Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
The Jaguar XK-E is a British sports car that was introduced in 1961 and manufactured until 1975. With its good looks, high performance, and affordable pricing, the E-Type, as it is more popularly known, became an icon of the ‘60s, prompting even the great Enzo Ferrari to call it as “the most beautiful car ever made”. Road & Track magazine’s Henry Manney III wrote that it was “the greatest crumpet catcher known to man”, meaning it attracted the opposite sex like a magnet.
Jaguar introduced the E-Type in March 1961 as a two-seat convertible (or cabriolet) and as a fixed head coupé (FHC). The first cars, known as the Series 1, have glass-covered headlights, a small mouth-like opening at the front; signal lights and tail-lights above bumpers, exhaust tips under the number plate in the rear, leather bucket seats, and aluminum-trimmed instrument panel and console.
The Series-1 E-Types were equipped with a 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine with triple SU carburetors and 4-speed manual transmission. The suspension featured torsion bars in front and independent coil springs at the rear. Disc brakes were at all four corners with in-board discs at the rear.
Die-cast car model maker Bburago came out with a 1:18 scale model of the 1961 Jaguar E-Type in fixed head coupe (FHC) and cabriolet (convertible) variants several years ago and they still continue to produce these models because of the high demand.
The Bburago die cast model feature opening doors, bonnet (hood in American English) and boot (trunk lid). The engine compartment houses a shiny scale model inline-6 engine that is a bit too shiny compared to the real one.
The wheels and rubber tires represent the 15-inch spoke wheels of the real car but we find the Dunlop tire a bit too fat to the scale. These die-cast models are supposed to be finished in British Racing Green but their respective color seems a shade different from each other.
The Bburago 1961 Jaguar E-Type 1:18 scale model cars are quite affordable and are still available in some toy stores or thru online orders. They may not be as collectible or as desirable as the more expensive AutoArt or Kyosho models but if all you’re after is to have a scale model that prompted the hard-to-please Il Commendatore of Ferrari sports cars to declare it as “the most beautiful car ever made”, then you’ll never go wrong with these.
To review other stories of the different scale model cars and motorcycles that we have posted this past two weeks, please click “The Rack” button on the header bar near the top right of your screen (if you’re using a PC, laptop or tablet), or type “The Rack” on the Search bar if you’re using a mobile phone. In tomorrow’s story, we’ll go to the movies.
