50 YEARS OF RIDING THE E-TICKET

The Disneyland E-ticket once represented the amusement park's best rides. The automotive world had its own version of the E-Ticket: The Jaguar XK-E, or the E-Type, as it was more widely known in its home. When the car was introduced in 1961, Enzo Ferrari called it "the most beautiful car ever made." In 2004, the car ranked at the top of Sports Car International magazine’s Top Sports Cars of the 1960s. In 2008, readers of the Daily Telegraph voted the E-Type as the most beautiful car of all time, with four times as many votes as the second place finisher. This year, the Jaguar E-Type celebrates its 50th anniversary—and Car Art, Peter Aylett’s electronic gallery of the best automotive artwork assembled in one location, is celebrating the art work involving the E-Type. Says Aylett, “I was a English schoolboy when I saw the E-Type Jag announced in the Daily Mirror. Few cars before or since have had such an impact on me and British car enthusiasts.” “ was designed by Malcolm Sayer, the brilliant aviation aerodynamicist that William Lyons hired to shape his Le Mans-winning C-Type and D-Type racing cars, says Aylett. “There have been many famous car designers, but very few have equalled the exquisite forms created by this modest, largely forgotten man—an engineer who did not consider himself a stylist.”

Itself approaching a 10-year anniversary, Car Art showcases car designers and fine artists in one convenient resource. Numerous masters of automotive art immortalize the most beautiful designs of classic marques. An ever-growing body of artwork, many exclusive originals, limited edition prints and posters, ranging from European sports and racing to American muscle and classics, in every decade since cars were first made in America. Each artist has his or her own webpage with a photo, biography and gallery of art. To visit Car Art’s E-Type Gallery, point your cursor here. [nggallery id=etype]