The Jaguar E-Type, which as the name implied was something of a road-going successor to the Le Mans winning D-Type, first debuted at Geneva in March 1961.  It's North American debut was at the New York Auto Show the following month.  The car created an instant sensation wherever it was shown, and to this day is one of the most celebrated automotive designs of all time.  Few cars defined their era so successfully.

Due to the popularity of the earlier XK models from Jaguar, it was often referred to as the XK-E in North America.