotors · Coils · Leads Fuel & FiltersPumps · Hose · Filters · Exhaust mounts Axle & GearboxSeals · Mounts · Bearings · Universals

RelatedJaguar XK150Jaguar S-Type & 420Jaguar

Not listed? Plenty of parts suit several marques and never get the model name in the title — ask us and we will check the books for you.

About the Jaguar E-Type

Every E-Type has torsion-bar independent front suspension, independent coil-spring rear suspension, four-wheel disc brakes with the rears inboard, all power-assisted, and rack-and-pinion steering. The rear suspension lives in a pressed-steel cage, and it is worth warning a customer before they start: to change the rear discs the whole rear suspension cage has to come out. At the front, the engine rails are Reynolds 541 square-section tube bolted to the monocoque tub — and when they corrode they should be replaced, not welded. October 1964 is the biggest single day in the car’s life: the 4.2 engine on a new siamesed-sleeve block, Jaguar’s own all-synchromesh gearbox replacing the Moss, an alternator in place of the dynamo, a switch from positive to negative earth, a better brake servo and reclining seats — all at once.

The brake breakpoint is the Series 2 in 1968, when Girling three-piston front calipers and Girling rears replace the Dunlop system of the Series 1 and 1.5, with its small pads and thin discs. There is still no ventilated front disc — that waits for the Series 3 V12 of 1971. Two identification traps are worth knowing. “Series 1.5” is a collectors’ term, not a Jaguar one: the factory records call every 1E car a Series 1 4.2, while the market and the parts trade split them at specific chassis numbers. And a small number of genuine Series 1 cars were built with open headlights and are otherwise identical to any other 4.2 Series 1 — triple SU, toggle switches. The lamp aperture tells them apart: 143mm on a late Series 1, 160mm on a Series 1.5.

Jaguar E-Type — specification & changes within the model

Brakes by series
Series 1 and 1.5: Dunlop, small pads and thin discs. Series 2, 1968: Girling three-piston front calipers and Girling rears — better, but heavier unsprung. Series 3, 1971: ventilated front discs for the first time, with the Series 2 calipers essentially unchanged. Rear discs are inboard on every E-Type, and changing them means dropping the rear suspension cage.
October 1964 — five changes at once
4,235cc engine on a new siamesed-sleeve block with re-spaced cylinders (it is not a bored 3.8) · all-synchromesh Jaguar gearbox replacing the Moss · alternator replacing the dynamo · positive earth to NEGATIVE earth · a more reliable brake servo · new reclining seats. Torque up 18 per cent to 283 lb ft.
Series 1.5 is not a Jaguar designation
The factory reference guide calls every 1E car a Series 1 4.2. The market splits them at 1E1864 (RHD roadster), 1E15889 (LHD roadster), 1E21584 and 1E34250 (coupés), 1E50975 and 1E77645 (2+2s). We will work to whichever you need — tell us the chassis number.
The open-headlamp trap
Some genuine Series 1 cars have open headlights and are otherwise standard Series 1 4.2 — triple SU, toggle switches, RHD examples as late as July 1968. The aperture is the test: 143mm on a late Series 1, 160mm on a Series 1.5. A Series 1.5 also has black rocker switches rather than toggles.
Glass and body by series
First 500 cars: flat floors and external bonnet latches behind the front wheels. 2+2 from 1966: 9in longer with a taller windscreen. Series 2, 1968: the 2+2 screen becomes more raked (so Series 1 and Series 2 2+2 screens differ), plus wrap-around bumpers, tail lamps moved below the rear bumper and a grille aperture roughly doubled. Series 3, 1971: the fixed-head is dropped and both bodies use the long 2+2 floorpan, so a Series 3 roadster carries the tall 2+2 screen.
Series 3 — the V12
5.3-litre V12, four Zenith carburettors, 272hp claimed. Large cross-slatted grille, flared arches, wider tyres, four exhaust tips. Last roadster built June 1974, closing with fifty black commemorative cars in cinnamon trim.
Production
Series 1 3.8 — 15,498 · Series 1 4.2 — 16,195 · Series 1.5 — 6,726 · Series 2 — 18,809 · Series 3 — 15,287.
Where they rust, and why
Tailgate seams and edges, the screen aperture, and floor pans — especially on roadsters. A screen aperture that is rusting is a seal that gave up.

9 Products