{"id":491964,"date":"2011-08-01T20:00:43","date_gmt":"2011-08-02T03:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/\/?p=33490"},"modified":"2025-01-06T00:46:31","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T00:46:31","slug":"heavy-duty-lightweights-1961-jaguar-xke-coombs-lightweight-1963-jaguar-xke-qvale-lightweight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/heavy-duty-lightweights-1961-jaguar-xke-coombs-lightweight-1963-jaguar-xke-qvale-lightweight\/","title":{"rendered":"1961 Jaguar XKE \u201cCoombs Lightweight\u201d & 1963 Jaguar XKE \u201cQvale Lightweight\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Heavy Duty Lightweights<\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a>
1961 Jaguar XKE \u201cCoombs Lightweight\u201d &\u00a01963 Jaguar XKE \u201cQvale Lightweight\u201d\u00a0Photo: Pete Austin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The year 2011 marks 50 years of the E-Type Jaguar or, as some of you know it better, the XKE.<\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bit unsettling to find myself being unphased by remembering things that happened 50 years ago\u2014a sure sign of advanced age. Fifty years ago, in August of 1961, I spent a weekend at the Bridgehampton circuit on Long Island, across the Long Island Sound from Connecticut and some 80 miles from New York City. The race that weekend was essentially a club meeting, but with some very interesting people there. There was a Birdcage Maserati, and I think a Scarab or two. Then there was a white car with a large fin on it that had a lot of people speculating. I remember folks in the paddock saying that Jaguar was producing a new D-Type, which was being driven by a fellow from New Jersey by the name of Walt Hansgen. There was an impressive entourage around Walt and the car and a lot of attention was being given to a dapper-looking man by the name of Briggs Cunningham.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n