1967 Jaguar E-Type Roadster: Coupes Are For Chickens

What&your favorite car? This has always been mine. Early 1967 XKE with glass covered headlamps and triple S.U. carburettors. This is the result of the final improvements Jaguar engineered into their premiere sports car, introduced in 1961. At this juncture, chassis # 1E14107, completed in December 1966 for the 1967 model year, contained all of the factory improvements for performance, comfort and reliability, with no compromises. In late 1967, the U. S. Federal safety mandates and emission control requirements led the down-slide of international automotive design from an aesthetic and pure performance point of view. Cars got both bulbous and wheezy. The E-Type lost its smooth, covered headlamps, teardrop tail lights, toggle switches, about 60 horsepower, a huge loss of acceleration and 30 MPH in top speed. It gained seat head rests, choking emission controls and rubber bumpers. The elegant wooden steering wheel was also eventually eliminated for fear of splintering in a crash. I¬ arguing that the safety legislation wasn&a good thing, or that emission controls continue to help save the environment 50 years hence. I&simply stating that up to the year 1967, automobile manufacturers had free reign to design cars the way they thought they should be for performance, comfort and style--unconstrained by the forced hand of bureaucratic policymakers.