Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage

The E-Type may be the most famous of all road-going Jaguars, but that didn't always translate into success on the track. After winning on its competition debut in 1961, motorsport success seemed an inevitability, but things didn’t turn out to be quite that straightforward

Published Aug 6, 2021, 8:06 AM

When Graham Hill and Roy Salvadori finished first and third on the Jaguar E-type’s competition debut at Oulton Park in April 1961, the future looked bright. The new and striking Big Cat was only denied a 1-2 by Innes Ireland’s Aston Martin DB4 GT in the closing stages, and the best Ferrari was a distant fourth.

With the world sportscar championship becoming the International Championship for GT Manufacturers in 1962, there was a feeling that Ferrari’s hegemony might finally be challenged. “Britain’s hopes are as bright as they could be, for the new Jaguar should be more than a match for the pre-eminent 250 GT Ferraris,” reckoned Autosport.

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Author Kevin Turner

Kevin Turner is Autosport’s Chief Editor. While studying History at the University of York, Kevin began covering UK club events as a freelance reporter for Autosport and Motorsport News. He joined the Autosport staff as Editorial Assistant on the magazine in 2006, winning what is now known as the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award. He became National Editor in 2008 and over the next few seasons covered a range of international events, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as the British Touring Car Championship and British GT. Kevin became Features Editor before switching to edit Motorsport News in 2014.

He returned to Autosport in 2016 to become editor of the magazine, a dream job that is still part of his role.

He became Chief Editor in 2020, helping to plan content for autosport.com and Autosport’s podcast as well as seeing the magazine through the coronavirus pandemic. Kevin also led work on the special publication celebrating 70 years of Autosport and has been a judge on the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award, formerly known as the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, since 2008. He lives in Warboys with his wife and two children.