mobile-menu-icon
Motrolix

Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Reborn From 6 Original, Unused Chassis: Video

For lovers of the Jaguar E-Type (as though the car could possibly elicit any haters), this video from the UK’s Autocar is an absolute must-see.

And we here at Motrolix utterly despise the phrase “must-see.”

The story, as-told by Autocar‘s Steve Cropley, is that in 1963, a lightened, race-ready version of the Jaguar E-Type coupe was unveiled, utilizing aluminum in place of steel wherever appropriate. A run of 18 cars was planned by the manufacturer, but the success of the ordinary Jaguar E-Type got in the way; only 12 were ever completed, leaving 6 chassis by the wayside while the luxury British automaker concentrated on bigger, more mainstream efforts.

Fast-forward to 2014, when Jaguar Land Rover Automotive’s Special Operations Division decided to revive the racing Jaguar E-Type after some 50 years of dormancy. The result: a Jaguar E-Type “Lightweight Continuation Series,” necessarily limited to six units, with each slated to cost £1 million (approx. $1.54 million US).

The special project presented an enormous undertaking; the tooling used on the original Jaguar E-Type has long been gone, necessitating a thorough reverse-engineering of Jaguar’s own classic car. Even the all-aluminum engine had to be painstakingly recreated, and on a project this historically significant, the devil is in the details.

Watch Autocar‘s Steve Cropley explore the historically rich Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Continuation Series right here. Seriously, you don’t want to miss it.

Aaron Birch is an automotive enthusiast and writer/filmmaker from Detroit, MI. As a rule, he only buys cars older than himself.

No Comments yet

Leave a comment

Cancel