An intoxicating blend of E-Type character with modern reliability, comfort and performance is found in the new Eagle which required 8,000 hours of craftsmanship to build.
The question “what’s the best an E-Type can be” has been answered by Eagle, the world’s leading specialist in the legendary Jaguars.
More than 35 years of E-Type experience has been focused on the analysis of every component, identifying no compromise design improvements, followed by an 8,000 hour build to create the missing model in Jaguar’s E-Type evolution: a Lightweight, thoroughly reengineered to be enjoyed on the road.
The process begins with a 100 per cent strip-down of an original Series 1 E-Type. Every panel is replaced with lightweight aluminum of a modern grade more suited to road use than the thin, fragile material of the original Lightweights.
Specialist craftsmen invest more than 2,500 hours forming the sensual curves, then fitting them to a tolerance many times more demanding than those specified by Jaguar’s Competition Department.
The heart of the car is Eagle’s 4.7-litre evolution of the famous Jaguar XK straight six that was fitted not just to E-Types, but also to the C and D-Types that, in the 1950s, won an astonishing five outright victories at Le Mans.
Peak power of 380 hp arrives at 5,750 rpm, but the pleasure of this unit is the vast wave of torque: 375 lb ft at 4,000 rpm and a wonderfully flat curve that makes the Eagle Lightweight GT feel effortlessly fast, before an urgent, howling dash for the redline.
The gearbox has been uprated to a carefully re-engineered, all synchromesh five-speed unit, taking care to provide a perfect period feel to the change with no compromise in the position of the lever..
Through extensive use of specialist lightweight materials including magnesium, Inconel and titanium, the Eagle Lightweight GT weighs just 1017 kg.
The remarkable attention to detail has even increased finger room around the seat adjusters, using the latest 3D printing techniques to create bespoke control levers.
The Lightweight GT joins Eagle’s three established E-Type ‘special editions’; the Speedster, Low Drag GT and Spyder GT. Just two ‘special edition’ E-Types will slip discreetly from their UK workshops each year, each one the product of more than 8,000 hours of skilled workmanship and 35 years of focused, passionate, E-Type experience.
Keyword: Eagle Flies the Ultimate E-Type