| The legendary Jaguar XE series of fine motor cars | | | | a $ 4,000 sticker price 90 % of factory output was |
| was directly developed from the inspiration of Jaguar | | | | exported outside Britain - most of it to the American |
| engineers on a rooftop watching their city of | | | | automobile market. It did not hurt the reputation and |
| Birmingham England being bombed from the sky during | | | | sales of the Jaguar .XK series that the car proved to |
| the darkest days of World War II. | | | | be a killer on the Le Mans auto racing circuits. It was |
| These engineers sketched the plans for what became | | | | the Jaguars that were to become the inspiration for |
| the legendary Jaguar engine amazingly and simply on | | | | the classic "sports cars" that were to come - |
| cigarette box carton. . This new engine was so good it | | | | especially the venerable Chevrolet Corvette and |
| became the standard that went on to become the | | | | Stingray. |
| stock Jaguar powerplant for the next 30 years. The | | | | The Jaguar line grew and evolved further with each |
| best words that best describe this classic engine are - | | | | racing win. In 1954 the next step occurred -The classic |
| efficient, smooth and powerful. Indeed it was one a | | | | 1948 era Jaguar XE120 was replaced by what was to |
| mechanical genius, Harry Weslake, who provided the | | | | become a short lived production run model - the |
| key to the design - a light weight alloy cylinder head | | | | XK140. Disc brakes had made a great impression on |
| with dual cams and angled valves in a hemispherical | | | | the Jaguar racing team crews - including car design |
| combustion chamber. The final marvelous touch of | | | | team as well as the actual drivers. Along with this |
| genius were the two SU carburetors fed the 3.5 liter | | | | went "unitary construction" a major upgrade and |
| straight six, producing a 160 horse power | | | | update from the former hefty chassis being applied |
| The new Jaguar was so good that it deserved a | | | | from Jaguar cars from 1955 onwards. |
| whole new car to be designed and built around it. The | | | | Still the venerable motor based on the cigarette pack |
| engineering felt that the motor was so exceptional it | | | | sketches lived on with the introduction of the next |
| needed its own automobile - one worthy of such a | | | | phase - the XKE Jaguar. Along with that 3.8 liter what |
| powerplant. Otherwise it was if their work had been | | | | then was a major innovation then - electric fans, which |
| wasted. 1948 became the release date of this project. | | | | were added after exceptional results on the racing |
| What emerged and created a storm from automobile | | | | circuits with Jaguar as well as other racing cars. The |
| enthusiasts was a low slung car body mounted at | | | | XKE was considered at the time to be the sleekest |
| was then a fairly standard box-frame chassis. | | | | automobile body shape seen anywhere and at |
| Independent front suspension was by torsion bars and | | | | anytime on the globe. Performance was considered |
| the solid rear axle was by torsion springs. With all the | | | | mind numbing - 150 miles per hour top speed with 0 to |
| power and effect the final finishing touches that were | | | | 100 miles per hour in an extraordinary 16 seconds. A |
| almost essential were 12 inch diameter drum brakes. | | | | driver could accelerate from 0 to 130 miles per hour in |
| Indeed the Jaguar XK120 was timed at a top test | | | | less than 30 seconds. |
| speed of 132 miles per hour | | | | It is no accident that the Jaguar XK series has gone |
| Of course the Jaguar XK proved to be a major hit - | | | | on to be an automobile classic - both in terms of |
| especially in the lucrative American export market. At | | | | innovative styling, performance and handling. |