And the tach has been changed so the needle now rotates in the same clockwise direction as the speedo. The gearshift knob now stands almost as tall as the flat horn boss in the center of the steering wheel, and is only a handspan away from the rim.įor the first time on a Jaguar sports car since the SS 100, primary instruments - rev counter and speedometer - are located straight in front of the driver. The seat seems minimal: thin in the cushioning and short in the backrest.īecause you no longer perch atop a separate chassis, as in the XKs, you feel nestled much lower relative to both macadam and machine. Those spokes are quite springy, though, which can allow a disconcerting amount of flex in your hands. In the style of the day it is large across but thin in the rim, made of polished wood and aluminum, and has racy "lightening holes" drilled into its spokes. The wheel itself appears high-set, but is lovely to behold. Both column and pedals angle away from the engine, so you are immediately conscious of sitting with your legs slightly askew and with the wheel canted in your hands. The wheel still adjusts for reach via a friction collar on the column and, reviving a good idea from the classic Jaguar SS 100, can be adjusted for rake via a wrench. However, the instrument panel and steering wheel seem farther away. In fact, shoulder and head room are each an inch tighter than in the 150 coupe. Within the shorter wheelbase, the engine sits farther back than in the XK 140/150, and while interior volume is adequate, it is hardly generous. You are comfortable enough once settled, but the D-Type's "performance-first" racing philosophy is very evident in the snug XKE cockpit. At a diameter of 16 inches, the steering wheel commandeers some of the space your legs want as they slide in.
The sill is relatively high off the ground, and a bulky seven inches wide. This impression of compact efficiency continues as you open the very short door and fold yourself into its narrow opening (fewer than 21 inches separate windshield post from latch pillar). And it weighs several hundred pounds less than the closed XK 150.
Matched roofline to roofline, the XKE coupe stands a remarkable seven inches lower. Its rounded bodywork is an inch wider, but track measures an inch-and-a-half narrower. Yet against the Jaguar XK 150, especially, the XKE seems almost petite.ĭespite that long nose, it is an inch-and-a-half shorter overall, and six inches briefer in wheelbase. Twelve years of familiarity with the Jaguar XK-series had bred a feeling in some quarters that Jaguar's two-seaters were physically too large and heavy to be "true" sports cars. Yet even for confirmed Jaguar enthusiasts, this car was something new. Better, the XKE performed almost like the D-Type.Įven so, its great prowess came with all the silky smooth sophistication customary in Jaguars, that feline merging of muscle with manner that left no one unmoved on levels both intellectual and intestinal. The XKE was the child of the Jaguar D-Type, three times a winner at LeMans, and looked it. Packaged in one wind-piercing projectile was a race-proven twin-cam engine with three carbs, a four-speed gearbox, a limited-slip differential, fully independent suspension, all-wheel disc brakes (still inboard at the rear!), rack-and-pinion steering, and a lightweight chassis featuring a fusion of space-frame and monocoque technologies.
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