What's the news?
Jaguar is set to put the legendary E-Type back into production, 56 years after the car was first put on sale.
It's part of the Reborn setup at Jaguar Land Rover, a process which has already seen 'Lightweight' E-Type race cars, the XKSS road-racer and Series I Land Rover and Ranger Rover models painstakingly rebuilt and re-created by Jaguar Land Rover experts. It's not really a classic car restoration, it's more a totally new car, built to current quality control standards, using original parts and a donor chassis and engine.
Initially ten E-Types will be given the Reborn treatment, all of which will be based on vehicles sourced by Jaguar experts, who will insist on total originality. Unique access to build records and original drawings held by the Jaguar Heritage Trust, and the team's decades of experience in restoration up to concours-winning standard, ensure absolute authenticity. Jaguar Classic Parts are used throughout, to maximise the vehicle's quality, longevity and collectability.
It's likely that, as with the Series I Land Rover project, many of the donor cars will be sourced from locations such as Australia and California, where rust is less of an issue.
Tim Hannig, Director, Jaguar Land Rover Classic, said: "The launch of E-type Reborn is a hugely exciting development for Jaguar Classic. The E-type is the most iconic sports car of all time, so we are delighted to be able to give new life to expertly selected examples for discerning customers around the world to own and enjoy. The resources and information available to Jaguar Classic's expert technicians are unrivalled, which results in the most authentic E-type restorations possible."
As with the previous Reborn models, Jaguar has created a 'Car Zero' demonstrator, an 'Opalescent Gunmetal Grey' Series 1 4.2 Fixed Head Coupe. Originally exported to California in May 1965, the car recorded 78,000 miles before being stored in 1983.
While safety-critical items such as brakes and steering components are replaced with new parts, the Jaguar technicians try otherwise to keep as much of the original in situ as possible, preferring to repair or recondition parts. Even such tiny details as the correct pattern of spot-welds are kept original.
You can specify upgrades of course, but only those which were available on original models such as improved cooling (using Lightweight E-type-derived parts), all-synchromesh gearbox (if not fitted to the vehicle originally), or Series 2 front brake calipers.
The cost? You'll be needing that Lotto win, I'm afraid. At STG£285,000 you'll need to find in the neighbourhood of €340,000 to bring one in here (although at least as a classic it would be VRT exempt...).