Jaguar to Make More Lightweight E-Types, Just Those ‘Missing’ Six!

The E-Type is one of the most iconic cars by the British car manufacturer Jaguar. More than 70,000 E-Types were sold between 1961 and 1975. The great looks, high performance and competitive pricing made it one of the most sought after cars of its times.It is so gorgeous that even Enzo Ferrari called it “The most beautiful car ever made”.

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The Series 1 E-Type had a special, limited edition ‘Lightweight’ model which was meant to be more of a Grand Tourer than a proper sports car. Eighteen such cars were stipulated to be built but only twelve saw the light of the day. Out of these two have been converted to Low-Drag Coupe (one by Jaguar, and the other privately) and two others are known to have been wrecked and deemed to be beyond repair, although one has now been repaired and rebuilt!

The cars used an all-aluminium block tuned version of the production 3.8L Jaguar engine with 304.2PSof maximum power against than the 268.7PS produced by the normal E-Types. All factory-built Lightweights were fitted with a Lucas Fuel Injection and a ZF 5 speed gearbox.

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The twelfth lightweight E-Type was made in 1964 and the remaining six chassis number had been lying dormant till now! But Jaguar wants to re-build those ‘missing’ 6 and  these Lightweight E-Types will finally be made into a masterpiece by the modern day craftsmen. Each car shall be built on the exact same lines of the original Lightweights. The Lightweight E-Types are nearly 114kg lighter than a standard E-type, thanks to its all-aluminium body and engine block, lack of interior trim and exterior chrome work and a host of other weight-saving features including lightweight, hand-operated side windows! Owing to the high expected demand, the company has decided to give priority to Jaguar collectors, especially those with historic race car interests.

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The Jaguar E-Type though could not defeat the Ferraris at Le Mans but they sure did manage to win the hearts of millions thanks to its iconic design. The Heritage business arm is aiming to finish this project before the end of summer and work is already under way in full swing.

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