JaguarE-Type

Jaguar E-Type Series 2

The E-Type rebuilt around American safety and emissions rules, built from August 1968 to October 1970 as roadster, coupé and 2+2: open headlamps, a bigger mouth, the lamps below the bumpers. Also written Series II or S2; before it came the cars enthusiasts call the "Series 1½".

A white E-Type coupé in profile at the kerb of a quiet suburban street, in front of a brick bungalow.
A right-hand-drive Series 2 coupé, its tail lamps below the raised rear bumper, on a street in Christchurch, New Zealand, in February 2013.Riley from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0

American safety and emissions rules came into force on 1 January 1968, and the Series 2 was Jaguar's answer to them. Motor Sport summed it up in 1972: the revisions of 1968 had brought "Jaguar's great sports car of seven years earlier up to date in respect of American safety trends". The rules changed the car for every market, not only for America; no source read ties the change to any British law. By the Jaguar Heritage Trust's car numbers, the Series 2 proper was built from August 1968 to October 1970, but the change began a year earlier, in the cars that enthusiasts call the "Series 1½".⁠1​2​3

Series 1½ (1967–68)

"Series 1½" was never a factory name. The Jaguar Heritage Trust itself writes it in quotation marks, and the Jaguar Clubs of North America use it for the American federal cars of the 1968 model year, built from about August 1967 to August 1968, with open headlamps and the other changes the new rules required. Their judges' guide puts the difference plainly:

The distinguishing features of the Series 1½ E-Type are the Stromberg Carburetors and rocker switches, not the headlamps.

Jaguar Clubs of North America, Series 1 E-Type Judge's Guide (draft), 2026

Others use the name more widely, and this site follows the XKEdata register, whose count the line-up uses: every Series 1 4.2 from the open-headlamp change to the end of the Series 1 in July 1968, in all markets. That definition fits Jaguar's own papers. Its service bulletin SDB P.59 of January 1968, as the judges' guide reproduces it, gives the car numbers at which open headlamps came in "for all markets", between late June and late September 1967 according to body and steering side; counting from those numbers to the end of the Series 1 gives, by our arithmetic, within one car of the register's figure for each of the six runs.

The change came in three steps. In North America the headlamp covers went first, from about January 1967 by our arithmetic on the judges' guide and the Heritage Trust's tables: the judges' guide calls those cars "Series 1.25". Then every market's cars lost their covers between June and September 1967. And from the Heritage Trust's "September 1967" car numbers, American cars had two Zenith-Stromberg carburettors and emission controls in place of the three SUs. Other changes of 1967, from Jaguar's own list as Motor Sport printed it, were a hood (soft top) of plastic instead of canvas and the wider-ratio gearbox (transmission) for every model. Rocker switches and earless wheel spinners reached American cars first.

The judges' guide warns that Jaguar's bulletins and its build records do not always agree, and that a bulletin could come before or after the change it describes, so a car of these months may mix old and new. The open-headlamp cars belong to the Series 1 in Jaguar's own figures, which count them with the 4.2, and in their body: the Series 1 page has the car they grew from.⁠4​5​3​6​7​2

A pale yellow E-Type roadster with open headlamps and whitewall tyres, displayed in a museum hall.
Open headlamps with the Series 1 mouth and bumpers: a roadster of the kind called "Series 1½", at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, in November 2007.allen watkin from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
A red E-Type 2+2 with its whole bonnet tipped forward to show the engine, on a grass show field.
A 1968 4.2 2+2 with open headlamps, its whole bonnet (hood) tipped forward, at a Dutch club show in 2010.Alf van Beem, CC0

The Series 2 (1968–70)

The Series 2 was shown at the London Motor Show in October 1968, and it was an official name, with a new car-number prefix: 1R in place of 1E. At the front, larger side lamps and indicators moved below the bumper on either side of a larger air intake, whose opening Motor Sport gave as 68% bigger. At the back the bumper was raised, with new, larger lamp clusters below it and a plinth for the number plate (license plate) between them carrying two reversing lamps. A new radiator came with twin electric fans and a separate expansion tank; the sources disagree on which way the water flowed through it. There were more powerful Girling brakes, power steering as an option (cars with it have a P prefix), and the row of toggle switches on the dashboard became rocker switches. The 2+2 got a more steeply raked windscreen (windshield).

Under the bonnet it depended on the market. Jaguar's British brochure of October 1968 lists three SU carburettors, as before; American cars had the two Zenith-Strombergs. Jaguar's list for 1969–70 adds quieter camshafts, a steering-column lock, earless hub caps and disc wheels as an extra in place of the wire wheels.

The last Series 2 cars were built between July and October 1970. Late American cars, for the 1971 model year, carry a 2R prefix from about April or May 1970; their numbers lie inside the ordinary runs. More than four in five Series 2 cars had left-hand drive, by the XKEdata register's count, and in America, AROnline notes, the Series 2 was "selling well" in 1970 in all three versions. Its peak came in 1969, the E-Type's biggest year by the car numbers in the Heritage Trust's tables. The production readings below give Jaguar's own total and the register's.

Among the sources read there is neither a period road test of a Series 2 nor a list price for one. The one period voice is an owner's: Denis Jenkinson of Motor Sport kept a 1970 roadster, slower than the 4.2 coupé he had owned before, which he put down to the bigger intake, the unfaired headlamps, the air swirling round the open cockpit and a little less power; in 25,000 miles, though, he found he had missed the speed only two or three times.

The Series 2 was the last E-Type with the original short wheelbase and the last with a two-seat coupé. Its successor, built from December 1970, was the Series 3, the Jaguar E-Type V12, and Jenkinson preferred his Series 2's radiator layout to the new car's.⁠2​1​3​8​4​6​9​10

A dark green E-Type roadster with open headlamps and a large oval intake on terracotta tiles in a museum.
A Series 2 roadster, which the museum dates to 1969, in the Monaco Top Cars Collection in September 2016.Victor Grigas, CC BY-SA 4.0
A red E-Type coupé from behind on a show field, its large tail lamps below a raised wrap-round bumper.
The Series 2 tail: large lamps below a raised wrap-round bumper, on a coupé at the Maxey Classic Car Show, Lincolnshire, in August 2021.Paul Bryan, CC BY-SA 2.0
An E-Type roadster's cockpit from above, with tan seats and a row of rocker switches under the centre dials.
Rocker switches in place of toggles, in a right-hand-drive roadster its owner dates to 1970, at the Lytham Classic Car Show in September 2014.Steve Glover from Bolton, Lancs., England, CC BY 2.0
A wire wheel with an octagonal chrome hub cap marked 'JAGUAR', without ears, on a black E-Type.
The earless knock-off cap of the Series 2 years, on a 2+2 at Ratingen, Germany, in 2017.Im Fokus, CC BY-SA 4.0

Specification: Series 2 2+2

Production

Sources for Production, Series 2 2+2

Built
One good source.The 2R "1971 model year" prefix appears only in the open and fixed-head runs (2R 13621, 2R 27981), so no 2+2 carries 1971. Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, Research Guide No. 001F: Chassis Number Runs and Change Points by model – Jaguar E-type, Issue 3, January 2023⁠3
Built at
One good source.The makers' address; OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Built1R 35001 (August 1968), 1R 40001 (August 1968); last 1R 36041 (July 1970), 1R 44287 (July 1970)
Built atJAGUAR CARS LTD COVENTRY ENGLAND

Engine

Sources for Engine, Series 2 2+2

Engine
One good source.Jaguar's UK brochure, October 1968; OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Engine maker
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Capacity
One good source.258 cu in by the schema's conversion; OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Engine position
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Block
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Cylinder head
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Valve gear
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Bore × stroke
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Fuel system
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Cooling
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Cylinders
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Fuel
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Ignition
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Lubrication
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Engine"4.2 litre, 6 cylinder, twin overhead camshaft three carburetter 265 b.h.p. 'XK' engine"
Engine maker"4.2 litre XK Jaguar engine"
Capacitycubic capacity 4235 c.c. (258.43 cu. in.)
Engine position"Front sub-frame of high tensile steel tubing carries engine unit"
BlockChrome iron cylinder block fitted with dry type cylinder liners
Cylinder headSpecial "straight port" cylinder head of high tensile aluminium alloy
Valve geartwin overhead camshafts operating large valves of 70° included angle
Bore × stroke92.07 mm. bore, 106 mm. stroke (3.6257 by 4.1732")
Fuel systemThree S.U. carburetters, Type HD9 (OCR "HD8"/"HBA" on other pages)
Cooling"Pressurised cooling system with thermostatically controlled, electrically driven twin fans"; "Cross flow radiator"
Cylinders"4.2 litre, 6 cylinder, twin overhead camshaft three carburetter 265 b.h.p. 'XK' engine"
Fuel"Petrol filter incorporated into fuel line"
IgnitionVacuum and centrifugal automatic ignition control, [oil-filled] coil ignition (OCR "Oil coil ignition")
LubricationForced lubrication by submerged pump system incorporating a full flow filter

Running gear

Sources for Running gear, Series 2 2+2

Steering
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Gearbox
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Gears
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Layout
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Front brakes
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Rear brakes
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Front suspension
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Rear suspension
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Tyres
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Wheels
One good source.15 in from the 185 x 15 tyres; OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Final drive
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Clutch
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Starter
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Steering"STEERING. Rack and pinion"
GearboxManually operated four speed, single helical all synchromesh gearbox
GearsManually operated four speed
LayoutHardy Spicer needle bearing propeller shaft, Hypoid rear axle
Front brakesDisc brakes ... fitted to all four wheels; suspended vacuum type servo
Rear brakesrear brakes fitted inboard of half shafts adjacent to differential unit
Front suspensionIndependent front suspension incorporating transverse wishbones and torsion bars controlled by telescopic hydraulic dampers. Anti-roll bar fitted to lower wishbones.
Rear suspensiona lower transverse tubular link ... a halfshaft universally jointed at each end ... a radius arm ... Twin coil springs, each enclosing a telescopic damper
TyresDunlop 185 mm. by 15 ins. tyres with tubes
WheelsWire spoke wheels with centre lock hubs ... Optional bolt-on chrome-plated pressed-steel wheels available
Final driveHardy Spicer needle bearing propeller shaft, Hypoid rear axle
ClutchBorg & Beck 9 1/2" DS clutch
Starter"Pre-engaged starter motor" (2+2 page); "Starter motor" (other pages)

Body and chassis

Sources for Body and chassis, Series 2 2+2

Body
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Body material
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Seats
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Chassis material
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Chassis
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Body"SERIES 2 'E' TYPE 2+2"; "Seating for four persons"
Body material"Stressed shell steel body of patented, monocoque construction"
Seats"Seating for four persons"
Chassis material"Stressed shell steel body"; "Front sub-frame of high tensile steel tubing"
Chassis"Stressed shell steel body of patented, monocoque construction"

Dimensions and weight

Sources for Dimensions and weight, Series 2 2+2

Height
One good source.50 in printed; cm by the schema's conversion; OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Wheelbase
One good source.OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
Fuel tank
One good source.14 gal printed; 64 L at the schema's precision (ERRATA-generations §6 writes it 63.6 l, the same figure); the AI 75 L / 16.5 gal is not a reading; OCR text: quotations given with the OCR's slips corrected (e.g. "manocoque"). Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968⁠8
HeightOverall height, 4 ft. 2 ins.
WheelbaseWheelbase, 8 ft. 9 ins.
Fuel tank"Tank of 14 imperial gallons capacity"

Production

Production: how far the sources agree

5,326, Series 2 2+2, the register's "Built" count, 1,040 RHD + 4,286 LHD; JDHT car-number spans 5,328 (our sum of RG001F's number spans, last - first + 1; ERRATA-generations §2a)
One good source.
18,809, Series 2, the register's "Built" count, OTS 8,628, FHC 4,855, 2+2 5,326; Jaguar's 18,841 ("between 1968 and 1971") is a row
One good source.
18,841, Series 2, Jaguar's figure, "between 1968 and 1971"
One good source.

  1. 5,326Series 2 2+2, the register's "Built" count, 1,040 RHD + 4,286 LHD; JDHT car-number spans 5,328 (our sum of RG001F's number spans, last - first + 1; ERRATA-generations §2a)

    XKEdata (xke.collectordata.com), "Statistics"⁠6

  2. 18,809Series 2, the register's "Built" count, OTS 8,628, FHC 4,855, 2+2 5,326; Jaguar's 18,841 ("between 1968 and 1971") is a row

    XKEdata (xke.collectordata.com), "Statistics"⁠6

  3. 18,841Series 2, Jaguar's figure, "between 1968 and 1971"

    Motor Sport, "Jaguar E-type: the end of production and end of an era – but not of a legend", May 1975, p. 29⁠11

Sources

Sources are given as plain text; their addresses are on the sources page.

  • Primarymade at the time, by the maker or by people who were there
  • Referenceserious later work: clubs, specialists, magazines, books
  1. Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, "E-Type Evolution Exhibition", the ranges of E-types: the American rules of 1 January 1968 and the Series 2; the Series 2: lamps, bumpers, radiator, brakes, power steering; the 1R prefix. Reference
  2. Bill Boddy, "On the road with the V12 E-type Jaguar", Motor Sport, Jan 1972, p. 36, "up to date in respect of American safety trends"; Jaguar's changes of 1967; the Series 2 at the Motor Show; Jaguar's changes, 1968–70. Primary
  3. Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, Research Guide No. 001F: Chassis Number Runs and Change Points by model – Jaguar E-type, Issue 3, January 2023, Series 2 table; 4.2 table: the September 1967 row and the last Series 1 numbers; Series 2 table and notes: first and last numbers, the P prefix, the 2R cars; p. 2, Series 2 table. Primary
  4. Jaguar Clubs of North America, Series 1 E-Type Judge's Guide (draft), part 1: Intro–Exterior, Draft, version of 21 Jul 2026, introduction and headlamp section (p. 22): SDB P.59, the Spares Bulletins of July and November 1967, the definition of "Series 1½"; the Zenith-Stromberg cars. Reference
  5. Jaguar Clubs of North America, Series 1 E-Type Judge's Guide (draft): Appendices, Draft, version of 21 Jul 2026, pp. 167 ff., Appendix B (Karpovitch): the North American runs. Reference
  6. XKEdata (xke.collectordata.com), "Statistics", statistics, "Series 1.5"; statistics, Series 2 by body and steering side; statistics, Series 2 2+2; statistics, Series 2. Reference
  7. Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, "1974 Jaguar E-type Series 3 V12 OTS HDU 555N: The Last E-type Built", "Series 1½" in quotation marks. Primary
  8. Jaguar Cars Ltd, Coventry, Jaguar "E" Type range Series 2 (sales brochure), UK, 10/1968, specification: three SU carburettors; back page; Series 2 Features, engineering; specification pages; 2+2 page, Body; 2+2 specification page; Engine; Series 2 Features, engineering ("4.2 litre, 6 cylinder"); Fuel supply; Electrical equipment; Steering; Transmission; Brakes; Suspension, front; Suspension, rear; 2+2 page, Wheels and tyres; Wheels and tyres; 2+2 page; Body; 2+2 model, principal dimensions; 2+2 page, principal dimensions; 2+2 page, Fuel supply. Primary
  9. Chris Cowin, "History: Exporting British cars to the USA – Part Two", AROnline, 31 May 2025, updated 21 Oct 2025, 1970: the Series 2 in America. Reference
  10. Denis Jenkinson, "Driving the V12 Jaguar", Motor Sport, Apr 1971, p. 64, p. 64, Jenkinson's 1970 roadster. Primary
  11. Motor Sport, "Jaguar E-type: the end of production and end of an era – but not of a legend", May 1975, p. 29, para 4. Primary