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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 8 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 15 T R E N D I N G PIMP MY RIDE The Coolest of All the Cats W hen it debuted in 1961, no less an expert than Enzo Ferrari called it "the most beautiful car ever made." It was hard to argue. Soon aer its debut the Jaguar E-Type was installed in the Muse- um of Modern Art, and it remains in the permanent collection there to this day — one of just three automobiles deemed worthy by the MOMA poohbahs. And with its chiseled nose, scooped headlights and swooping fenders, it truly was a work of art — an emblem of '60s pop culture and cool. e E-Type was more than just a pretty face, however. Its straight- six engine was the same that had pushed Jaguar to five victories at Le Mans in the 1950s. It had a top speed of 150 mph, which at the made it the fastest production car. In the world. Steve McQueen owned one (and wrote about road-testing the E-Type 2+2 in the August 1966 Sports Illustrated). So did Brigitte Bardot and Tony Curtis. So does Jeff Jensen. A vice president of Federal Savings Bank who lives in Fairfield County, Jensen was gied the two-seater as a 21st birthday gi — before his actual 21st birthday. Not a bad birthday present for a minor. at was in 1970, the same year the car was manufactured in Britain. But Jensen's parents bought his E-Type used, for $4,600, with 4,600 miles on the odometer — "a dollar a mile," Jensen jokes. Today, 48 years later, the odometer's up to 79,000. All told, Jaguar made 72,520 of them between 1961 and 1975, and exported 83 percent of those. More than 43,700 made it to the U.S., where they were sold as the XK-E. Jensen's '61 was factory- equipped with 3.8-liter straight- six, with dual overhead cams that cranks out 265 bhp and 260 lb- of torque. "It's pretty fast," Jensen allows. "ere are plenty of cars today that are faster — but this is 48 years old." ese days Jensen doesn't get to air it out much, preferring long country drives with his wife Patti. "It's a good driver," Jensen says. "It's steady on the road." A self-described "car person," Jensen today owns seven, includ- ing three Jags. Besides the E-Type he has an XL8L and in the garage, a 1958 Mk. I. Looks like he's got the Jaguar thing covered. n — Michael C. Bingham Dusky jewel: Jeff Jensen and his '70 Jag E-Type.

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