Nicole Johnson discovers one of only 150 ever built… in fiberglass, in 1953. What?
The Glasspar G2 came out just under 10 years before the E-type Jag. And honestly? I think it looks just as good.
And that DeSoto V8 sound… I’m amazed Nicole didn’t have a Big Moment. I nearly did.
Afterthought: Speaking of E-type Jags, Jay Leno has restored his 1963 XKE Roadster, and takes it for a drive. It is unquestionably one of the prettiest E-types I’ve ever seen — the color alone is worth the price of admission — and the fact that he’s restored (and not modified) this old beauty makes it even better.
Interesting car. but I’m not sure I see the connection to an XKE though. This is a V8 powered Plastic / Glass Bodied low volume special. The E Type is a steel body 6 and later a 12. The lines are a little suggestive of a XK120 with the cut down door but the tail is more Cobra shaped if anything,
….But both the Videos are worth watching so no harm done. Thanks.
re — Leno ’63
About twenty-three minutes in the video, he suggests the 3.8 (232ci) is almost as quick as the equivalent vintage Corvette 327ci.
That sounds like a stretch…
.
Let’s look.
1963 Corvette — 14.9 at 95mph.
1963 Jaguar — 16.6 at 101mph.
This judge’s decision — both!
Designers of that time had a different idea of stance. I speculate that their intention was to create a car that looked like an old Spit or Mustang fighter plane at rest, tail low and nose high. To modern eyes it looks a bit strange. The color of Jay Leno’s Jag is close to the contents of many many peanut butter nappies (diapers to Our loyal subjects in the Colonies) that I have changed.
I drove the old Six. The engine was amazingly flexible from about two and a half grand up and would wipe out most café racers without even changing gear. The suspension was also extremely accommodating of rough road surfaces, with minimal body roll. If only it had been the Germans building it not the English…