Production
How many E-Types were made?
About 72,500 in all, built between 1961 and 1974. The exact figure depends on who is counting, and this page explains why.
The commonly published totals are 72,515 and 72,520. Both appear in reputable places, and the difference of a handful of cars is not a contradiction to be resolved by picking the more confident-sounding source. It reflects what each compiler counted: pre-production and prototype cars, cars despatched in one year and registered in the next, and the exact points at which one series was deemed to end and another to begin.
The short breakdown
- Series 1, 3.8-litre: about 15,498
- Series 1, 4.2-litre: about 16,195
- Series 1.5, the 1968 interim cars: about 6,726
- Series 2: about 18,809
- Series 3, V12: about 15,287
- All series: about 72,515
Graham Robson's published figures divide the same production along different lines, with the 2+2 counted separately and Series 1.5 not treated as a category at all, reaching a total of about 72,520. The two sets are not reconcilable line by line, because they are not answering the same question. The full comparison, with both sets side by side, is on the production numbers page.
Why Series 1.5 complicates the count
Series 1.5 is a collector term rather than a factory one. Jaguar's records place those cars inside the Series 1 4.2 sequence. Any source that reports a Series 1.5 figure has drawn a line the factory never drew, which is useful for owners and awkward for arithmetic. See Series 1.5 for what the cars actually are.
Common questions
How many Jaguar E-Types were made in total?
Around 72,500 across all series between 1961 and 1974. Two commonly cited totals are 72,515 and 72,520. Neither is wrong so much as differently compiled, because the sources count pre-production cars, home and export builds and the changeover points slightly differently.
How many Series 1 E-Types were made?
On the breakdown this archive uses, about 15,498 of the 3.8-litre cars and about 16,195 of the Series 1 4.2 cars, with a further 6,726 of the 1968 interim cars usually called Series 1.5. Graham Robson's published figures divide the same production differently, which is why the numbers do not line up between sources.
How many V12 E-Types were made?
About 15,287 Series 3 cars, on the same breakdown, built between 1971 and 1974. Robson gives about 15,290. The gap is small and reflects compilation method rather than a dispute about what was built.
Which E-Type production figure should I trust?
For a specific car, none of them. Totals describe the model, not your chassis. If you need to know what your own car is, the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust issues Heritage Certificates from the original production records, and that is the only authoritative answer.