Happy Birthday to a Movie Icon

Next month sees the 50th birthday of a movie icon, not an actor or an actress but a car, the E-Type Jaguar (aka XK-E). Initially only available as a GT/coupé with convertible coming later and having a fourteen year production run the E-Type went through many changes but one thing remained, it is a stunning and iconic car, Enzo Ferrari described it as “The most beautiful car ever made”. In the past 50 years the car has made numerous movie appearances here are just a few:

Convoy

“Arizona, noon, on the seventh of June, When they highballed over the pass, Bulldog Mack with a can on back, And a Jaguar haulin’ ass”

The Jaguar in question was a 1974 XK-E driven by Ali MacGraw.

Vanishing Point

Kowalski “the last American hero” is on his own personal race from Denver to San Francisco in a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T when he gets involved in a “Race” with a 1966 Jaguar XK-E. It doesn’t end well for the Jag.

Danger: Diabolik

This slightly camp but great fun Italian comic book movie based movie features a matching pair of “his & hers” E-Types, one black one white. They feature a lot in this under appreciated movie.

The Italian Job

Everyone remembers the Mini Coopers (and the Lamborghini Miura that got destroyed at the start) but the movie also features two E-Types. Initially intended as fast getaway cars if anything goes wrong, they along with an Aston Martin DB4 are destroyed by the Mafia. Thanks two the magic of cinema the Aston and the red E-Type were largely unharmed and are still in existence, note sure what happened to the other one.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

I must admit I never really liked or found these movies that funny but an I couldn’t really leave a Union Flag E-Type of the list. The joke continued two years later in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me as Heather Graham’s character Felicity Shagwell dives a Stars and Stripes emblazoned 1966 Chevrolet Corvette.

Harold and Maude

For reasons you really need to see the film to understand Harold converts his XK-E into a hearse. You also need to see the film to find out what happens to it, I won’t spoil the plot for you.

The Avengers

Okay so the movie was utter shit but both Uma and the Jag look good!

Intacto

As the protagonists of the movie gamble on the most valuable of commodities, luck they also win and lose more material possessions such as this 1971 E-Type.

The Blues Brothers

You would be forgiven for not noticing the car driven by Twiggy in the gas station scene in this classic movie.

And the movie it didn’t appear in: The E-Type could easily have become the iconic car driven by James Bond. There are lots of reasons why Bond drove the new Aston Martin DB5 in Gold finger (1964). One of them goes back to the novel the movie it is based on. As Ian Fleming described: “The car was from the pool. Bond had been offered the Aston Martin or a Jaguar 3.4. He had Taken the DBIII. Either of the cars would have suited his cover”

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