{"id":2052,"date":"2026-08-26T14:30:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T14:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utahmusclecars.com\/blog\/?p=2052"},"modified":"2026-08-31T12:59:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:59:53","slug":"a-1968-mustang-fastback-or-a-1961-jaguar-e-type-in-british-racing-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utahmusclecars.com\/blog\/a-1968-mustang-fastback-or-a-1961-jaguar-e-type-in-british-racing-green\/","title":{"rendered":"A 1968 Mustang Fastback or a 1961 Jaguar E-Type in British Racing Green"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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1968 Mustang Fastback VS 1961 E-Type Jaguar<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s the age-old question: American muscle, or British style and high performance? <\/span><\/span><\/span>In this corner, a 1968 Mustang fastback \u2014 the Bullitt shape. In the other, a 1961 Jaguar E-Type in British Racing Green. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Both are knockout cars. Both defined the 1960s. I know where I fall. How about you? <\/span><\/span><\/span>Being American to the bone. <\/span><\/span><\/span>I\u2019ll take the 1968 Mustang fastback. That doesn\u2019t take a thing away from the E-Type. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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It\u2019s still my favorite British car ever built. The lines are almost unfair. <\/span><\/span><\/span>The XK straight-six does a remarkable job. <\/span><\/span><\/span>But it also comes with Lucas electrics, a first gear that isn\u2019t synchronized on the earliest cars, and an ownership experience that asks more of you than a Ford ever will. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Let\u2019s put them side by side instead of just picking a favorite. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Two different ideas of \u201cfast.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span>The E-Type landed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961 and stopped the room.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Long hood, covered headlights, that tapering tail \u2014 Enzo Ferrari is widely quoted as calling it the most beautiful car ever made.<\/span><\/span><\/span>Whether he said the exact words is debated. The fact that people still repeat them tells you how the car landed.<\/div>\n
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guessingheadlights.com<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nIt wasn\u2019t just pretty. The early 3.8-liter XK six was claimed at 265 horsepower and 260 lb-ft, with independent rear suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Period tests put 0\u201360 in the high sixes to low sevens and a genuine 150 mph top end if you had the room and the nerve. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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accelerationtimes.com<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe 1968 Mustang fastback is a different animal. <\/span><\/span><\/span>It\u2019s the second-generation pony car: wider, longer-hooded, and finally looking like the muscle car people remember. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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\u201cBullitt style\u201d means a fastback, usually Highland Green, usually a 390 GT. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Steve McQueen\u2019s movie cars were S-code 390 four-barrels with the GT package and a four-speed. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Factory rating: 325 hp and 427 lb-ft. Period tests of a 390 GT fastback ran 0\u201360 in the mid-sixes and the quarter in the mid-fifteens.<\/div>\n
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hemmings.com<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOne car is a grand touring sports car that happens to look like sculpture. <\/span><\/span><\/span>The other is a Detroit V8 in a taut, usable coupe that a regular person could actually buy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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1968 Mustang Fastback specs:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Features<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n
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Engine Location :<\/td>\nFront<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Drive Type :<\/td>\nRear Wheel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Body \/ Chassis :<\/td>\nSteel unibody<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Production Years for Series :<\/td>\n1964 – 1973<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price :<\/td>\n$2,600-$2,812<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight :<\/td>\n2636 lbs | 1195.669 kg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n\n
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V 8<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Displacement :<\/td>\n4736 cc | 289.0 cu in. | 4.7 L.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power :<\/td>\n195 HP (143.52 KW) @ 4600 RPM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bore :<\/td>\n4.0 in | 102 mm.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stroke :<\/td>\n2.9 in | 73 mm.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Compression :<\/td>\n8.7:1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main Bearings :<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Valvetrain :<\/td>\n16 OHV (2.0 valves per cylinder)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cylinder Block<\/td>\nCast-iron<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n\n
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1961 E-Type Jaguar Specs:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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Engine Location :<\/td>\nFront<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Drive Type :<\/td>\nRear Wheel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Body \/ Chassis :<\/td>\nSteel body on box-section steel frame<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Production Years for Series :<\/td>\n1961 – 1968<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price :<\/td>\n$5,599-$5,890<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight :<\/td>\n2460 lbs | 1115.837 kg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Inline 6<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Displacement :<\/td>\n3781 cc | 230.7 cu in. | 3.8 L.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power :<\/td>\n265 BHP (195.04 KW) @ 5500 RPM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Torque :<\/td>\n260 Ft-Lbs (353 NM) @ 4000 RPM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bore :<\/td>\n3.4 in | 87 mm.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stroke :<\/td>\n4.2 in | 107 mm.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Compression :<\/td>\n9.0:1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main Bearings :<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cylinder Block :<\/td>\nCast-iron<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cylinder Head :<\/td>\nAluminum<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3 SU carburetors<\/u><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n\n

Transmission: 4-speed manual<\/p>\n

On paper, the Jaguar is the more sophisticated machine: twin-cam six, IRS, discs all around, higher claimed top speed. <\/span><\/span><\/span>The Mustang answers with a wave of midrange torque and a parts-bin you can still walk into a shop and work from. <\/span><\/span><\/span>That\u2019s the split in a sentence. <\/span><\/span><\/span>How they feel: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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The<\/span><\/span><\/span> E-Type is all flow. The hood stretches out forever. The engine is smooth and busy. Steering is unassisted and talkative. On a good road it feels smaller and more precise than the numbers suggest. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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The early Moss gearbox is the tax you pay: that unsynchronized first gear will humble you in traffic until you learn it.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>The \u201968 fastback is heavier in the hands and louder in the chest. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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The 390 doesn\u2019t need to be wrung out. It just leans on you. The live axle is honest, not elegant. The cabin is roomier than the Jaguar\u2019s two-seat cockpit. You can take a friend, a bag, and still look like you belong in a chase scene. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Both cars are low. Both cars make you late. Only one of them sounds like America.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA Series 1 E-Type in British Racing Green \u2014 the color the original post called out, and still the one that looks right. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Living with them in 2026. This<\/span><\/span><\/span> is where the shop talk starts.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Mustang:<\/span><\/span> Parts are everywhere. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Fastbacks are the ones people want, so prices have climbed, but a solid driver is still a realistic project. Body panels, trim, 390 and Windsor engines, Toploader gearboxes \u2014 the aftermarket never left. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Rust in the torque boxes, shock towers, and cowl is the usual story. A proper restoration is work. It is not archaeology. <\/span><\/span><\/span>E-Type:<\/span><\/span> The car is worth the trouble if you love it. The XK six is a jewel when it\u2019s right. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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The independent rear end is a work of art and a labor bill. Lucas wiring is the joke everyone knows because it\u2019s true enough to keep repeating. Early Series 1 cars (covered headlights, toggle switches, triple SUs) are the ones collectors want. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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A neglected E-Type will cost more to do correctly than a comparable Mustang, and the specialists who do them right are fewer. <\/span><\/span><\/span>If you want to <\/span>drive<\/span><\/span> a 1960s icon on weekends without a second mortgage to a British-car specialist, the Mustang wins. If you want the object Enzo (maybe) called the most beautiful car in the world sitting in your garage, the Jaguar wins. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Those are different purchases. <\/span><\/span><\/span>What they\u2019re worth now: Values<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0move, and condition is everything, but the pattern is stable:<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n