On English Motorways in a 4.2 E-type

[Heuer]

An extract from the January 1965 edition of Motorsport - a different age!:

"Because the Assistant Editor flashes about in a Jaguar E-type while the Editor pedals around in a Morris 1100, it seemed expedient that he should write the road-test report on the improved 4.2-litre version of this famous sports car. But the pleasure of driving this exhilarating motor car was too great to forgo; so when the Production Manager suggested going out in it to sample the present state of some of the English motorways, the Editor was quick to acquiesce.

A start was made at Colnbrook, where A 4(M) runs to Maidenhead Thicket. Our equipment for this two-day round trip was the aforesaid Jaguar E-type press car, with its Dunlop RS5s blown up to 32/35 lb./sq. in., a Japanese Asahi Pentax camera, that useful R.A.C. "Know Your Motorways" map, and a Breitling Navitimer wrist stop-watch. Incidentally, the Jaguar was not equipped with safety-belts and the Editor refrained from wearing a crash-hat..

A 4(M) is a 2-lane motorway, crowded at 10 a.m. with trucks, so that our speed fell repeatedly from 130 m.p.h. to 40 m.p.h. Even so, its 10.5 miles (per the Jaguar's trip mileometer) were disposed of in eight minutes, an average speed of 78.7 m.p.h., which, considering that we had by-passed congested Slough and diversionary Maidenhead, was useful. The time we had saved at the start of this imaginary business excursion round England was lost because we did not see the run-off to A 4 and got to Henley and Peppard before striking the Bath Road via Reading.

The Editor now took over because he knows the route to Ross-on-Wye, on this occasion lorry-infested from Gloucester onwards, with fog from Cirencester.

Having run off A 4(M) at 10.14 a.m., we came onto M 50, the Ross Spur Motorway, at 12.40 p.m. This deserted 2-lane 21-mile motorway occupied 15 minutes of Jaguar motoring (84 m.p.h.), after which we stopped at "Services" for lunch, served in a spacious, spotlessly clean restaurant, quite expeditiously, although the tendency here is to adopt something of the French attitude and linger over the food and wine, the latter ignored by we E-type drivers.

After "Services" M 50 becomes M 5, en route for Birmingharn, bringing Ross within 45-1/2 motorway miles of the Industrial City, a charming thought for those who appreciate the peace of the Wye Valley! "The remaining 24.3 miles took us exactly a quarter-of-an-hour (97.2 m.p.h.), along a fairly thickly-populated road in heavy rain, spray fanning out behind the E-type's upswept tail.

It was 2 p.m. when we came off M 5 and thereafter came a tedious, traffic-infested crawl through Staffordshire before M 6 was entered from A 449 just south of Stafford, which absorbed 56 minutes of travel time.

The M 6 to Preston is a fine 3-lane motorway reminiscent of such roads on the continent, I think because the country flanking it is mostly on the same level, while the road winds and undulates in a manner which identifies it from the straight, often elevated M1.

The rain was by now torrential—we were skirting Manchester, of course—as the Jaguar swept on majestically in the outer lane, beneath drifting clouds, in a fantastic plume of spray. Alas, it was by now evident that fumes were entering the body, so a pause of 16 minutes was made at the first Service area to drink tea and buy Aspro.

This enabled us to discover another very comprehensive and well-planned building, containing a grille-and-griddle restaurant, snack bar with carry-away meals service, a party catering room, a Post Office, and, naturally, automatic machines serving cigarettes and chocolate, a well-stocked book-shop, telephones and toilets, the last-named incorporating babies' changing rooms. It was all very bright and cheerful and nicely-done, typical of the Motorway-age, but we should have appreciated it a lot more if the Jaguar's propensity for picking-up exhaust and diesel fumes hadn't made us feel ourselves rather like babies in need of changing.

Discounting this tea-drinking breather, the 82.4 miles of M 6 to where it dwindled into a 2-lane road with single-lane diversion after by-passing Preston took 53 minutes (93.3 m.p.h.). (The police here have white M.G.-Bs.)

The Lancaster Spur of M 6 was entered at 4.32 p.m., the interconnecting road having absorbed 27 minutes, and the remaining 11-1/2 miles were covered in 14 minutes (46.45 m.p.h.), the slow speed being due to single-lane working. M 6 is a useful and pleasant motorway, making light work of a journey from Stafford to Carnforth.

That concluded our first day's motorway investigation and we drove on to the Lake District, to spend the night in an extremely comfortable hotel beside Lake Windermere. (It was on this lake, years ago, that Sir Henry Segrave was killed while attempting a new Water Speed Record for Britain, thus increasing our prestige in the eyes of the world. Such prestige for this country is equally essential today, and is being ably looked after by the present generation of racing drivers.)

The next morning, after a night of gale-driven rain had given way to frozen sunshine, the Editor was instructed to drive over Wrynose and Hardnott Passes, because the Production Manager sometimes fulfils the role of Second Photographer and wished to exercise some camera-craft.

We then came over to Penrith via Tan Hill, of R.A.C. Rally memory, and turned on to A 1 just below Catterick, a once-notorious road now improved to 2-lane near-Motorway standard with remarkably little fuss or publicity. The Jaguar proved very willing to eat it up at 115 m.p.h., with occasional bursts of 135, speeds which dropped to an indicated 0 m.p.h., literally, when a stream of "heavies" had to fall in behind one of Mr. Pickford's abnormal loads through the diversion after Weatherby, old roads and stately stone walls ending abruptly here, where the new dual-carriageway embankments have bi-sected them.

Another E-type, its occupants strapped-in, was overtaken on A 1 and it was with relief, having memories of long delays in Doncaster in the past, that we ran onto A 1(M) which by-passes it. This 15-mile 2-lane motorway was well salted against frost and is much bridged. We covered it in 11 minutes (81.8 m.p.h.), being held down frequently to 75 m.p.h. by heavy traffic.

The route now lay through Leicester, where "M 1" signs, with a few exceptions, are easy to follow, impressive rail-type road-laying machinery being noticed making the new A 46 beyond this straggling town.

M 1, followed south in its entirety, apart from the final M 10 spur, was the usual tedium of 3-lane down to 2-lane, then a single-file diversion bringing the speedometer swinging from 130 to 40 m.p.h., up to 3-lane, down to 2-lane; both sides, then single-lane again. . . . We caught up with a Lotus Elan on trade plates which proved able to hold the Jaguar on acceleration up to 135 m.p.h. and re-passed, it being necessary to go to an indicated 140 to leave it behind. Dropping back to 5,000 r.p.m., or 130 m.p.h. (3.07-to-1 axle ratio), the E-type felt entirely stable and happy, and took what curves there are on M 1 at over the ton. The 67 miles took 40 minutes (100.5 m.p.h.).

Before anyone writes in to complain, may I say emphatically that there were no incidents of any kind, nor did we see any evidence that any one of the hundreds of cars overtaken—nothing, bar that Elan, overtook the E-type—was in anyway inconvenienced. Both of us are happily married men with children and no desire to be snuffed out and, apart from one van which pulled across suddenly in front of us on M 6, there was never the most momentarily suggestion that we should be. If this account proves that England has at least some motorways which expedite fast travel in this very congested island, our expedition will have served its purpose.

The sequel was much less illustrious. Having commented on the very clear signposting to London Airport from the end of M 1 these signs took us to Wembley and then left us on our own— lost in the Harrow wilderness. How foreign visitors manage passeth understanding. Nevertheless, having left the Lake District that lunch-time, we were at Isleworth by 4.30 p.m., where the P.M. retrieved his Porsche SC, which he prefers to an E-type, and the Editor went on at (for him) elevated motor status in the Jaguar.

My personal observations of the latest E-type follow. The new gearbox is a definite improvement, both from the viewpoint of its excellent syncromesh and the fact that no longer does the clutch pedal have to be thrust right down to ensure quiet gearchanges. It was disappointing, though, that clutch drag on the test car made selection of bottom and 2nd gears a heavy-handed task. The clutch itself is heavy and the gearbox notchy.

The brakes are admirably suited to the car, light, yet fully master of its very high performance but, again, were inconsistent in pedal feel, due to a fault in the improved servo. Idling degenerated from 800 r.p.m. to 1,300 r.p.m. towards the end of the test, the heater picked up fumes, as already recounted, the catch of the boot-lid played up once or twice, and there was some suspected loss of performance due to retarded ignition, in spite of which the engine sometimes "pinked" on Super Shell and similar grade petrols.

It was disconcerting that faults of this sort should develop in a car made in a factory in which notices proclaiming "Quality Is Vital To Us All" are displayed prominently.

The new seats are comfortable, and remain so throughout day-long driving, in spite of upright non-adjustable squabs and, I thought, rather short cushions. Because the new engine is heavier than the old 3.8-litre, and sound-damping has also increased weight, to a total of about a cwt., there is no noticeable increase in performance, but the performance figures we recorded will bear testimony whether or not impressions are deceptive. The slightly-offset driving position is good, aided by an adjustable steering column, and the minor controls sensibly placed, except for a facia headlamps' dimmer-switch being so attenuated that it was necessary to remove the right hand from the steering wheel to operate it.

The rear-window demisting was effective and much appreciated. This bigger-engined E-type is a quiet sports car but any idea that it will slog away in top like a Yank sedan is untrue; the carburation of the test car was very fluffy low down, but the power did come in from as low as 1,500 r.p.m, or so.

Motorway cruising at over the ton, allied to traffic work and a little pass-storming in Lakeland, failed to undermine the notable economy of the E-type, fuel consumption averaging a creditable 18.7 m.p.g. After 1,300 miles we had added 6 pints of Shell X-100 engine oil to restore the sump level.

Handling characteristics are reassuring, although heavy downhill braking gives the impression of some nose-heaviness.

I do not agree with M. L. T. (December issue, page 1010) that this latest E-type has virtually everything one could desire in a GT car. For one thing, before I set off to rush across Europe in it I should want a bigger fuel tank (the present fuel range represents scarcely more than 2-1/4-motorway hours), and for another I should require more powerful headlamps. Nor does the E-type make a good rally car, because the long bonnet with its big "power bulge" cuts off visibility up 1-in-3 hills. The car is essentially a 2-seater, with more luggage space than two keen motorists should normally need to lug about.

But the Jaguar E-type has been one of the world's outstanding sports cars from the day it was first announced, representing quite extraordinary value-for-outlay and a high degree of driver satisfaction. In its latest form it is very near perfection."

[Gfhug]

David, does that make even your enthusiastic driving style look pedestrian by comparison?
Those were the days, when even the motorway services could be regarded as something enjoyable

Geoff

[Heuer]

Three figure speeds in torrential rain, fog, freezing temperatures, heavy traffic and no seat belts - braver than me! From the April 1961 edition of Motorsport:

"The E-type on the Road

Just over a week before the announcement date of the new Jaguar I was allowed to sample it for a few hours on the roads near Coventry. I was aware that other motoring journalists had been permitted to venture as far afield as Italy in E-types but after many years' experience of the Motor Industry I have learnt to be thankful for small mercies, and thus I gratefully headed a coupé towards M 1—a road, Mr. Marples, that was reduced to single-line traffic in several places while men toiled to plough up and re-lay its so-called hard shoulders!

What followed was quite fantastic—remembering that an honoured British name and not one hailing from Modena, Marenello or Stuttgart graced our motor car. Getting the feel of the E-type and then encountering those aforesaid single-lane sections of the great Marples Motor Road, we nevertheless found ourselves as far away as St. Albans within an hour of accelerating out of the gates of the Jaguar factory. Put the E-type in top gear and it just goes faster and faster, until it is cruising along M 1 at 6,100 r.p.m., which we calculated to be a pretty genuine 155 m.p.h. At this speed it is possible for driver to converse with passenger in normal tones, wind-noise being low and little noise coming from transmission or final-drive—a fantastic experience! The E-type felt as if it would have been happy to go the length of M 1 at this speed—equal to a sutained 6,100 r.p.m. — had not vehicles crawling along the outside lane at 90/100 m.p.h. occasionally impeded its progress! After dropping to 4,000 r.p.m., or approximately 102 m.p.h., it was possible to accelerate to 5,000 r.p.m. (127 m.p.h.) in a mere eight seconds. . . .

It must be emphasised that, rapid as it is, the Jaguar E-type is a fully equipped, properly appointed, but strictly a two-seater motor car. You climb in a thought awkwardly, over the side-sill of the body, to sit in a racing-type bucket seat upholstered in Vaumol leather over Dunlopillo foam rubber. A valid criticism is that the seat might not go back as far as really tall exponents of the full-stretch driving stance would wish. The wood-rimmed wheel with triple drilled metal spokes is set low, adjustable for height and rake. The wide doors possess windows which wind almost fully down with three turns of the handle, but no quarterlights. There is no sense of being within such a low car. Before the driver is a Smiths 160-m.p.h. speedometer and a tachometer reading to 6,000 r.p.m. with inset clock. On the central engine-turned panel are neat small dials recording water temperature (which read just above 70 degrees F.), oil pressure (40 lb./sq.in.), fuel contents and dynamo charge, with a quality lights switch between them. On the extreme left is the lamps dimming switch and a brake fluid low-level warning light. The engine-turned finish is carried on round the vertical radio panel and along the transmission tunnel, from which protrudes the normal short Jaguar gear-lever. On this I.h.d. coupé the hand-brake was inboard of the tunnel. By the side of the tachometer live the heater controls; matching on the opposite, cubby-hole panel, is a cold-start control with warning light. Along the centre panel below the dials are a line of flick-switches, etc., lettered on the bottom edge of the facia, from left to right, as follows : washers; wipers, fast, slow; map (light); starter (button); cigar (lighter); ignition (key); fan, fast, slow; panel, bright, dim; interior (light). The accelerator is of treadle-type and a left-hand stalk lever below the steering wheel controls the direction-flashers or, pulled upwards, looks after the very essential headlamp flashing.

Ahead of one the long, liberally-louvred bonnet has a big central "power bulge" which doesn't impair visibility. Behind the seats is a big area of luggage space with a lift-up panel to prevent suitcases from sliding against the seats. Access to this is through the side-hinged rear-window panel. The shelf behind the windscreen is quite flat, not humped, which enhances forward visibility, and the screen itself, which has triple wiper blades, is more nearly vertical than on Continental G.T. cars, thus assisting side vision. The passenger has a neat grab-handle at the corner of the facia. The spare wheel lives under the floor of the luggage compartment.

The steering is very light and high-geared. The engine pinked slightly from around 3,000 r.p.m. in top gear but didn't run-on even after fast work on M 1. Further acquaintance of this Jaguar showed it to possess extremely good brakes, the Dunlop brakes retarding it from 130 m.p.h. to a crawl without deviation, and not only without any sign of fade but without so much as smelling hot. They are light to apply, the pedal action almost spongy under normal braking. The synchromesh can be beaten if the gearlever is handled too rapidly but otherwise this is a precise, excellent gearbox,100 m.p.h. in third gear soon being taken for granted! The speedometer actually read slow, indicating about a 100 m.p.h. at a genuine 110 m.p.h., while it didn't read above 135 m.p.h. even when the tachometer, and stop-watch checks told us we were doing 155 m.p.h.

I have no reason to quote Jaguar's acceleration claims, because we obtained very similar figures—0-60 m.p.h. in 7.4 sec., 0-100 m.p.h. in 16.3 sec.—without practice. It was also possible to go from 10 to over 100 m.p.h. in top gear in 25 sec.!

The road-holding is of an exceptionally high standard, the car leaning on its outside wheels on really fast corners without any tendency to break away, while the ride is also outstandingly stable and comfortable. The quiet running has been emphasised previously and is most praiseworthy; slight resonance from the exhaust tail-pipes on the over-run will be rectified in production cars. Indeed, so safe to handle, even with the power turned on in second gear and the back wheels spinning, so well-braked even for stopping in a hurry from its top speed, is the Jaguar E-type, that anything below about 110 m.p.h. is loitering. Driven thus, I am told that petrol consumption does not fall below 20 m.p.g. The range, therefore, is about 280 miles, or under three hour's of motorway driving. I would like a bigger fuel tank.

In my brief two-hour run in this remarkable car (it used threequarters of a tank of fuel and covered something like 155 miles, by no means all of them on M 1, including several stops for photography and others in rush-hour Coventry traffic!) I was not able to assess it fully but I learnt enough to know that Jaguar have produced a G.T. car which fully deserves this honoured Gran Turismo designation. The E-type is a staggering motor car on all counts; safety, acceleration, speed, equipment, appearance— all are there, for a basic price of only £1,480. Staggering! I extend to Sir William Lyons, his design team, technicians and workers my humble congratulations."

[christopher storey]

I was fascinated by the references to an Elan . Perhaps, David, you will coment as a current owner, but I cannot recall an Elan that would go anywhere near 135 mph which would equate in top gear to something like 7,600 rpm . I seem to recall road tests suggested a maximum in the 115 mph region. Also, I cannot conceive of a road going Elan which would equal the top gear acceleration of an E type - although this particular car with its fluffiness and poor top gear response sounds to have been very off-song . A very interesting article from a now sadly disappeared era

[Heuer]

Top speed of an Elan was indeed about 120mph although, reportedly, the 3.55:1 differential gave a top speed of around 130 mph. Lotus PR chief at the time Don McLaughlin recalls doing 134mph in Belgium, which dropped to 128 mph with the lights up. Elans in period had a centrifugal rev limiting rotor arm because over revving the engine would quickly destroy it, so you would certainly be unable to get above 6,500rpm before the limiter kicked in.

[christopher storey]

Gosh , I remember those rotor arms - they were creations of the devil, because when the springs became weak you would start to get random ignition cuts at almost any rpm

[Heuer]

Yes, and that is the beginning of the Lotus Elan's long history of unreliability!

[chrisfell]

Gosh , I remember those rotor arms - they were creations of the devil, because when the springs became weak you would start to get random ignition cuts at almost any rpm

Or tey could self destruct. Long before dodgy rotor arms left E-Types on the hard shoulder of the motorway........


...... I owned a 'I cant afford and E so I bought one of these' Capri 2.8i. This had one of the cut out rotors, which disintegrated on a bypass near Crawley. Fortunately, it was only a few yards from a motorfactor, and I managed to purchase a replacement, AND get to my job interview on time!

That Capri was a lovely car, only 130bhp, and barely more than 125 mph, but it was my first 'six' and with Janspeed exhausts it sounded very nice. Owned it for 9 years and it was is tip top condition. Lost it to a tea-leaf in 1996, otherwise I'd still have it now.

[malcolm]

I note that the article (on the 4.2) refers to "130 mph at 5,000 rpm"
I believe the article comes from the motorsport archive 1965 mag, which refers to "120 mph at 4665 rpm", which also equates to 130 at 5,000 rpm, or c. 26 mph per 1,000 revs.
However, the manual for my UK 1969 4.2 clearly shows for the 3.07 diff (the one used in above figures) that 1,000 rpm is 24.8 mph, so 5,000 revs would be c. 125 mph.
Was the article wrong, or did they change the gearing on the 4.2 at some stage?

[chrisfell]

No it isnt that gearing was changed at some point, its that the press cars were specially prepared. 2.88 axles allow the top claimed top speed to be reached, along with carefully assembled mildly tuned engines to ensure maximum power.

[christopher storey]

I don't think the press cars had 2.88 axles. The difference is explained in the workshop manual. In the days of cross ply tyres such as the RS5 and the R5 which were used for high speed testing, the tyres expanded considerably under centrifugal force at high speed and thus the effective gearing rose . Thus for the 3.8 cars at page A5 140 mph is given as 5200 rpm = 26.92 and 150 mph as 5506 = 27.24 mph/1000 ( there is no fresh a.x.5 for the 4.2 so the same figures apply )

[Heuer]

Actually the J30 SPC lists a 2.93 diff as "Alternative Ratio" part number C16619. My guess it was made available to allow the 150mph to be reached if anyone complained. Never heard of a car that was so fitted though or has one today!

[malcolm]

Yes, must be the tyres. The article stated that the car tested had 3.07, yet referred to 26mph per 1000 revs, as opposed to the 24.8 in the handbook. They ran the car on slightly higher pressures, so that may affect the diameter and thus speed per 1000 revs?