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Our Continuing E-Type Affair

Posted by David Kinney

We might sometimes slip and refer to them as XKEs, but America loves its E-types in all of its incarnations and body styles.

It started in the early Sixties; the motor press from around the world caught its first collective glimpse of the phallic wonder from Coventry.

In the States, the E-type hit the sweet spot of the Kennedy era, where a young, dynamic leader took the reigns from a more austere and older Eisenhower. The so-called British Invasion hit quickly. Anything UK, from Bond to Quant, from Carnaby Street to Savile Row was in, fashionable, hip, “with it” and now.

Paul McCartney stole our girlfriends’ hearts and the best Britannia could send back was Twiggy. And Petula Clark.

Our Corvette fought back with power, and even more power. But the E-type contained a more potent force. Sex.

Helpless in the face of the most powerful of influences, we succumbed to the siren call that wore its number plate on its bonnet.

Perhaps that’s why we in North America treasure our E-types even more than they seem to be savored on their home turf. Although expensive when new, E-types were obtainable, at least when a few years old, by most any prospective purchaser.

The first wave of restored to “as new” E-types hit our market in the late 1980s. Values surged, riding the crest of the exotic car bubble. Early Nineties prices for early roadsters plummeted by half or better.

The North American market is once again high on E-types. My personal favorites remain the Series III cars, V12-motored examples still largely disdained by the aficionados of the Series I and Series II cars. $50,000 to $60,000 will buy a fully sorted example, and yes, by now all of the V12 teething problems have long been dispatched. Early fully restored E-type roadsters no longer shock at selling prices of $135,000 plus. The 4.2-liter roadsters bring even better, $150,000 asking prices for top cars are not unheard of. But there’s great news for those who only want a driver quality E-type. Knock one-third or better off the prices of the show cars to find an example to use on sunny Sundays.

This article was first published in Octane magazine.