What fortuitous timing. Just as Jaguar is a subject of discussion like never before, its greatest hits being venerated with renewed fervour, here comes a freshly restored - and absolutely beautiful - E-type. Nothing to make the good old days seem even more appealing than a freshly rebuilt version of it. Obviously, we don’t cover every newly restored classic car to emerge from an industrial unit, but this E-Type UK build is a bit different to the rest as a dedicated roadster build. With a customer requesting their car be built without a roof, the team took the opportunity to create something even more eye-catching than usual.
The E-Type Speedster is the result of 3,500 hours of work, most obviously evidenced by the new look. The bonnet and boot have been deseamed, and getting rid of the chrome makes for a cleaner, more contemporary-looking classic Jag. Even the door handles are now by an electronic release for a full declutter of the exterior. The headlight covers are new, and E-Type UK says ‘all finishing touches have been beautifully rounded’.
No surprise to find that a more voluptuous E-Type is an even prettier one; the customer requested something ‘more purposeful’ from their roadster, and it looks like that’s exactly what they’re going to get. Even if the front track is still a bit too narrow (sorry).
E-Type UK were also tasked with modernising the performance of this Jag, originally for Puerto Rico of all places. So that meant a total strip down of the straight-six and reassembling it to ‘fast road’ spec, including high-lift cams, new valves, a ported head, balanced crank, lighter flywheel, rebuilt SU carbs and a box-fresh five-speed manual. E-Type UK believes there’s a ‘new urgency’ to the way this Series 1 drives, accompanied by ‘an addictive straight-six roar’. Lovely stuff.
Plenty was required before the powertrain, however, given this 1961 LHD car (note the change now) hadn’t exactly lived a charmed life. ‘Significant repairs’ to the shell were required after blasting away 60 years of crud, with corrosion having taken hold. All the more reason to redo it with some pizzazz. The paint is Opalescent Gunmetal, responsible on its own for 400 hours of the total build, contrasted with red quilted leather inside. When the storage space behind the seats isn’t being used for bags, it’s going to be a seating area for the owner’s pets. No, seriously - there’s even a removable padded section for their comfort.
Still, you pay to commission your ultimate E-Type, you choose to have pet passengers included or not. It’s easy to imagine the new owner being over the moon with their Jaguar, and even more enthused once it’s on the road in whichever warm country it’s off to. Naturally, an exact price isn’t disclosed, though for some context a five-speed Series 2 prepped by E-Type UK is six figures, and one of its V12 ‘Unleashed’ cars is for sale at £650k; clearly, one of its reimagined Jags is going to be a massive investment. One that’ll likely feel worth every penny.
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