Although it has been missing from top-level motorsport for more than two decades now, Jaguar->ke39 remains one of the world's most successful race car manufacturers. Between the early 1950s and the early 1990s, the Brits brought home no less than seven 24 Hours of Le Mans trophies, just enough to place them right below Ferrari->ke252 and above makers such as Bentley->ke15, Alfa Romeo->ke1386, and Ford->ke31. Jaguar's Le Mans success returned under the spotlight with the F-Type Project 7, a limited-edition sports car built to commemorate the company's success in France.

And the folks over at XCAR thought it would be a great idea to look back on the F-Type's->ke1224 spiritual predecessor, the E-Type->ke1246, and the other two spectacular racers that preceded it, the C-Type->ke2405 and D-Type->ke1250. Not only that, but the Brits also managed to round up all three vehicles on the same track for a 19-minute history lesson that covers nearly 24 years of good old Jaguar days.

It all begins with the C-Type, a track-exclusive car built to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It did so by dominating the 1953 race against heavy competition from Cunningham and Ferrari->ke252. XCAR also has a thorough look at the D-Type, yet another Jag confined to the race course. Built between 1954 and 1957, the D-Type was even more successful than the C-Type. It won the famed Le Mans event three times in a row between 1955 and 1957 and among its victims were various Ferraris, Aston Martins->ke13, and Porsches->ke1.

Finally, the video focuses on the E-Type, know as one of the most beautiful sports cars of the 20th century. When it debuted at the Geneva Motor Show->ke228 in 1961, the E-Type had a 3.8-liter engine that delivered 265 horsepower and staggering performance for the era -- naught to 62 mph in six seconds and a top speed of 150 mph. By 1970 displacement had increased to 4.2 liters, but the six-banger was dropped in 1971, when Jaguar offered a 5.3-liter, V-12 mill rated at up to 295 ponies and 300 pound-feet of torque.

Of course, there's more to the E-Type than raw power and torque, but we'll let you discover more by watching XCAR's video. Hit the play button above for the greatest Jaguar trio to ever hit the street and track.

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