Jaguar to build six new Lightweight E-Types 50 years after the original program finished.
[Not a valid template]Just when we thought that the F-TYPE – coupe or otherwise – was the closest modern embodiment of the classic E-Type, Jaguar reveals yet another ace up its sleeve with the announcement that six perfect reproductions of the Lightweight E-Type are to be manufactured.
Known for its on-track prowess as well as weak-kneeing pretty much everything with a pulse during the ‘60s and ‘70s – Enzo Ferrari himself proclaiming it ‘the most beautiful car ever made’ – the E-Type made quite a name for itself on the SCCA (Sportcar Club of America) stages during the late 1970s. It even took a couple of GT championships en-route. Between 1963 and 1964 though, Jaguar hoped to improve on the Le Mans-winning heritage of its C and D-Type predecessors with the creation of 18 Lightweight ‘Special GT E-type Cars’.
An evolution of the Low Drag Coupe (another limited edition performance model that debuted in 1962), each Lightweight E-Type was built using primarily aluminium alloy in the bodywork and components to keep the weight down. Unlike its Low Drag Coupe contemporary though, and owing to rigidity issues with the hardtop roof, most of the 12 Lightweight models remained convertibles, a nod to Jaguar’s insistence that the Lightweight models convey the racing pedigree of the D-Type without sacrifices the E-Type’s looks and character.
Only 12 of the originally signed off 18 Lightweight E-Types made production though, Jaguar now bringing the remaining six designated chassis numbers back from the doldrums some 50 years after the final model rolled off the production line.
By shaving out wooden trim, chrome finishing and the inclusion of lightweight side windows, Jaguar has lifted 114kg off the E-Type’s original 1256kg kerb weight. Each of the six new models will also be fitted with the same 300hp 3.8-litre straight0-six fitted to their Lightweight forebears.
