When it comes to the the " E " , the phrase " spoiling the ship for a hapeth " of tar springs to mind - Im thinking about those el cheapo rocker switches on the S2 and the lack of a proper ventilation system .
Then there`s the big one - rust protection . If Jag had wax injected all the box section / cavities during manufacture , how much easier life would be for us old car nuts .
Like the 49-cent window switches on later sedans ? 
Cheers
DD
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One false data point we can lay to rest is this shibboleth about cheap instruments and why Whittaker didnât spring a cuppla pence more for the RR gradeâŚ
Answer? No such thing. I interviewed the boss of Smiths and followed the entire classic instruments production process at their factory, using original tools and techniques. There is only one grade. There were/are different branded dials sometimes, and doubtless different prices (why would Ford pay the same for a 50,000 order as RR for 500?) but there was no penny-pinching by anyone at Jaguar on instruments or anything Smiths.
Meanwhile, lots of cars had crap demisters and heaters. Parts stores were full of stick-on films, wipe-on solutions, electrical gadgets etc to solve misting up. Mild steel exhausts lasted 2-3 years on salty roads and some body panels not even that. Expectations and technology (and Freon) were different⌠Wax injected cavities came after the E-type.
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My E-type experience is limited, and, trust me, Iâm an authority on absolutely nothing.
HoweverâŚ
In recent years Iâve had opportunity to get my feet wet in repairing a number of 1950s-60s-70s vintage Mercedes, Ferraris, Maseratis, and similar high end cars. Nothing too heavy: just the usual brakes, fuel system, electrical stuff, mostlyâŚalthough repairs on a Ferrari after an engine bay fire will keep me busy for some time.
AnyhowâŚ
And very brieflyâŚ
Iâm finding that all of these cars provide some disappointments. That is, certain parts/systems were given a lot of thought and built with very high grade parts and materials while others are clearly chintzy and seem to have been hastily designed and executed.
At the end of the day, as the saying goes, I find myself more appreciative and forgiving of JaguarâŚwho sold cars at a significantly lower price than the other big names.
Cheers
DD
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And here I was, thinking I was the only oneâŚ
To expand, ALL cars of that era, and on up into the 90s, had areas of disappointment, even Rovers!
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If Lyons hadnât been pragmatic from a sales/profit point of view, we wouldnât be here discussing/enjoying our E-types. Weâd all be over on the Aston Martin board with our Aston Martins in the garage, right?
John, not picking on you, but, did any car of the 60âs have one? Surely, I remember my 65 Mustang and my dadâs 65 Cadillac and I canât say I recall sitting in the cars warm and toasty in winter looking out clear windows on snowy or rainy days.
Today, I donât even wear a jacket in the car in winter, my carâs HVAC system is better than my office or house!
Compared to the 190 SL and 300 SL astray from Mercedes, he did. But, those were engineering works of art.
With the amount of heat generated by that big engine , and the exhausts running under the floor , I often feel like I`m in a sauna - a heater is definately not something that I worry about . Decent cool air ventilation though - that would be lovely .
Yea: most American cars had adequate heaters, and Volvos.
Also⌠Humber Super Snipes!
I had a '64 that:
-the heater would drive me out, in winter;
-would start, at subzero temps;
-actually, and most surprisingly, hardly leak, at all!
Absolutely. That was my era, my first car '52 Ford had a great heater as did second car '55 Chevy, 3rd car, '65 Ford heat or defrost was never an issue. Lived in MO at the time, it got cold. All of those cars were pretty much as simple as a tractor, the most sophisticated part was the radio. Today I feel like Iâm driving a computer that just so happens to have wheels on it.
I should add that my brother had a rare at the time Hillman Manx (sp) ca, 1957, he loved the heater, it had some form of dual zone heater, unheard of by me until modern cars.
pauls
I had a 63 Chevy and later a 66 Charger. Our family bought a new domestic every two years in the 60âs. And all of those cars cost no more than half of what an E-type cost when new. I donât recall any of them having a heater and defroster as pathetic as the ones on the two E-types Iâve owned.
In an earlier post Peter pointed out that, " lots of cars had crap demisters and heaters" back then. True, but lots of cars that were much cheaper than the E-Type had much better defrosters and heaters.
Rust proofing? IMO, Jaguar was no better, or no worse than any other manufacturer of that time. All cars rusted. I guess nobody building cars at the time foresaw or cared what owners would be doing with their cars fifty years down the road.
That said, the plusses far outweighed the minuses. That, and a beautiful body makes up for a lot of sins.
Singing in the rain!
Just singing in the rain!
what other car after 50 years with a bunch of mild upgrades can turn a car into a wonderful Modern ride!
Once youâve owned them all here is the windup
Jag. Aston. Ferrari Maserati
They are all wonderful JUNKBOXES !
Pick your poison
A Honda Accord will blow them all away
But you wonât look as goodđ
It just depends on how much you want to spend!
Enjoy guys
Gtjoey-314
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Somewhere there is a story about an American customer and the heater in an XK 120 or later. Lyons I think sat in the car, turned on the heater and the air current moved some smoke, so he said, whatâs the problem, it works? Something thereabouts.
Penny pincher, I donât know, but certainly running a very, very tight budget. Every car has one or two things that donât work as well as they should. Some Jaguar parts are terribly inefficient and others too cheap though.
By the way, I doubt the window switches werenât an improvement, their haptics are much better and they are easier to install as well. Far easier! One plug instead of three or more screwed in wires, less parts and larger as well, if only they wouldnât fail. I also like the switch-instrument-cluster in the early XJ. I think it could hardly be any better. Some standards like AC were low, but it was acceptable back then I guess?
I think low prices paid wasnât the problem, but quality control was nonexistent. Smiths or whoever could get away with what they brought into the factory. Whether itâs already rusting bodies from pressed steel or gauges that have to be rebuilt on the assembly line. There wasnât much accountability. To tighten up, it would have been better to pay slightly more but not have defective or lower-than-acceptable parts shipped in. With all the strikes, etc, I wonder if that would have been possible at all, thoughâŚ
What remains, the remains are good cars that were good back then with small errors, and are good today with small issues mostly.
Possibly one of the secrets of Lyonâs success was minimizing investment in expensive tooling, minimizing capital investment costs. This was viable as long as skilled labor was available at inexpensive wages, but this changed as the 60âs then the 70âs rolled along.
The minimizing of tooling can be seen in the large amount of hand fitting required for many parts (even taking into account that aftermarket replacement parts may have substandard fit and and quality.) By comparison, German and even American cars have more repeatability of assembly and easy interchange of parts because of the more extensive use of tooling. This yields more precise location of parts as well as more consistent quality.
Dave
Lyons didnât think the car would sell in the numbers it did. How many bonnets were formed over concrete forms because he wouldnât spring for proper tooling? the first 500? And many body panels were pieced together from smaller pieces rather than Jaguar investing in proper tooling?
Lyons also didnât want to build a car until it was sold, he didnât want money tied up in inventory.
Not to forget the second hand engine tooling�
51 Pontiac had good heater plus 1 under front seat for rear passengers.
70 Gremlin (I know, but probably same unit for years) had a heater that could warm up a 3 BR house in the arctic.
My major bit*h is the xke interior just did not live up to the ext. and performance. Especially the door cards. And that was my opinion when they were new and I was just a wistful toddler.
Why didnât they hire the guy who designed the interior for the last big Healys? a contemporary car.
yeah. they really should have built a new engine about 1961
That would be the Hillman Minx. The Manx is a cat with no tailâŚ
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