Jaguar’s greatest creation, the E-Type, has made a surprise return half a century after production of the iconic sports car ended.
The British brand has built two completely new examples from scratch for a deep-pocketed client in Southeast Asia, using original plans for the model Enzo Ferrari once described as “the most beautiful car ever made.”
So how much would it cost to commission Jaguar to build an all-new E-Type today?
The E-Type is back… sort of: these are the two “new” models built from the ground up by Jaguar’s Classics division. Both have been produced for a wealthy Southeast Asian client.
Both are drop-top coupes, one finished in Signet Green and the other in Opal Black, variations of color combinations that were on the options list in 1974.
The two models have been created by the company’s in-house historic vehicle division, Jaguar Classic.
Both cars built for the same customers are based on the original Series I E-Type specification.
However, Jag says they have also taken inspiration from the Series III ‘Reborn’ models launched in 2017, as well as the six pairs of celebratory models created to mark the 60th year of the E-Type in 2021, which They strictly had to be purchased as a set of two for £650,000.
But while the E-Type Reborns of recent years were all heavily restored existing cars (each costing around £285,000 for those lucky enough to buy them), the two new models revealed this week are the only E-Types “new” that have ever been made. Leaving the Jaguar Classic workshop.
As these are two completely new creations, we expect the cost of each to be well above the £300,000 Reborn versions, and a far cry from the £2,250 a Series I cost when new in the early aughts. sixty.
The pair of cars have been built using the original blueprints of the model that Enzo Ferrari once described as “the most beautiful car ever made.”
The two models have been created by the company’s in-house historic vehicle division, Jaguar Classic.
Both cars built for the same customers are based on the original Series I E-Type specification.
The two new models revealed this week are the only “new” E-Types to come out of the Jaguar Classic workshop.
Jaguar says: “Every detail, inside and out, receives the careful attention of Jaguar Classic’s dedicated experts, with updates meticulously orchestrated over more than 2,000 hours.”
Both are drop-top coupes, one finished in Signet Green and the other in Opal Black, variations of color schemes that were on the options list in 1974.
While the pair are powered by a 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine, like cars built between 1961 and 1964, they instead have modern electronic fuel injection in place of the original triple SU carburetor.
Another important difference is the gearbox: the two new models feature a five-speed gearbox instead of the four-speed transmission fitted to the original cars more than six decades ago.
Jaguar has not given an official power figure for the 2024 E-Type, but it is expected that they will exceed the 265 HP first cited for the Series I.
The cars are also equipped with a “discreet” Bluetooth radio and a heated windscreen, added to make their use more practical without altering the character and authenticity of the E-Type’s wonderful interior.
They also have air conditioning.
Both cars have been tastefully modernized. They have ‘discreet’ Bluetooth radios and heated windshields
The cars also have a switch to operate the air conditioning, a convenience that buyers of the 1961 E-Type would have loved.
A host of customer-requested custom elements also adorn the cabin, with an anodized aluminum center console bearing a unique engraving of a genuine early-series Type IE blueprint from the archives.
While the pair are powered by a 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine, like cars built between 1961 and 1964, they instead have modern electronic fuel injection in place of the original triple SU carburetor.
Jaguar says: “The Classic E-Type commemorative vehicles are the ultimate expression of the E-Type, with a unique hand-built specification that makes each a truly individual collector’s item.”
The brand adds: “Every detail, inside and out, receives the careful attention of Jaguar Classic’s dedicated experts, with updates meticulously orchestrated over more than 2,000 hours.”
The stunning exterior of both models is matched by timeless interior finishes, featuring Bridge of Weir tan leather seats, hand-woven and stitched in the Jaguar Classic trim shop, with matching black and tan leather trim.
A host of customer-requested custom elements also adorn the cabin, with an anodized aluminum center console bearing a unique engraving of a genuine early-series Type IE blueprint from the archives.
Each car is also adorned inside and out with precious stones supplied by high-end supplier Deakin & Francis, England’s oldest jewelery manufacturer.
Inside, the steering wheel horn is finished in silver with an 18K Growler badge and mother-of-pearl inlay.
On the front, the motif bar badge is finished in silver with guilloche mother-of-pearl and an 18-karat gold Growler icon.
Even the keys to each car are adorned with jewelery supplied by high-end supplier Deakin & Francis, based in Birmingham.
Both E types get mother-of-pearl, hallmarked solid silver and 18-karat gold details.
On the front, the motif bar badge is finished in silver with guilloche mother-of-pearl and an 18k gold Growler icon, while on the back, the badges are enamelled in sterling silver.
Inside, the steering wheel horn pushbutton is finished in silver with an 18K Growler badge and mother-of-pearl inlay, while a sterling silver shift knob with mother-of-pearl and 18K gold accents provides a decadent touch.
“With the E-Type Commemorative, our Classic team set out to improve a design that was already almost perfect,” explains Jaguar commercial director Lennard Hoornik.
‘As the original creators of the E-Type, we are in a unique position to subtly integrate aesthetic and engineering improvements born of decades of knowledge, skill and passion.
“The unique specification and our collaboration with renowned jewelers Deakin & Francis have resulted in a machine as close to a workable precious metal as it is possible to conceive.”
Ironically, the pair of commemorative E-Types were built shortly after Jaguar officially ended production of its spiritual successor, the F-Type sports car.
It, along with the XE and exclusive brand of electric vehicles from 2025. .
In December it is due to unveil a concept version of its first next-generation electric car, a £100,000-plus luxury GT.
However, the actual product won’t arrive until late next year, and in the meantime, Jaguar won’t produce a single car for the global market for the next 12 months.
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