The All-American Hero and Jaguar's Racing E-types: Briggs Cunningham's Le Mans Dream, US Road Racing and the Legendary Jaguar E-type

No less a figure than Enzo Ferrari is said to have described it as “the most beautiful car in the world”. Small wonder that demand swiftly exceeded supply after Jaguar initially laid down plans to build the car in relatively small numbers… It was an instant hit on racing circuits, too: little more than a month beyond the launch, Graham Hill took a roadster to victory on its debut at Oulton Park. Chassis 875027, the focus of this story, was the first E-type campaigned by American racing entrepreneur Briggs Cunningham's famous team and its performances helped persuade Jaguar to use the E-type as basis for a competition thoroughbred that has become one of the most coveted of all time: the Lightweight.

Phillip Bingham has been writing about cars and motor sport for more than three decades, working in Britain and the USA as a journalist, author, and PR consultant.