On March 15th of this year Jaguar celebrated the 60th Anniversary of their famous E-Type with a series of limited edition tribute vehicles: six matched pairs of restored 3.8 E-types inspired by the iconic ‘9600 HP’ and ‘77 RW’ examples from the sports car’s 1961 Geneva launch. Already drool-worthy, Jaguar Classic enlisted engraving artist Johnny Dowell, aka King Nerd, to decorate the center console of each car, making them even more attractive.
King Nerd for Jaguar
The E-type 60 Collection cars, which are sold as a pair (one E-type 60 Edition coupé, one E-type 60 Edition roadster) are finished in exclusive Flat Out Grey and Drop Everything Green paint colors respectively. These color formulations are inspired by the original 1961 colors and won’t be used on any other Jaguar.
But the most distinctive visual highlight of these beauties is the custom-designed engraved centre consoles by artist King Nerd which celebrate the epic road trips undertaken by Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis and PR man Bob Berry to get the E-types to the 1961 launch.
The map etched into the cars’ center console features the route from Coventry to Geneva. The story behind which is as follows:
“…in true dramatic fashion, the E-type was driven flat-out from Coventry, by Jaguar executive Bob Berry, to the Parc des Eaux-Vives in Geneva – arriving just 20 minutes before the big reveal. “Good God, Berry,” said Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons as the car was vigorously wiped clean and put on display. “I thought you were never going to get here.”
Demand for test drives was so high that Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis was told to ‘drop everything’ and deliver another E-type – open-top demonstrator 77RW – to Geneva. He drove through the night, arriving to great applause from the eagerly awaiting press.”
The engraving also features the famous words of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons’ to Norman Dewis the night before: “Drop Everything and bring the open top E-Type over”.
This was a fantastic opportunity to design and engrave the stories of two epic drives by two Jaguar legends in these iconic and special cars. A permanent reminder of the anniversary, everywhere these E-types go, the memory of Bob Berry and Norman Dewis will travel with them.”- Johnny Dowell, aka King Nerd
King Nerd is the collaborator du jour. Predominantly having worked with tons of watch brands ranging from Rolex to G-Shock, he’s also recently collaborated with Doc Martens. His tattoo-like etchings are the perfect embellishment to watch bezels, metal accents and now, the center console of the Jaguar E-type 60 Collection.
King Nerd
About Jaguar Classic
Jaguar Classic is the official source of authentic cars, expert services, genuine parts and unforgettable experiences for classic Jaguar enthusiasts worldwide. Our team of highly-skilled engineers at the Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works facility in Coventry specialises in outstanding E-type Reborn restorations and building exclusive New Original Jaguar Continuation cars.