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1968 Jaguar XK-E Roadster

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Beauty, Form, and Function; Fifty-Seven Shows and Fifty-Seven First Place Awards

The Jaguar XK-E Roadster was an inspiration to Enzo Ferrari, who called the E-Type “the most beautiful car ever made.” In 2008, The Daily Telegraph agreed with Ferrari when it ranked the E-type first on a list of the world’s “100 most beautiful cars” of all time. With its sleek design, flowing lines, and classic style it remains an inspiration to collectors and designers even today.

It’s no wonder that this car has appeared in 57 shows and won 57 first place awards.

Jaguar only manufactured 5,143 cars in 1968 across all of its models combined. A rarity, this car was added to The JBS Collection in already-mint condition when Jack B. Smith, Jr., purchased it at auction. Despite the three other E-Types at the auction, Jack found himself bidding against a surprising opponent for this particular roadster: the Jaguar factory itself. It was the only E-Type of the three included that the Jaguar factory attempted to re-acquire.

More Than Looks

Jaguar’s famous, straight-six (XK6) engine drives this 1968 XK-E from 0 to 60 in just 7.2 seconds and to a top speed of 140 mph. The E-Type also won the legendary Le Mans three consecutive years beginning in 1955.

A History of the XK6

Spanning more than 40 years, from 1949 to 1992, the XK6 powered some of the most beautiful cars ever produced, including the fairest of them all, the Jaguar E-Type.

The model was initially produced with a 3.4-liter engine but went through a series of iterations: reduced to a 2.8-liter for entry-level XJ6 models in 1968; being bored out for racing to 4.2-liters and released in 1964 as an official 4.2-liter model; and the “new” 3.4 which replaced the 2.8 in entry-level XJ6 cars.

The JBS Collection’s XK-E has a 4.2-liter engine.