Last week we talked about a certain McLaren Special Operations P1 – one of a handful of bespoke machines being showcased by their respective manufacturer’s at this weekend’s prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Adding that list, and perhaps the most impressive of them all is this: a brand spanking new – yet in many ways half-century old – Jaguar Lightweight E-type.
As interesting as the proposition might sound, don’t go thinking that this ‘new’ E-type features a modern chassis under its svelte and oh-so-iconic lines. It’s a prototype built by the newly-formed Jaguar Heritage division working inside Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, that’s paving the way for the six cars needed to finally complete the British carmaker’s intended run of 18 Lightweight GT E-types built in 1963 and 1964.
Like the 12 originals, the 2014 Lightweight E-type is built around an aluminium bodyshell. But as easy as it would have been, using modern high-strength and bonded structures was never an option though. Not only would those things compromise the car’s authenticity, but make it ineligible for FIA historic racing homologation too. What the artisans at Jaguar Heritage did do though was use state-of-the-art scanning technology to digitally map the inner and outer surfaces of an original Lightweight body shell, therefore capturing dimension and shape data down to a fraction of a millimetre in order to recreate the special panels.
As it was originally specified in the ’60s, the Lightweight E-type features a 3.8-litre XK engine with an alloy block, 10.0:1 compression and dry sump lubrication. The prototype ‘Car Zero’ features Lucas mechanical fuel injection (an original option), which owners of the six soon-to-be-built cars can specify over the standard triple Weber 45DCO3 carburettor specification. All told the inline six produces 340hp at 6,500rpm and 280lb/ft of torque – no shortage of grunt for a machine that tips the scales at just 1,000kg.
When you consider how much money original (11 are still known to exist) Lightweights fetch, the six final cars are guaranteed to come at significant cost. What that exact figure will be is not yet known, but if you have to ask you’re probably not going to be able to afford it.
I’ll leave you with this clip of the Lightweight E-type being given a shakedown, and this to ponder… If there was one make/model you wish would return to the new car showroom, built in the same way it originally was but using some modern methodology in doing so, what would it be?
Brad Lord
brad@speedhunters.com
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Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
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OMG -- These are the most beautiful cars in the world -- -- Was in the Navy '72 bought OK was given cheap a '64 E type -- I was station at Key West at the time and some old gent just couldn't get those SU carbs to work and it was to far to Miami to get it worked on, so I received it for a next to nothing -- It was a great time to have a Jag and drive it to Miami every chance I got -- did you know those bastards could hit over a 100 in less than a quarter mile -- -- almost lost me life several times driving way too fast on those skinny tires -- Then got sent to Nam and no place to store it, so sold it -- --- Dumbest thing I ever did -- -- Found a V-12 edition about 10 years ago in a hanger in Chino -- couldn't talk the guy down enough to get it into my pay range.......
Ford RS200 with a Cosworth-tuned, KERS-equipped Ecoboost V6.
@SS6K V6? I think you mean Inline-4 (if you want it "built in the same way it originally was")...
Apart from that, HELL YES.
What an amazing story. Good design is simply good design and timeless. What a beauty.
Bring back the original 240z
Holden Torana LJ GTR XU1. They were built with slaying the Falcon GTHO Phase 3 in mind. Built in 1972, they weigh around 1050kg and used a 202ci triple stromberg six putting out around 135kw. Green NC racer pic taken at Winton festival of speed last weekend and the blue at Fairbain park hillclimb in Canberra.
Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S
@SS6K I'd rather have an RS200 left alone with the original 4 cyl Cosworth BDT and no electronic crap like KERS.
Mine would have to be a 356 porsche or the 550 spyder.
would like to have seen the XA GT-HO phase IV Falcon, i guess technically one is road registered it counts?
340hp, a number several supercar manufacturers were bragging about... 20 years later. In a car weighing only 1,000kg? Plus, the combination of that beautiful shape and mechanicals that are works of art by themselves... This is the kind of car that makes me consider a brief career as a highly-paid assassin.
That look and that sound, my God that's one beauty of a car!
I've only got one thing to say.
Hhhnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggg
To answer your question, Brad, it's gotta be the F40. Honorable mentions go to the original Miura and the TVR Cerbera Speed 12 (W112 BHG).
Speechless, I would be honoured to just see it drive by.
Censport You'll need a teammate!
Yeah absolutely mate! If you do want a phase IV they actually sold them, under the name "RPO83". Most of the drive train was set for the phases but due to the supercar scare ford had to rethink and all they did was change the cam and renamed it. Don't mean that you can't make a replica.
I hope they make a documentary about the whole process.
my list is actually quite long.........
Lamborghini Miura and BMW M3 E30
not a car, but an engine. Not just any engine, but AMG's 6.0 Liter, 12 cylinder M120. Because we need more V12's with savage straight-pipes on our streets and tracks. Exhibit A: pagani revolucion. amen
Carrera though...
hopefully they have fixed the electronics issues that have plagued these cars buy now
Lancia Delta. Maybe using todays manufacturing they could build a car that doesn't rot when its parked for an hour. I'd love an RS200 but you can buy those in kit form currently, I would (reaaaaaaaally) like Honda to do a production version of the HSV 10 - and while I've got my head in the clouds dreaming - id also take a re-engineered 63' E.H. Holden for my dad as he loves them.
TarmacTerrorist Some Aussie Holden love! My mate who's 17 has an EK Ute!
Ferarri P3, not really a street car buut dayum! or a Porsche 917...
Lachys114 I would of loved an EK Ute at 17! plenty of beer space in the back. my dads from south melbourne the reason we left is he came home one day to find his brother on a new chop' with a couple of crates of VB and his car was gone. my uncle had sold it from underneath him....
Toyota 2000GT. Enough said.
EFs and S30s - so they'd actually be attainable... for peasants like me.
Roman64 Yes, you're right! A spotter to help me with distance and windage. Are you in?
Heck yeah dude, that's my specialty!
Evo 9/R34 (that's for Dino).
Roman64 Woohoo! Lightweight E-Type, here we come! Hahahaha!
Ferrari 625 TRC Spider, MB W196 (open wheel or streamlined), Ferrari F40 LM. Those are probably my top 3
Ok and one realistic one... SUBARU 22B!!!!!!!!!!!!
1971 911 ST for the price of a Cayman please.
ToyotaSupraMan Enh, I guess going all the way to a V6 would be straying a little too far from the path of originality. Though a high power I4 would be nice too, we haven't seen many of them since the GTP days.
Ferrari 288 GTO
Call me bland but I would really like to see the Austin Healey Sprite MK IV, with the late model facelift. Maybe one of the late 90s John Cooper Si A-Series engines though, 90bhp sounds better than 65bhp and it's technically the same engine. The reason being that if something is going to be re manufactured, it may as well be something I could afford to buy and drive.
If I could bring back any car into production it would be the original mini, chiefly because BMW have built a "mini" that isn't small or simple of for the masses - everything that the original was.
Peugeot 205 gti or rallye
https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnrobertshepherd/5399471616/
Mfabs So much this.
61' 250 GT Berlinetta SWB or a '53 Maserati A6 GCS
@MyLifeAsLouis Where do I put my firstborn?
TarmacTerrorist Lachys114 Look father down the page mates! lol
I'm going to forward those pics to my dad - cheers for the heads up!
All nissan s-chassis cars would be great
Any Datsun or old vw
Lancia Stratos
Nice man
@SS6K why not also 2 CVT-s (2 because 1 can't handle the power). With cvt the engine can be always at max rpm while the car accelerates.
Slackinfux why do u call the KERS electronic crap? Did u know that KERS doesn't mean electronic system always (write flywheel kers in youtube)? The difference between KERS and brakes is that KERS increases the weight of the car, but adds acceleration depending on how much the driver reduces the speed of the car, and the brakes only waste the energy. So u can call the normal brakes crap, but not the technology in formula 1, bunch of Porsche-s, bmw i8 and much cars from japan.
Big Pooky ditto on the F40.
Split-window Corvette Stingray!
Ford Escort mk1, to give one to my dad, just like the 1300gt coupe he had young with gold gottis, but my list is kinda long too, modern stuff is less interesting in 95% of the time..
I actually saw this car run this weekend with other mustangs this weekend at the Laguna Seca Historic Car race. All I can say is it is art on the road. The trumpets make it sound like an old old F1 engine and shape is just simply spectacular.... Feel in love with the car the first time I saw it.
Amazing!
All aluminum cars are nice but they are few and far between. The
Japanese built the NSX which is available to maybe not the average
income but just a little above. This Jag is just a dream for anyone but
the multi million or billionaires.
Tell Jag to put an all aluminum XJ13 into production and make it semi affordable like the NSX.
Slackinfux ...You do know that you've told me to keep the car dead stock, thus defeating the entire point of the discussion.
If you haven't noticed, Brad asked us what car we would want brought back ALONGSIDE MODERN DAY TECHNOLOGY. I mean, to each their own and all, but seriously? Actually pay attention to the discussion at hand.
I love this car - I just had to have one so I made a drawing of it