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Produced between 1961 and 1974, the E-Type is widely accepted as Britain's most iconic sports car.

Jaguar's finest sports car to date, and a genuine contender for the greatest British car ever made, the E-Type is a fan favorite that still draws looks of admiration. How many gearheads, admirers or just connoisseurs of beauty really know the E-Type?

In spite of the wow factor surrounding this '60s icon of style and performance, few remember how the most beautiful car in the world, if Enzo Ferrari actually said that, came to be. Born from a prestigious racing pedigree of design, engines and innovation, something Jaguar has rarely achieved since, the E-Type enjoys a near mythical following, and yet, its success came down to the biggest bang for your buck. Had the price been higher, who knows if the E-Type would be so highly prized today.

For its era, seriously quick, on par with the world's fastest sports cars. Even now, it's no slouch and can hold its own, given some modern rubber and respect by its driver.

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Jaguar's most beautiful car ever? We think so. At its Geneva Motor show debut in 1961, wowing the press, gearheads, celebrities, and pretty much anyone who laid on eyes on the gorgeous sleek 2-seater sports car. Jaguar had a winner on its hands, from day one, nearly missing the event itself due to a high demand for road tests on UK shores.

Don't just take our word for it. George Harrison, Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, and Bridget Bardot were all fans of Jaguar's budget busting world beater. Still not convinced? The New York Museum Of Modern Art in recognition of designer Malcolm Sayers creation added a blue S1 XKE Roadster to is collection.

Launched in 1961 the E-Type/XKE quickly established itself as one of the fastest production cars money could buy. Jaguar proudly claiming a maximum speed of 150 mph, reaching 60 mph in under 7-seconds, all while undercutting its rivals on price.

The E-Type's origin harks back to Le Mans winning D-Types, using a similar chassis and body construction process combined with race winning engine designs for the E1A development mule. A second concept bearing many of the final car's features appeared in 1960. The E2A using aluminum over steel construction made an unsuccessful racing debut at Le Mans, forced to retire, shipped to the US before returning home in 2008.

RELATED: 10 Things Everyone Forgot About The Jaguar D-Type

Tear apart any '60s production car, and you'll most likely find a ladder style chassis running front to rear, bodywork, drive trains, and axles all bolted directly to the steel backbone. A tried and tested process that for decades increased both weight and body flex.

Inspired by race car designs, the E-Type was different, irrespective of coupe or roadster, Jaguar adopted a unitary construction process, bodywork and chassis formed a single monocoque. Only the engine and front suspension carriers were formed separately to bear the engine's weight, thus simplifying installation.

Beneath the skin, at all four corners, Jaguar employed independent suspension that gave the XKE sublime handling and ride comfort. At the rear, a two coil-overs per wheel coupled to a Salisbury differential using a series universal joints and drive shafts with disc brakes mounted in-board for improved unsprung weight.

Up front a simpler but no less effective double wishbone and torsion bar arrangement, disc brakes, again used for performance reasons, moving to a more conventional outboard location. Jaguar was one of the earliest adopters of all round discs brakes, a lesson learned on track.

Throughout production of Series I/II E-Types, Jaguar relied on the XK series straight six. The design dating back to 1948 proved robust and powerful, powering the UK carmaker to all of its Le Mans Victories. Under the hood of Series 1 E-Types displacing 3.8-liters, fed by triple SU DH8 carburetors producing 265 hp.

Later expanded to 4.2-liters, Jaguar left the XK I6 engines output pegged at 265 hp, but crucially increased torque to 283 lb-ft at a relatively high 4000 RPM with peak horsepower although unchanged delivered at a fractionally lower 5400 RPM. Jaguar's XK I6 remained in production until 1987.

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Purely by chance the more practical in terms of space and usability, the XK-E Fixed head coupe almost didn't happen. Jaguar at the time recognizing a need for a 2+2 performance model experimented with the E-Types running gear and chassis. Stretched to accommodate four seats and four doors, the XJ6 later emerging as a separate design.

Opinions vary which is the better looking car, XKE Roadsters or quirkier FHC. The latter gaining a pair of small folding rear seats, that when not in use gave a generous amount of cargo space, accessible by the unusual side hinged rear hatch.

Naturally, a handful of special E-Types exist. Factory built lightweight E-Type roadsters from 1963 arguably the pinnacle of classic Jaguars. Originally intended for competition use, Le Mans the obvious choice, in all, Jaguar planned 18 cars, later slashing this figure to 12. The Lightweight E-type, although successful in other series, never contested the famous 24-hour event.

Streamlined, lighter aluminum bodywork takes most of the credit for the Lightweights superior performance, tipping the scales some 250 lbs lighter and packing an alloy blocked XK I6, punching out 300 hp with speeds approaching 170 mph.

Ending development of the XJ13 racer, Jaguar had no viable plans for its V12 engine. The solution, rightly or wrongly, would be the XK-E. Launched in 1971, Series III XKEs shipped with a sole engine option, down-specced to 2 valves per-cylinder, Jaguar's 5.3-liter V12 produced 272 hp.

We're big fans of the Jaguar V12s silky smooth power delivery, its quad pipped rear exhaust giving off a deep bass roar under full throttle. However, more cylinders equate to more weight, the miniscule power gains barely making a noticeable difference to performance, Jaguar still claiming a sub-7-second sprint to 60 mph.

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Last minute 700 mile drives from Coventry to Geneva proved a worthwhile logistics exercise, Jaguar taking 500 advanced orders for the E-Type at Geneva Motor Show. Over the E-Type's production life, selling more than 67,000 cars (S1=33,205 / S2=18,808 / S3=15,287), straight-six engined cars the more popular.

Given its stunning looks, performance, and bargain sticker price, the E-Type forever will be one of the greatest sports cars ever produced. In terms of numbers sold, the success is a little skewed. Jaguar originally planned to build 100 cars per week, never achieving this figure due to a labor-intensive build. Even in later years, weekly production remained firmly in double digits.

Even today E-Types still command respect and sky-high prices for the right year and condition. Series 1 concurs examples hovering around $225,000, small change compared to these two stunning examples. Up first, Jaguar's own "restomod" project, if you like. The remaining 6 planned lightweight specials announced in 2015 with a cool sticker price of $1.5 million.

Equally impressive, Eagle Cars take on the E-Type, based on original chassis and engines, this restomod is built exclusively to order, with a starting price of $950,000 and a lengthy build time of 8,000 man-hours. Naturally, Eagle adds a few performance enhancing tweaks, brakes, tires, and a slippery body housing a 380 hp 4.7-liter XK I6 engine.

Raised in a car-obsessed environment from an early age ensured a keen interest in anything car-related. first and foremost an F1 fan, but also an avid follower of other motorsports. Professional background working closely with a well established UK based Supercar manufacturer in recent years.