The 1972 Jaguar E Type Series III, manufactured by Jaguar Cars Ltd, reminds one of the continuation of the sexy sports cars of the 1960’s. One difference however is that the cars were hindered by the new emission standards and added safety equipment , including safety bumpers. The new powerful engine did quite a lot to make up for these mandated changes.
The Jaguar E-Types
The first E-Type Jaguar (XKE) came out for the 1961 model year. These new models replaced the XK-150’s although they did share many of the styling and technical characteristics. Jaguar promoted the new E-Type car as the “Ultimate Cat” and stressed it’s reduced engine noise and smoothness of the ride.
The Series I models were produced from 1961-1968. The second Series E-Types were built from 1968 – 1971. The Series III models were produced from 1971-75. All of these series Jaguars were very good looking sports cars with excellent performance. some might call them stunning. Over the span from 1961 to 1975 total Jaguar E-Type production was about 70,000 vehicles.
Series III XKE’s
The 1972 Jaguar E-Type (XKE) featured in this article was built with a V-12 engine that used plenty of gas but delivered great power. To accommodate the larger engine the wheelbase was expanded. The Jaguar V-12 engine first came out in 1971. The Series III was a much-revised model, larger hood bulge, longer wheelbase and wider tires, that was introduced in June 1971 with production running through August 1973 for the Coupe model and to June 1974 for the Roadster.
Jaguar’s V-12 Engine
The 1972 Jaguar 5.3 liter V-12 engine delivered 244 horsepower. This replaced the Inline Sixes. The 0-60 MPH rating was 7.5 seconds. Looking back, it was a very popular engine during the 60’s and 70’s.
Several modifications had to be made for the car to accommodate the new V-12 engine. This included widening of the engine subframes along with a wider track. Also needed was a larger fuel tank and more powerful disc brakes. The engine itself weighed 680 lbs.
1972 Jaguar Type-E V-12 Specifications
As mentioned above, the automobile was built with a 5.3 liter V-12 engine. The engine had Quad 1.75-inch Stromberg carburetors.
Transmission was a four speed manual. It’s noted that beginning in 1966, the 2+2 coupe models offered an automatic transmission.
Suspension was four wheel independent.
Brakes were four wheel servo assisted disc.
Dimensions for the 1972 Jaguar V-12 include a 104.7 inch wheelbase, an overall outside length of 184.4 inches, a width of 67.0 inches and a weight of 3,380 lbs.
The Jaguar XKE body was partially unitized…each panel functions both for appearance and support. E-Type construction utilized a multi-tube front end bolted to a steel bodyshell.
See the Auto Museum Online articles on the links below…
>
andnof